The showers before the start of the Andalucía Rally were not enough to reduce dust in the 9.6 kilometers prologue. Riders made the day for local spectators around the Gran Dos Hermanas Racecourse – close to Seville. Adrien Van Beveren was the quickest of the Monster Energy Honda Team.
A racehorse track in Dos Hermanas municipality, in the province of Seville, was the scenario for the start of fourth and last stop of FIM Cross-Country World Championship. Andalucía Rally kick-off came today with a 9.6 kilometers prologue (special stage 1A), with the morning showers having virtually no effect on the dust reduction. The Spanish race is now on its third consecutive year in the calendar, introducing quite a dramatic change in philosophy when compared to the previous ones – Dakar, Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and Rallye du Maroc.
Competing only with three riders (Pablo Quintanilla is recovering from an injury), the Monster Energy Honda Team colors were first seen on the track with the Honda CRF450 Rally from José Ignacio Cornejo (Chile), followed by Adrien Van Beveren (France) and 2020 Dakar winner Ricky Brabec (USA). Beveren (third) and Brabec (seventh) will have the privilege to choose their starting position for tomorrow. Cornejo was out of the top-10 due to a small crash in the prologue, so he can’t count on this regulation for stage 1B.
Tomorrow special stage 1B will still keep the riders in Seville province, with a total of 282 kilometers to race mostly around agriculture fields and 145 km of liaison (plus 36 km transfer).
Adrien Van Beveren #42 : « This prologue was really more technical, slippery and dusty than I expected. I did some little mistakes, but overall I am happy. The important is that I am feeling good on the bike. I am sure we will improve our performance in the days to come. »
Ricky Brabec #2 : « The prologue was great, I did not feel too terrible, but result show otherwise. I lost around seven seconds in 10 kilometers – it’s not a big difference. Now I am looking forward to start the race. Tomorrow I think we will start in a good position, let’s see how that goes. »
José Ignacio Cornejo #11 : « Things did not go as planned, since I had a small crash in this first special stage and lost some time. After that I felt good on the bike, so I have to put this behind and focus on what I can do tomorrow. We have four days of racing and this was just an appetizer. »
Rider Standings
Provisional Classification of Qualifying Stage
1. Sunderland Sam – GBR – Gas Gas Factory Team, 01h05m26s5
2. Benavides Kevin – ARG – Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team, 01h05m52s5
3. Van Beveren Adrien – FRA – Monster Energy Honda Team, 01h06m08s1
4. Schareina Tosha – SPA – Rieju – FN Speed Team, 01h06m16s4
5. Rodrigues Joaquim – POR – Hero Motorsports Team Rally, 01h06m16s5
6. Benavides Luciano – ARG – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing, 01h06m32s8
7. Brabec Ricky – USA – Monster Energy Honda Team, 01h06m40s3
8. Evan Branch Ross – BWA – Hero Motorsports Team Rally, 01h06m48s4
9. Santolino Lorenzo – SPA – Sherco TVS Rally Factory, 01h06m56s4…
19. Cornejo José Ignacio – CHI – Monster Energy Honda Team, 01h12m00s7