Enduropale Le Touquet: Legendary victory for Todd Kellet!

Dand 50^e The Enduropale Le Touquet edition must have been one of the toughest ever. With temperatures constantly hovering near freezing, combined with the ever-present wind, the participants in the world's most famous beach race faced an additional challenge. However, all this proved inconvenient for Todd Kellett. The diminutive Englishman secured his fourth consecutive victory in the classic on the Opal Coast. Our compatriot Cyril Genot finished a respectable 2nd.^e but could never put the Yamaha rider to the test.

On Sunday afternoon at about ten to two they started, the 1200 participants of the 50^e edition of the Enduropale du Touquet. Unlike many other races, Le Touquet does offer prizes on the first lap, and this time it was the Burger King Holeshot, worth €2.000, for the rider who first rounded the turning point after the long beach straight. The Holeshot prize ultimately became a Belgian affair, as Daymond Martens and Junior Bal crossed the holeshot line almost simultaneously. Ultimately, it was the veteran rider from Chimay who took home the €2.000. Shortly after, however, it was Jérémy Hauquier who took the lead. Halfway through the first lap, a leading trio emerged consisting of Hauquier, Martens, and the inevitable Todd Kellett. The English winner of the three previous editions of the Enduropale knows how to time this race like no other. Nevertheless, it was Hauquier who crossed the finish line first at the end of the first lap. Kellett followed less than a second behind the Nordiste, while Martens had already lost almost 5”, Junior Bal was 4^e at 8”.

 

At the start of the second lap, Kellett launched his attack on Hauquier's lead. Behind the leading duo, Junior Bal passed fellow countryman Daymond Martens. While Kellett already had three victories on the Opal Coast to his name, local rider Hauquier wasn't willing to let him take the win without a fight. As a result, the French Yamaha rider rounded the turning point at Stella Plage first. But Kellett didn't hesitate to retaliate. Meanwhile, Cyril Genot had moved into the top 10.

After lap 2, the standings were as follows: Kellett led Hauquier and Daymond Martens, while Milko Potisek and Damien Knuiman completed the top 5. Genot was in 7th place, followed by Bal. Genot would quickly surge to the front of the race.

At the end of the third lap, Kellett still held the lead, ahead of Hauquier, Genot, and Martens. Potisek was fifth, ahead of Damien Knuiman. Jeremy Knuiman was 8th.^e for Tias Callens and Lars van Berkel. The first pit stop, after 45 minutes of racing, brought no significant changes to the standings.

After 1 hour of play the standings were: 1. Kellett, 2. Hauquier, 3. Genot, 4. Potisek, 5. Martens, 6. Jeremy Knuiman, 7. Callens, 8. Van Berkel, 9. Frederiksen, 10. Damien Knuiman.

Just past the halfway point, after an hour and a half of racing, Hauquier had to make a pit stop due to a broken radiator. Kellet maintained a firm lead ahead of Genot and Potisek, Martens was fifth, and van Berkel 7th.^e, Jeremy Knuiman 8^e, Callens 9^e.

As the final hour entered, Van Berkel began to gain ground on the leaders, settling into fourth place, behind Potisek, but ahead of Norwegian Frederiksen. Martens was 6th.^e and Jeremy Knuiman 7^eMeanwhile, Dakar star and former Enduropale winner Adrien Van Beveren had also entered the top 10.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After 14 laps and more than three hours of racing, Todd Kellett was crowned the winner of the 50 Enduropale Le Touquet. Cyril Genot finished a strong second, 1'44” behind the Englishman. The Limburg Honda rider was the only competitor who managed to stay close to the unassailable Kellett. Milko Potisek, the Lion of Flanders, finished third.^e but had to concede 11'24" to winner Kellett. Lars van Berkel just missed the podium at 13'09". The surprising Hakon Frederiksen finished 5th.^e (at 14'30”). The Norwegian Honda rider was also the last to finish on the same lap as Kellett. Jeremy Knuiman and Tias Callens finished 6th respectively.^e in 9. ^e one lap behind Kellett. Daymond Martens finished 12th^e, Davey Nieuwenhuizen turned 17^e, Dave Kooiker turned 23^e in Adrien Wagner 26^e.