Unlike the Kansas City Chiefs, Todd Kellett was able to complete the three-peat in his sport’s biggest event.
Kellett dominated the 50-year anniversary Enduropale du Touquet Pas-de-Calais (49th edition; 2021 was canceled due to COVID-19), leading from start to finish to win for the third year in a row. Matheo Miot tried to chase him down but eventually fell down to fourth, leaving Milko Potisek to pursue his teammate for much of the event. However, he was unable to catch him as Kellett instead tied him with three Touquet crowns.
The win gives him a leg up in the newly-minted FIM Sand Races World Championship, which was upgraded from World Cup status for 2025. Kellett has won every FIM Sand Races title since its inception in 2023.
“It was an incredible race and we’ve started the championship in a great way,” said Kellett. “I took a great start and felt as though from there I commanded the race to make it three in a row and make a dream start to the series. It’s a long campaign so we have time to work hard and make sure we do the job.”
Like Kellett, Amandine Verstappen ran it back on the Moto Women class as the only entrant to complete all 11 laps. Verstappen won the category at every event in 2024.
The day before the main Moto race, Damien Knuiman—who finished 15th in that event—won the Moto Junior race after overcoming an early crash. Manfred Zienecker won in the adjacent Quad race.
In conjunction with the FIM-sanctioned events, the Vintage class was won by Adrien Van Beveren on a Honda CR500. Just a month removed from placing third in the Dakar Rally, he beat Nicolas Dercourt by just 14 seconds for his fifth win at Touquet and second in Vintage.
“I came here right after my Dakar, so I knew I was going to have a real opponent,” Van Beveren commented. It’s great, good to have a battle, that spices up the race. It feels so good to win once again here at Le Touquet. This vintage win feels even more special, even more satisfying after coming back from Dakar. When I see so many people here already on a Friday, it impresses me, and it makes me realize how strong the passion for motorbikes still is in this region.
“It’s really nice to win here even though I didn’t really prepare for this race at all except for the last seven days after coming back from Dakar. On the other hand, those seven days, I didn’t sleep—I mean, I won’t say I didn’t sleep at all, but I spent all my time tuning the bike to optimize it. These are old bikes that we don’t have much experience with, so in the end, you never really know. But it feels great, I’m happy.”
Van Beveren was not the only rally raider in the class. Romain Dumontier, a two-time Dakar and W2RC Rally2 champion who finished third in class in January, finished seventh on his Honda. Fellow Rally2 rider Marshall Meplon wa 15th.
Dakar legend Stéphane Peterhansel finished 117th in Vintage on his Yamaha YZ250.
FIM results
Moto
| Finish | Number | Rider | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Total Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Todd Kellett | Moto Club des Esteys | Yamaha | 14 | 3:00:46.384 |
| 2 | 32 | Milko Potisek | Moto Club du Littoral 59 | Yamaha | 14 | 3:03:17.213 |
| 3 | 2 | Lars van Berkel | Moto-Club Thomer La Sôgne | Honda | 14 | 3:08:55.283 |
| 4 | 12 | Matheo Miot | Ligny Racing Team | Yamaha | 14 | 3:10:59.984 |
| 5 | 28 | Alexis Collignon | Moto Club du Littoral 59 | Honda | 14 | 3:12:51.254 |
| 6 | 17 | Florian Miot | Ligny Racing Team | Yamaha | 14 | 3:13:00.644 |
| 7 | 3 | Jérémy Hauquier | HMX Association | Yamaha | 14 | 3:15:23.833 |
| 8 | 19 | Jeremy Knuiman | MX Chrono | GasGas | 14 | 3:18:01.524 |
| 9 | 45 | Tias Callens | Moto Club du Littoral 59 | Yamaha | 13 | 3:02:57.004 |
| 10 | 26 | Paolo Maschio | MC Prefaissal | Honda | 13 | 3:04:27.893 |
| 11 | 55 | Victor Brossier | Moto Club du Littoral 59 | Yamaha | 13 | 3:04:58.895 |
| 12 | 7 | Joey Nuques | Moto-club des Plages | Yamaha | 13 | 3:05:34.304 |
| 13 | 15 | David Abgrall | Armorik Moto-club | Beta | 13 | 3:12:07.063 |
| 14 | 46 | Timothée Hillairet-Collet | Moto-club des Plages | Honda | 12 | 3:01:49.963 |
| 15 | 27 | Damien Knuiman | MX Chrono | GasGas | 12 | 3:02:12.214 |
| 16 | 127 | Eddy Mollon | Amis Moto Verte de Belleville | Yamaha | 12 | 3:09:33.994 |
| 17 | 197 | Sion Talbot | Touquet Auto Moto | KTM | 11 | 3:01:09.413 |
| 18 | 35 | Amandine Verstappen | Moto Club de Condé sur Escaut | Yamaha | 11 | 3:13:18.114 |
| 19 | 56 | Jean Collignon | Moselle Moto Club | Honda | 11 | 3:17:41.683 |
| 20 | 336 | Christophe Brucker | MX Chrono | Yamaha | 10 | 3:03:16.723 |
| 21 | 43 | Camille Viaud | Moto-Club d’Ernée | Yamaha | 10 | 3:09:35.174 |
| 22 | 152 | Daniel Wagenpfeil | Team Pfeil | Honda | 10 | 3:14:29.535 |
| 23 | 109 | Paul Arnout | HMX Association | Fantic | 9 | 3:07:07.413 |
| 24 | 599 | Fernando Rubio Rubinetti | Fernando Rubio Rubinetti | Honda | 9 | 3:15:06.824 |
| 25 | 423 | Damien Champoliver | Bud Racing Training Camp | Honda | 9 | 3:18:20.973 |
| 26 | 226 | Nicolas Lavenant | MX 15 Moto Club | Yamaha | 8 | 3:03:01.555 |
| 27 | 238 | Paul Barbara | Moto Club du Littoral 59 | KTM | 8 | 3:12:59.624 |
| 28 | 427 | Bernard Perard | MX Chrono | Fantic | 7 | 3:01:07.432 |
| 29 | 291 | Wesley Tanfin | Moto-Club d’Ernée | GasGas | 7 | 3:11:29.653 |
| 30 | 232 | Andre Vossius | Moto Club du Littoral 59 | Yamaha | 7 | 3:13:18.404 |
| 31 | 492 | Dominique Mieuzet | Moto-Club d’Ernée | Honda | 7 | 3:22:53.904 |
| 32* | 1 | Cyril Genot | Moto Club du Littoral 59 | Honda | 12 | 2:34:30.914 |
| 33* | 10 | Maxime Sot | Union Motocycliste de l’Aube | Fantic | 8 | 1:46:45.015 |
| 34* | 23 | Damien Prevot | Moto Club Manre | Yamaha | 7 | 1:28:39.894 |
| 35* | 18 | Camille Chapelière | Moto-club des Plages | Suzuki | 6 | 1:14:49.713 |
| 36* | 128 | Maximilien Poul | Motoclub de Brou | Triumph | 5 | 1:15:00.944 |
| 37* | 237 | Jean-François Mioque | Moto-club des Plages | KTM | 5 | 1:34:21.974 |
| 38* | 598 | Ramiro Marquez | SMQ Competicion | Honda | 4 | 1:10:30.645 |
| 39* | 69 | Ashley Greedy | Touquet Auto Moto | Honda | 3 | 34:42.454 |
| 40* | 483 | Thomas Penel | MX Crisolles Moto club des Hautes Vallées | Yamaha | 3 | 57:29.483 |
| 41* | 137 | Arthur Mioque | Moto-club des Plages | KTM | 2 | 21:43.913 |
* – Not classified; did not cross finish line
Italics – Moto Veteran
Underscore – Moto Women
Women
| Finish | Number | Rider | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Total Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 35 | Amandine Verstappen | Moto Club de Condé sur Escaut | Yamaha | 11 | 3:13:18.114 |
| 2 | 43 | Camille Viaud | Moto-Club d’Ernée | Yamaha | 10 | 3:09:35.174 |
| 3 | 36 | Mathilde Denis | Touquet Auto Moto | Yamaha | 10 | 3:20:27.943 |
| 4 | 1230 | Sara Jugla | Moto Club des Esteys | KTM | 6 | 3:04:15.932 |
Junior
| Finish | Number | Rider | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Total Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Damien Knuiman | MX Chrono | GasGas | 20 | 4:14.511 |
| 2 | 105 | Dean Gregoire | Moto Club du Pays des Olonnes | KTM | 19 | 4:35.620 |
| 3 | 8 | Evan Demeester | Moto Club du Littoral 59 | GasGas | 19 | 4:35.577 |
| 4 | 32 | Matheo Gerat | Moto-club des Plages | Yamaha | 18 | 4:53.331 |
| 5 | 7 | Maxime Miet | Grezac Moto Club | KTM | 18 | 4:39.819 |
| 6 | 36 | Clement Vanderstraeten | HMX Association | Fantic | 16 | 5:19.240 |
| 7 | 192 | Noe Dehen | HMX Association | Fantic | 14 | 6:03.399 |
| 8 | 21 | Ema Satabin | Union Moto Bitchoise | GasGas | 3 | 20:18.981 |
Quad
| Finish | Number | Rider | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Total Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 116 | Manfred Zienecker | Moto Club de la Zorn | Honda | 12 | 2:36:49.112 |
| 2 | 19 | Pablo Violet | Touquet Auto Moto | Yamaha | 12 | 2:38:57.661 |
| 3 | 115 | Fabien Michel | HMX Association | Yamaha | 11 | 2:35:15.550 |
| 4 | 15 | Axel Dutrie | Moto Club de Gouy en Artois | Laegers | 11 | 2:40:53.512 |
| 5 | 150 | Emmanuel Sarran | Moto Club du Littoral 59 | Honda | 11 | 2:40:56.582 |
| 6 | 50 | Nuno Gonçalves | Moutars Club Motocross | Yamaha | 11 | 2:42:26.721 |
| 7 | 53 | Paul Waterlot | Moto Club du Littoral 59 | Honda | 11 | 2:46:56.571 |
| 8 | 94 | Maxime Lopes da Fonseca | MX Moulins Motoclub | Laegers | 10 | 2:30:39.921 |
| 9 | 109 | Cedric Girard | Moto Club des Esteys | Yamaha | 10 | 2:31:59.350 |
| 10 | 145 | Benoit Sebert | Arras Quad Organisation | Yamaha | 10 | 2:33:04.791 |
| 11 | 88 | Paulo Fernandes | Elite Motocross | Yamaha | 10 | 2:33:36.571 |
| 12 | 80 | Guillaume Waloszek | Touquet Auto Moto | Yamaha | 10 | 2:44:45.200 |
| 13 | 149 | Graham Guy | Moto Club des Esteys | Can-Am | 6 | 2:46:57.821 |
| 14* | 10 | Oliver Vandendijck | Moto Club Huismes | CRQF | 11 | 2:29:42.660 |
| 15* | 182 | Dirk Schelfhout | Dirk Schelfhout | Honda | 3 | 34:03.291 |
| 16* | 52 | Glen de Swarte | MX Chrono | Honda | 3 | 35:18.280 |
| 17* | 91 | Laurent Delcourt | Association Sportiv de Maricourt | Yamaha | 1 | 13:00.472 |
Featured image credit: Frederik Herregods
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