The FIM Sand Races World Championship is the world championship series for beach racing, a variant of off-road motorcycle racing.
Rounds of the series are mass-start, mass-participation events taking place on beaches or in other sandy coastal areas.
The series originated as an FIM-sanctioned World Cup, held in 2023 and 2024, before being upgraded to a full FIM World Championship for 2025 onwards. Famous events such as the Enduropale du Touquet and the Enduro del Verano in Argentina have formed part of the series since its inception. History In October 2022 the FIM in conjunction with the , Portuguese and Argentinian Motorcycling Federations announced the launch of a new FIM Sand Races World Cup series starting in 2023.
2023
The inaugural season consisted of three events:
Round Date Location 1 3–5 February Enduropale du Touquet 2 24–26 February Enduro del Verano 3 17–19 November Monte Gordo Sand Experience
36 riders contested the series and the Cup was won by British rider Todd Kellett.
2024
The calendar was expanded to 6 events for 2024:
Round Date Location 1 2–4 February Enduropale du Touquet 2 23–25 February Enduro del Verano 3 26–27 October Ronde des Sables de Loon Plage 4 1–3 November Bibione Sand Storm 5 22–24 November Monte Gordo Sand Experience 6 30 November–1 December Ronde des Sables Hossegor-Capbreton
The 4th round was initially scheduled to be the Weston Beach Race on 12–13 October. This was later changed to the Ronde des Sables de Loon Plage on 26-27 October.
Kellett was able to successfully defend his title in the 2024 season by winning every round. 48 riders competed.
2025
Ahead of the 2025 season, the FIM announced that the series would be upgraded to full FIM World Championship status from that season onwards. A provisional calendar was released on 16 January 2025. The championship was contested over six rounds in Western Europe and Argentina.
Round Date Location 1 8–9 February Enduropale du Touquet 2 29–31 August Enduro del Invierno 3 24–26 October Bibione Sand Storm 4 21–23 November Ronde des Sables Hossegor-Capbreton 5 29–30 November Monte Gordo Sand Race 6 13–15 February 2026 Enduropale du Touquet
Todd Kellet won the championship, winning every round but one.
2026–2027
The calendar for the 2026–2027 season was announced on 5 March 2026. The number of rounds was reduced to five to reduce logistical costs and encourage participation. A new race, the Morocco Sand Race to be held at Mazagan (El Jadida), opens the season.
Round Date Location 1 26–27 September Morocco Sand Race 2 23–25 October Bibione Sand Storm 3 7–8 November Ronde des Sables–Loon Plage 4 27–29 November Monte Gordo Sand Race 5 TBC Enduropale du Touquet
A Sand Races Team Trophy was introduced and the regulations were changed with all events now being of an endurance format.
Championship
Classes The FIM Sand Races World Championship includes the following categories and classes:
Sand Races World Championship - Motorcycles Sand Races World Cup - Veterans Sand Races World Cup - Women Sand Races World Cup - Junior Sand Races World Cup - Vintage Sand Races World Cup - Quads Sand Races World Cup - Quad Veterans Sand Races Team Trophy - introduced in 2026
Format Rounds of the championship must take place on circuits that are composed of least 90% sand. From the 2026–2027 season events are run on an endurance format, with either 1 or 2 races.
Single race Maximum 3 hours, minimum 1 ½ hours duration.
Two races Minimum 1 hour duration for each race, total duration of both races not to exceed 3 hours.
Previous format
Prior to the 2026–2027 season events could be run in two formats:
Endurance on Sand 1 race of a longer distance (maximum 3 hours, minimum 1 ½ hours). Sand Cross 2–3 races of a shorter distance, with final classification being determined from these.
Points system
Position 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th+ Points 25 20 16 13 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
List of Champions
Season Motorcycle Champion Quad Champion Junior Champion Women Champion Veteran Champion2025 Todd Kellett (Yamaha) Pablo Violet (Yamaha) Matheo Gerat (Yamaha) Mathilde Denis (Honda) Fernando Rubio (Honda)Series run as World Cup2024 Todd Kellett (Yamaha) Pablo Violet (Yamaha) Paolo Maschio (Kawasaki) Amandine Verstappen (Yamaha) Gregory Deleu (Fantic)2023 Todd Kellett (Yamaha) Michel Trannin (Honda) Paolo Maschio (Kawasaki) Mathilde Denis (Honda) Arnaud Besnier (Honda)
References
External links Official website