Chilean Pablo Quintanilla was fighting all day for the top positions during the first stage of the Sonora Rally and finished in third place. The 170 kilometers Special Stage made a tour around Hermosillo and was dominated by Spaniard Tosha Schareina, who is also riding a Honda CRF 450 Rally.
Like what happened in the prologue, the Monster Energy Honda Team was able to guarantee a good presence on the Top 10. Besides Quintanilla’s third place (41 seconds gap), Adrien Van Beveren finished in the 7th position (2:28 minutes gap), while Ricky Brabec reached the bivouac back in Hermosillo in 9th place (2:36 gap). With the hard mission to open the stage, ‘Nacho’ Cornejo finished 16th today (7:52 minutes gap).
Tomorrow the difficulties of the Sonora Rally will speak louder, with more kilometers to cover between Hermosillo and Puerto Peñasco: a total of 541 km – 286 of special stage and 255 of liaison. Riders will enjoy quite a variety of terrains, with gravel tracks, sand and the tricky chott.
Ruben Faria – General Manager : « This was an important day, it was short but important anyway. It was the first day of a rally that is unknown to us. It was a good day with Pablo Quintanilla in third place, Adrien Van Beveren in 6th, Ricky Brabec in 7th and Nacho in 16th – these are the overall results with the prologue and stage 1 together. Nacho had to open the stage and this is not an easy mission to accomplish. The others are in a good position for tomorrow, looking for the best performance and standings. I consider this a good start to the rally with a good performance from all our riders. Ricky had a small crash that caused some damage in the exhaust system, but nothing more than that. »
Pablo Quintanilla #7 : « This was certainly a good day for me. It was not an easy day, the first part of the stage had a lot of navigation in the vegetation and sometimes it was hard to see the piste. I tried to find a good rhythm and honestly I felt good. It is not easy to go fast because a mistake can happen anytime. To ride in a good pace was really the key. I am thrilled to be in a new landscape and to have a lot of spectators along the way also makes it special. »
Adrien Van Beveren #42 : « This was already a tricky day with chotts, not so many kilometres, a lot of fesh fesh and a lot of dust. I was surprised at the beginning but you have to adapt to this kind of road-book, where a lot of dangers are not signed. I was trying to push and I got surprised two or three times and I lost some confidence. I got lost at a certain point but then got back on track. I did not want to win the stage , so I am where I want to attack tomorrow. »
Ricky Brabec #2 : « It feels great to be back in Sonora for a new adventure. I had a good start, a little bit ruff but the terrain is fun and I felt good all day. I had a little mistake earlier today resulting in a crash and then I had another mistake after that, I think I was trying to gather my thoughts after my crash. Lost some time with a navigation mistake but overall we are healthy and strong to continue fighting.
José Ignacio Cornejo #11 : « The first stage was completed and I had a difficult position opening the way. I was feeling really good until kilometre 53 where I made a mistake. I went too far to the left and I had to come back. Overall and putting that mistake aside I had a good day, felt good on my Honda CRF 450 Rally. From now on I will do my best to put on some solid stages. »
Provisional Standings Stage 1 Sonora Rally
1. Schareina Tosha – SPA – Honda Team, 01:33:25
2. Sanders Daniel – AUS – Gas Gas Factory Team, 01:33:31
3. Quintanilla Pablo – CHI – Monster Energy Honda Team, 01:34:06
4. Walkner Matthias – AUT – Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team, 01:34:31
5. Sunderland Sam – GBR – Gas Gas Factory Team, 01:35:29
6. Howes Skyler – USA – Husqvarna Factory Racing, 01:35:38
7. Van Beveren Adrien – FRA Monster Energy Honda Team, 01:35:53
8. Benavides Luciano – ARG – Husqvarna Factory Racing, 01:35:54
9. Brabec Ricky – USA – Monster Energy Honda Team, 01:36:01…
16. Cornejo José Ignacio – CHI – Monster Energy Honda Team, 01:42:17…