The 34th edition of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge kicked off last night as a world class field of over 150 competitors from around the world gathered at the historic Al Jahili Fort in the start-line city of Al Ain for the event’s official press conference and briefing.
One of the largest forts in the UAE, Al Jahili was built in the 1890s on the orders of Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, also known as Zayed the First, as the home to members of the ruling Al Nahyan family.
It was sporting royalty that took centre stage, however, as Rally-Raid champions such as Dacia driver Nasser Al Attiyah and Hero Motorsport rider Ross Branch joined with rally legend Sébastien Loeb, as well as event regulars such as local legends Abdulaziz Ahli and Mansour Al Helei and newcomers to discuss their hopes for the gruelling 1920 km route that includes some of the UAE’s toughest terrain and most remote regions.
The action gets underway with an 11-kilometre Qualifying Stage on 22nd February around the Jebel Hafit Desert Park, and runs through to 27th February, with competitors powering through an opening stage Mezaira’a before toughing it out on a two-stage marathon camp and finally, a full-throttle Stage 5 blast to ultra-modern Abu Dhabi and the finish line.
The conference began with an address by guest of honour, event founder and current FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem who said: “If we look at how far this event has come, it is incredible. The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge has grown from a small seed in 1991 to become a globally recognised competition that attracts the world’s best cross country drivers and riders and which forms the spine of the FIA and FIM World Rally-Raid Championship. I thank everyone who supported it, and I wish you all a safe 2025 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.”
President Ben Sulayem was joined on stage by His Excellency Talal Mustafa Al Hashemi, Executive Director of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, His Excellency Bader Saeed Al Lamki, CEO of ADNOC Distribution, Mr Mahir Badri, CEO of the Emirates Motorsport Organisation, Tobias Maier, CFO MEA of DHL, and Assad Chehade Senior Marketing Manager of Al Futtaim Toyota. All were welcomed to the Garden City of Al Ain, which is hosting the start for the first time in the event’s history.
Saeed Al Dhaheri, Director Al Ain and Al Dhafra Al Ain and Al Dhafrah Region Development at the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi said: “2025 is special year for Al Ain, having been declared this year’s Gulf Tourism Capital. This prestigious title underscores the unique blend of cultural heritage, world-class hospitality, and excellence in adventure tourism that Al Ain offers. It is with pride that we host the legendary Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, a globally recognized motorsport rally, starting from Al Ain for the very first time. This year, we welcome more than 150 motorsport legends and rising stars from 30 countries worldwide, including 16 Emirati drivers and riders – a number we hope will continue to grow, inspiring a new generation of motorsport across the UAE. Abu Dhabi has proven its ability to host world-class events, and the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is a shining example of this track record.”
The rally, one of the longest-running UAE sporting spectacles, is presented by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and organised by the Emirates Motorsport Organisation (EMSO and this evening it also celebrated the strong partnerships that help to make the event happen, including a new arrival this year in the shape of logistics partner DHL.
Tobias Maier, DHL’s Chief Financial Officer, MEA said: “For more than 20 years now, we work have worked very closely with Formula 1, we are a founding partner of Formula E, we support MotoGP, the World Endurance Championship and we are very happy and proud to be supporting the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge for the first time. For us it’s amazing. Best of luck to everybody, have a wonderful event, an exciting time and may the best racers win.”
Commenting on the strength of the partnerships, Mahir Badri, CEO, EMSO, said: “It’s not only the pride that we feel for this event. I think we are full of emotions. This even gives us a lot of joy but there is a lot of toughness behind it. It is a really logistically difficult event and it was quite a struggle to keep it going. In that regard, the partners that support us, and we call them partners because without them we cannot run this event. we are really thankful for all of them. We are also thankful to the competitors because they have chosen to come to the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and year after year that the event is growing.”
Attention now turns to Saturday’s crucial Qualifying Stage. Taking place at beautiful Jebel Hafit Desert Park, where a dedicated spectator zone will help raise excitement levels even higher, the short, full-throttle run over a route comprised of fast gravel tracks, wadi crossings and visibility reducing scrub, will determine the starting for the daunting 400 km Stage 1 race towards Mezaira’a. The competitors will then face a make-or-break marathon camp before the final blast to Abu Dhabi and the finish line
It’s a challenger last year’s Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge winner and defending FIA World Rally Raid champion Nasser Al-Attiyah of Dacia Sandriders is relishing: “It will be a tough race, but we’ll try to do our best to win again, and if we can it will be really nice. We have a lot of experience, we’ve won four times here, so I’m excited to start here from Al Ain. Absolutely, we’re confident. We’re here to win this race.”
Defending FIM World Rally-Raid bikes champion Ross Branch of Hero Motorsports added: “I’m really glad I’m healthy enough to get on the bike tomorrow, so that’s already a dream come true, and I love coming back to this race. It’s really close to my heart. The organisers put on such a great event and change it up for us as athletes every year. It’s really awesome and we’re all looking forward to an exciting week. It’s something completely different.”
Meanwhile, local legend and four-time Quad category winner Abdulaziz Ahli is taking nothing for granted, saying: “I’m a bit nervous this year because every year it just gets harder and harder. At the moment I just forget about myself. I’m not here representing myself; I’m here representing my country, and I’ll give it all to make sure I reach the finish line and hopefully score another win.”
The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Ruler’s Representative Court in Al Dhafra Region; presented by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council; with the support of this year’s Energy partner ADNOC Distribution; Automotive partner Al-Futtaim Toyota; Abu Dhabi Aviation; Al Ain Water; Governmental support from the Ministry of Defence & UAE Armed Forces, Abu Dhabi Police, Civil Defence, Abu Dhabi Distribution Co, Al Dhafra Region Municipality, and our media partner Abu Dhabi Sports TV.
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