GASGAS FACTORY RACING RIDER TOPS PROVISIONAL STANDINGS BY OVER FOUR MINUTES!

Runner-up result moves Sam into provisional rally lead
Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge passes halfway stage
Dakar Champion leads rankings by over four minutes

Another hot and tough day in the desert, but GASGAS Factory Racing’s Sam Sunderland braved the heat and came out fighting! Placing as runner-up on the 290km stage three of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge the RC 450F racer now leads the provisional rally standings by four minutes and twenty-four seconds, with two days left to race.

Sam Sunderland: “Another long, tough day here at the Desert Challenge – it’s so hot here, it seems like they turned the cooker on for us when we arrived. It makes it tough on everyone I suppose. I rode on my own for most of today, which makes it tough to gauge your rhythm against the rest of the field, so I just tried to push and push. I’m back at the top of the overall now, but I think with two days left to go it’s going to be really close to the end.”

The heat is on at the ADDC – literally! Faced with soaring temperatures of up to 40 degrees in the Liwa Desert, Sam faced a tough day of racing on stage three of the 2022 ADDC. Making up the second leg of the event’s marathon stage, the third day of the event was super challenging with a 255km timed special made up primarily of tricky to navigate dunes.

After his ninth-place finish on stage two, Sam was able to get his head down and chase down the rider ahead of him. Despite pushing hard throughout the stage, the reigning Dakar Champion ended up racing much of the special on his own. Maintaining a strong pace and keeping a strong mind, the super-fast Brit was able to bring his RC 450F safely home to the finish in second place, after close to three and a half hours in the saddle.

The excellent performance raises Sam up to the top of the rally standings again where he enjoys an advantage of over four minutes ahead of his nearest rival. Two days of racing remain.

2022 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge – Stage 3 Provisional Classification
1. Matthias Walkner (KTM) 3:24:13
2. Sam Sunderland (GASGAS) 3:25:14
3. Skyler Howes (Husqvarna) 3:26:43

2022 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge – Provisional Overall Classification [After Stage 3]
1. Sam Sunderland (GASGAS) 11:23:47
2. Matthias Walkner (KTM) 11:28:11
3. Kevin Benavides (KTM) 11:28:15

Source: GASGAS Factory Racing Team

Enjoying his time racing through the Liwa Desert, Matthias Walkner delivered a fast and smooth ride to take the win on today’s 255-kilometer timed special by close to one minute. The reigning FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion’s performance was enough to elevate him from 10th up to second in the event rankings, where he lies four and a half minutes behind the leader. The Austrian will now face the unenviable task of opening Wednesday’s stage four.

Matthias Walkner: “The stage went well today – it always feels good to get a win. It was perhaps not the best result for the overall because it means I will lead out tomorrow and lose some time on the others. I planned in the morning to ease off a little towards the end of the special, but honestly, I was having so much fun out there in the dunes I just kept going. Times are tight at the top of the standings, and it’s going to be tough opening tomorrow, but the goal remains the same – get to the finish safely and hopefully with a good, solid result.”

Toby Price continues to put in strong, consistent performances at this year’s ADDC. Completing stage three as fourth fastest, Price lies sixth in the provisional rally standings – well within touch of the leaders with two stages remaining. With an advantageous start position for tomorrow’s 243-kilometer timed special on stage four, the Aussie racer will be looking to close the gap and put himself in a strong position heading into the final day.

Toby Price: “Day three is done. It was another tough day and for a lot of the time I was riding on my own. It makes it really difficult to find a good rhythm and then you start to wonder if you’re on a good pace as sometimes you think you’re going really well and other times it seems slow. I was caught by Matthias (Walkner) and Skyler (Howes) later on, and that was the first time I rode with people in the dunes at this event. It was good because you could set a much better pace and it was a lot of fun too. All in all a good day, I kept it on two wheels, and now looking forward to the final two stages.”

Following his third-place result on stage two, Kevin Benavides set off near the front of the pack into today’s special. Catching up with the two riders ahead of him by the refueling point, the Argentinian rider was running well inside the top 10 and looking to push hard over the remaining 100 kilometers. Frustratingly, a heavy crash caused Benavides to stop for some time, but thankfully the 2021 Dakar Champion was able to continue to the finish. Although sore, Kevin will aim to get some rest overnight and be back to attack Wednesday’s stage four. The KTM 450 RALLY rider currently lies third in the overall rankings.

Kevin Benavides: “A tough day for me today. The stage was good – hard work and tricky to maintain a good pace over the broken dunes, but I think I did a good job in the first half of the stage and had managed to catch the guys in front. After the refuelling I had a crash and hurt my stomach, but after taking a minute or two I was able to continue. I managed to complete the stage in a pretty good time, but I need to try and recover a little now to feel better for tomorrow.”

Stage four of the 2022 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge – the penultimate of the event – will cover a total distance of 396 kilometers and feature a timed special of 243 kilometers raced against the clock.

Provisional Results – Stage 3 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2022

1. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 3:24:13
2. Sam Sunderland (GBR), GASGAS, 3:25:14 +1:01
3. Skyler Howes (USA), Husqvarna, 3:26:43 +2:30
4. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 3:28:20 +4:07
5. Pablo Quintanilla (CHI), Honda, 3:28:22 +4:09
Other KTM
10. Kevin Benavides (ARG), KTM, 3:35:27 +11:14

Provisional Standings – Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2022 after 3 of 5 stages

1. Sam Sunderland (GBR), GASGAS, 11:23:47
2. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 11:28:11 +4:24
3. Kevin Benavides (ARG), KTM, 11:28:15 +4:28
4. Pablo Quintanilla (CHI), Honda, 11:28:36 +4:49
5. Ricky Brabec (USA), Honda, 11:29:59 +6:12
Other KTM
6. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 11:30:27 +6:40

www.ktm.com | media.ktm.com 

As the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge reaches its mid-point, Monster Energy Honda Team look set to be in the battle for the final podium.
Stage three of the rally returned to the dunes of the Empty Quarter in Abu Dhabi in Al Dhafra desert. The race set off from the bivouac at Qsar al Sarab before starting the 255-kilometre timed special on a sand and dune-filled route.
Today, Pablo Quintanilla battled throughout the stage to keep up with the main group who will eventually be in the fight for the final victory. The rider set a swift pace and reached the finish in fourth place, four minutes behind the day’s winner, leaving him in forth overall spot, four minutes fifty seconds adrift of the leader.
Ricky Brabec also had a noteworthy day, despite starting in fourth place among the group that opened the track. During the second half of the special, the American moved into the head, opening the way, which logically led him to shed time to the rest of the chasing pack. Nevertheless, the American holds fifth in the overall standings, sixt minutes behind the leader.
Nacho Cornejo was able to finish a special that got off to a complicated start. However, he managed to drop just a few minutes which he should be able to make up tomorrow as he will be starting from a rear position.
With the race at its halfway point, tomorrow sees the penultimate stage of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, with a 243-kilometre special stage in the Liwa desert.

Pablo Quintanilla 7 - STAGE: 5TH PROVISIONAL: 4TH - We finished the third stage and the truth is that I am very happy with today's performance. We tried to push as hard as we could during the whole day to try to reduce the gap. The general standings are very tight and it will be that way until the final kilometre. We have to stay focused. The feeling with the bike is getting better and better. I'm very happy.

José Ignacio Cornejo 11 - STAGE: 9TH PROVISIONAL: 8TH - Today was a difficult day for me: I lose some minutes at the beginning of the stage, but after that, I decided to attack, to keep pushing at a good pace. It wasn't bad, I felt comfortable on the bike and I was able to make up some of the lost time. We made it through the day and we still haven't lost anything.

Ricky Brabec 2 - STAGE: 8TH PROVISIONAL: 5TH - Stage three was great. I started fourth on the day. I was thinking that I would catch Kevin later in the special and that I would have been able to push all day, but unfortunately I caught Kevin and the front group before refuelling, then right after refuelling Kevin made a mistake. I was really hoping Kevin would stay in front all day and open as I know he is fast in the sand dunes, but after refueling he had a small crash and from there I took turns opening the special with Luciano. I lost a bit of time but all in all it was good. We’re healthy. We are happy. There are two days left so we’ll go back and recharge for the next couple of days.

Source: Monster Energy Honda Team

Two familiar names lead the way in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge after a third day of intense rivalry between the world’s top drivers and riders among the spectacular Al Dhafra dunes.

Stephane Peterhansel in an Audi RS Q e-tron will become the most successful driver in the 31-year history of the event if he holds on for a seventh cars win, after extending his overall lead to
30 mins 17 secs from Czech Martin Prokop, the 2018 winner, in a Ford Raptor.

With Poland’s Jakub Przygonski another 55 mins further adrift in third place at the wheel of a Mini John Cooper Works Buggy, the Frenchman is in complete control.

Peterhansel will take nothing for granted, however, particularly after learning that Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al Rahji had plunged from contention when his Toyota Hilux came to an abrupt halt near the end of the stage, while lying just 11 minutes behind in second place.

The fastest time on the 270km Al Futtaim Toyota Stage 2 was set by defending champion Nasser Al Attiyah in another Toyota Hilux, with nine-time World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb 5mins 16secs away in his Prodrive Hunter.

For a second day, however, Al Attiyah and Loeb were battling largely for World Rally-Raid Championship points, with their hopes of victory in the event already ended by opening day problems which cost them 20 hours, and two hours, respectively.

As far back as 1996, Peterhansel scored his first victory in the rally on two wheels. Content with today’s third fastest time, he knows the terrain almost as well as Sam Sunderland, who lived in the UAE for ten years and is the new overall bikes leader.

While defending champion Matthias Walkner won the Al Futtaim Toyota stage on a KTM, Sunderland’s second fastest time on his GasGas gave him a big push towards a third Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge title, with two more desert stages remaining.

He has an overall advantage of 4 mins 24 secs from Walkner, with Argentina’s overnight leader, Kevin Benavides just four seconds further behind in third place.

Emirati rider Abdulaziz Ahli continues to dominate in the quads on his Yamaha Raptor. The defending champion ended the day holding a massive cushion of 1hr 36 mins 59 secs over Slovakia’s Juraj Varga.

With fierce competition among the lightweight cars, Francisco Lopez Contardo suffered a mechanical problem in at the start of the stage. The Chilean’s lead in a Can-AM Maverick was dramatically cut to 1 min 26 secs from Spain’s Cristina Gutierrez in an Overdrive OT3.

In the T4 battle, Poland’s Marek Goczal in a Can-AM Maverick XRS leads by 4mins 12 secs from last year’s world champion and Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge title winner, American Austin Jones.

There was no more satisfied finisher on the stage than Peterhansel, who said: “Today was very good. We had a good drive over the dunes, overtaking Yazeed this morning. We pushed more this afternoon as the car was good and not over-heating. We are learning a lot about the car. For the last two stages we will push very hard, looking for a victory.”

Sunderland reached the end of the stage to say: “It was another good day for me. Really hot out there. Also it was very windy and therefore hard to see the lines.”

As today’s stage took competitors on another dramatic passage through the Al Dhafra desert, National Ambulance vehicles and personnel equipped with lifesaving medical equipment were on permanent standby to deliver aid to competitors in the instance of an emergency.

Ahmed Al Hajeri, Chief Executive Officer of National Ambulance, said: “We are glad to be part of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge once again. Our priority is to ensure everyone’s safety for what will be tough racing conditions and we will be on standby prepared to provide the highest quality of emergency medical services in case they are needed.

“We wish all competitors the best of luck and look forward to continuing our partnership with the Emirates Motorsports Organization (EMSO) in the future and in ensuring the success of this prestigious motorsport event.”

The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge takes place under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Ruler's Representative in Al Dhafra Region.

The rally’s strategic partners are the Ruler's Representative Court Al Dhafra Region, the Ministry of Defence, Abu Dhabi Sports Council, ADNOC Distribution, Al-Futtaim Toyota, Abu Dhabi Police, Yas Marina Circuit, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi Aviation, National Ambulance, Abu Dhabi Municipality, Abu Dhabi Distribution Co., Al Dhafra Region Municipality, Al-Ain Water, Abu Dhabi Sports TV, Civil Defence and the Abu Dhabi Waste Management Center.

For more information on the World Rally-Raid Championship, you can visit the official website www.worldrallyraidchampionship.com

Source: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge

Today’s third stage saw the first stage win in the World Championship for Austin Jones, winning the Dakar back in January, but scoring no stage victories there. In T3, Chaleco ran into problems and the battle between him and Cristina Gutierrez has become really fierce…
Let’s dive more deeply into the story of the third race day in the T3 and T4 categories!

T3 (light prototype)

“Today the 3rd stage was very difficult. On the first kilometres I broke the front of my car. I lost 20 minutes,” this is how Francisco “Chaleco” Lopez started his comment about Stage 3, where he came close to losing the lead. Seth Quintero, no surprise, won the stage, with a gap of 00:03:17 over second-placed Cristina Gutierrez, while Chaleco finished only fourth, behind Hernan Garces, 00:23:06 from Quintero.

Annett Fischer took the fifth position of the day, 00:30:14 behind the leader, but Conrad Rautenbach was hot on her heels, only 1 minute 23 seconds from Fischer. Thomas Bell finished seventh (+00:38:21), followed by Jean-Luc Pisson and Diego Martinez, both losing more than an hour.

As for Guillaume de Mevius, he wasn’t able to finish Stage 3 due to transmission problems. His teammate, Mitch Guthrie, didn’t even start today, after experiencing engine problems on his OT3 yesterday.

Cristina Gutierrez: “Today the 3rd stage was quite difficult for us because I felt the low power in the engine. And also we broke the front left driveshaft. I tried to drive as safely as possible. But at the finish it was nice, we are still in second place in the overall classification. We have two days before the finish of the race, we keep going. The first day nothing special happened, I just tried to reach the finish line and to keep the car safe as the rally is long and very hard. For me, it's important to win the stage because you can take points. My teammates had some mechanical problems because the cars just came from the Dakar rally.”

In the overall classification, Chaleco managed to maintain the lead, but the gap to Cristina Gutierrez, firmly holding the second position, has melted from over 20 minutes to 1 minute 12 seconds. Seth Quintero, third after Leg 3, despite his problems in the first stage, also came closer, now he is only 10 minutes behind the leader.

Conrad Rautenbach is currently fourth (+01:14:24), followed by Annett Fischer (+02:25:55), Jean-Luc Pisson (+04:08:42), Thomas Bell (+04:52:06), Diego Martinez (+24:39:57), Guillaume de Mevius (+41:59:24), and Hernan Garces (+70:38:44).

Francisco “Chaleco” Lopez: “Today the 3rd stage was very difficult. On the first kilometres I broke the front of my car. I lost 20 minutes. Tomorrow is a very important day, we do not have much time that's why we should go final stages without problems. Every time we are fighting. Somebody had problems yesterday, I've had problems today.”

T4 (standard SSV)

Dakar winner Austin Jones scored his first stage win in this edition of Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, but only 10 seconds decided between him and the younger of the two Goczal brothers, Michal, who finished second. Lucas Del Rio took the lowest step of the day’s podium, followed by Marek Goczal, who finished fourth, losing almost 16 minutes due to some technical problems (their engine kept stopping, they had to restart it several times).

Rokas Baciuska, clocking only the fifth time today, had problems with a front driveshaft and a broken rear arm and lost over half an hour to the stage winner. Geoff Minnit arrived sixth (+01:09:31), followed by Malgorzata Golda (+01:16:46).

Austin Jones: “We've just finished the 3rd stage here in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge rally. The 1st place for us today. We are super happy to win after the bad luck we had the last couple of days. It was a very good day, Gustavo did a great job. The pace was very fast till the end. We pushed and got a stage win. We are here in the dunes right now. The dunes in Abu Dhabi are insane. They are so different from everywhere else in the world. There are three types of them and they are all different colors. Some of them are red, another color is in between, and the white ones that we have here are very soft, we are sinking in them and it's really hard to find the track upon them. And we have the yellow ones which are a little bit harder and it's easier to drive on them. Sometimes they are all mixed and it's crazy to drive on these dunes. It's scaring because of drops. It's nice to be here at the hotel after the stage. We are happy to be here and to get a stage win, let’s see tomorrow, we want to score more points in the championship.”

Overall, Goczal family tops the standings, with Marek in the lead, while his younger brother Michal trailing him at 21 minutes 36 seconds. Despite his problems today, Rokas Baciuska is still on the virtual podium, 33 minutes 41 seconds behind the leader.

Malgorzata Golda is fourth, but with a gap of more than five hours and a half, while defending champion Austin Jones is fifth with a 20-hour gap due to his problems in the first stage. Lucas Del Rio is sixth (+20:26:17), followed by Geoff Minnit (+43:14:23) and Robert Szustkowski (+46:00:53).

Michal Goczal: “My stage was not easy because I wanted to go with no problems. That's why we went so slow. But it was a good tactic, we finished in second place. Before refueling the stage was like for the brave guys - I did not like it, it was very fast, not many dunes. But after refueling it was ok, really nice huge dunes. We had no problems, no jumps, no compression.”
Marek Goczal: “It was a very nice stage for me. It was beautiful and very fast. But we had some technical problems. The engine of the car was off and we had to restart the engine a lot of times. But I liked the stage.”
Michal Goczal: “Our strategy is to have two places on the podium. It doesn't matter who will win but we want to take the first and the second positions. Now I am losing a lot of time after Marek, for sure he will win. If I can help I will support him. If Erik (the son of Marek) comes to us in the Dakar rally next year (he will be 18 years old), then we want to take the whole podium.”

Text: Rita Konya
Interviews: Sveta Amelichkina
Photo: South Racing Can-Am Team / MCH

Welcome to our T3 and T4 summary of the first two stages of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. The first two days of the 31st edition of this legendary event lived up to (or even exceeded) expectations in terms of toughness and brought big moments and heartbreaks for the competitors. In T3, while Dakar winner Francisco “Chaleco” Lopez has enjoyed an almost perfect run so far, leading by more than 20 minutes after two days, while in T4, Marek Goczal has won both stages and thus holds the lead firmly in his hands.

T3 (light prototype)

Unlucky in January, withdrawing early from the Dakar, Gregoire de Mevius (OT3) must be quite determined to score as many points in the World Championship as he can. In this regard, he started the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in a perfect way, winning 262 km long Stage 1 – however, only 55 seconds in front of Dakar winner Francisco “Chaleco” Lopez (Can-Am). Cristina Gutierrez (OT3) followed the two in third position, 00:11:23 from the leader.

Zimbabwe’s Conrad Rautenbach finished fourth, with a gap of 00:26:52 to de Mevius. A broken stabiliser bar on his OT3 cost Seth Quintero a bit more than half an hour, relegating the lighting-fast young US driver to P5. France’s Jean-Luc Pisson was sixth with a gap of 45 minutes, followed by Argentine’s Diego Martinez (Can-Am) and Annett Fischer (Can-Am), both more than an hour behind the leader, while South Racing Middle East chief Thomas Bell lost more than 3 hours in Leg 1. However, Mitch Guthrie and Hernan Garces were even more unlucky, not being able to finish the stage.

The second day saw Chaleco winning the stage 00:01:11 in front of Quintero and 00:10:33 in front of Gutierrez. Hernan Garces finished fourth with a gap of 32 minutes, followed by Rautenbach (+00:39:56), Fischer (+00:46:44), Bell (+01:14:29), and Pisson (+02:45:28). De Mevius, Martinez, and Guthrie weren’t able to finish the stage.

In the overall classification, Chaleco has already built up a pretty comfortable lead of 21 minutes in front of Cristina Gutierrez, currently second. Despite his problem in Stage 1, Seth Quintero climbed up to third position, but he is 00:33:49 behind the leader.
Fourth-placed Conrad Rautenbach is already more than an hour behind the leader, followed by Annett Fischer (+01:54:47), Jean-Luc Pisson (+03:29:34), Thomas Bell (+04:36:51) and Hernan Garces (+70:48:03).

T4 (standard SSV)

In T4, for Dakar winner Austin Jones and his co-driver Gustavo Gugelmin (Can-Am), any hope to repeat their victory in Abu Dhabi last year went up in smoke right in the first stage when they had an electrical issue. With the US driver out of contention for the final victory, it was once again time for the Goczal family to shine, with Marek winning the stage and Michal finishing third. The crew that ruined the Poles’ chance for a one-two in the first stage was Lithuania’s Rokas Baciuska (Can-Am).

Fourth to finish, with a gap of more than 2 hours and a half, was Poland’s Malgorzata Golda (Polaris). Her co-driver’s name can be very familiar for cross-country rally fans: Marek Dabrowski used to be a top bike rider before switching to a successful career in T1. Fun fact: his son, Konrad is also racing in ADDC, following his father’s footsteps among bikes (and putting up a promising performance).
Golda was followed by compatriot Robert Szusztkowski in another Polaris in fifth position, while Jones, South Africa’s Geoff Minnit (Can-Am), and Chile’s Lucas Del Rio weren’t able to finish Stage1.

In Monday’s second stage, Marek Goczal and Lukasz Laskawiec scored another stage win in front of Jones and Baciuska. The younger of the Goczal brothers, Michal, however, lost almost 13 minutes to his brother, finishing only in fourth position.

Fifth to arrive was one of Stage 1’s victims, Lucas Del Rio, some 27 minutes behind the leader, while Malgorzata Golda was sixth.

This time it was the turn of Robert Szustkowski and Geoff Minnnit to run out of luck and be unable to finish the stage.

Overall, Marek Goczal, of course, is in the lead, but second-placed Baciuska is only 9 minutes 40 seconds behind the Pole. Michal Goczal rounds off the virtual podium, with a gap of 32 minutes 20 seconds to his brother.

Malgorzata Golda is fourth, 04:16:11 behind the leader, while Jones, Del Rio, Szustkowski, and Minnit are all more than 20 hours behind, due to their problems.

Text: Rita Konya and Sveta Amelichkina

Kevin Benavides takes the lead

After his crash yesterday, Ross Branch did a lot more than just get back on the bike - he won the stage, his first victory for the Hero Motorsports team. Less than a minute behind the winner, Luciano Benavides placed his Husqvarna Factory Racing machine just ahead of his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing mounted brother. A third place that allows Kevin to take the ADDC lead overall. Monster Energy Honda, leader in the constructors' rankings since the Dakar, also had a good day. Brabec and Cornejo are on the podium in the provisional overall standings and Quintanilla is 5th position, 3 bikes in the Top 5. Sunderland (GasGas Factory Racing) keeps his 4th place overall. Walkner is the big loser of the day. The reigning World Champion and winner of the 2021 ADDC drops to 10th position at 11'10. But the gaps are small in the bikes and nothing has been yet decided.

In Rally 2, Bradley Cox went out of the stage after injuring his knee. Mason Klein lost his BAS World KTM Racing teammate, also his closest rival and keep on winning again. The best rookie of the now ahead of Romain Dumontier (HT Rally Husqvarna Racing) by less than 5'. Paolo Lucci (Solarys Racing) is 20' behind the leader, just ahead of Charan Moore (HT Rally Husqvarna Racing) and Konrad Dabrowski (Duust Rally Team). These 5 Rally 2s are grouped between 13th and 19th place overall.

In the Quad class, ADDC 2021 winner Ahli Abdulaziz remains in control. Rodolfo Guillioli is 2nd today but Juraj Varga kept his 2nd place in the provisional standings.

Al Attyiah back in the hunt

After their respective mechanical setbacks yesterday, both Al Attyiah and Loeb have written off their chances of winning the ADDC. Every place gained on an Abu Dhabi stage will count when it comes time to totting up the points in two days’ time. The Toyota Gazoo Racing team took 5 points for the day's victory, while the Bahrain Raid Xtreme team took 4 points for 2nd place. In the provisional standings, Al Attyiah-Baumel have 90 points against 88 points for Loeb-Lurquin. Al Rajhi (Toyota Overdrive) keeps his 3rd place in the W2RC provisional standings by gaining 3 points, for a total of 59.

In T3, the day’s podium is identical to that of the provisional W2RC. Dakar winner 'Chaleco' Lopez (South Racing Can-Am) now has 99 points, Cristina Gutierrez has 79 points and her Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team teammate 68 points.

In T4, Marek Goczal (Cobant Energylandia), 2nd in the W2RC provisional standings, takes advantage of his second special stage victory on the ADDC to move closer to Dakar winner Austin Jones (South Racing Can-Am). The American pockets 2 points for his 4th place on the day, bringing his total to 89 points. The Pole with 5 points climbs to 78 points. Rokas Baciuska (South Racing Can-Am), 3rd in the W2RC, keeps his place with 75 points. Michal Goczal (Cobant Energylandia), 4th in the provisional W2RC rankings, brings his total to 62 points. Lucas Del Rio, still 7th in the W2RC, moves up to 12 points.

In the trucks, Martin Macik (MM Technology) was trapped in the dunes for more than an hour. Kees Koolen (Project 2030) won the day but the Big Shock Racing boss' lead in the W2RC provisional standings remains substantial.

Source W2RC / ASO
Photo: Eric Vargiolu / DPPI

The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge served up another dramatic episode today as heroic Argentinian rider Kevin Benavides built hopes of a first bikes win, and Stephane Peterhansel held course for a record seventh cars victory.

The 318-km ADNOC Distribution Special Stage 2 saw Nasser Al Attiyah on four wheels and Ross Branch on two record the fastest times, 24 hours after both had crashed out of overall contention.

It was a day when Benavides vividly illustrated the spirit of the new World Rally-Raid Championship stopping for more than 20 minutes to assist overnight bikes leader Michael Docherty after his heavy fall, before resuming to take the overall lead.

Credited at the end with the time he gave up in helping Docherty, the KTM star now holds a

4 mins 23 secs advantage over American Ricky Brabec, with Chile’s Ignacio Cornejo another 41 secs away in third place.

The top six was completed by previous champions Sam Sunderland on a GasGas and Honda’s Pablo Quintanilla, followed by the other Benavides brother, Luciano, on a Husqvarna.

Petershansel, fourth quickest on the stage in an Audi RS Q e-tron, finished the leg with a reduced outright cars advantage of 7 mins 49 secs from Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al Rajhi in a Toyota Hilux.

Czech Martin Prokop was third, 15 mins 50 secs off the lead in his Ford Raptor RS Cross Country.

Poland’s Jakub Przygonski in a Mini John Cooper Works Buggy and Mathieu Serradori in a Century CR6 completed the provisional top five.

Nine-times World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb, whose victory ambitions on his Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge debut were buried by a series of first leg mechanical problems, recovered to set the second fastest time on the day in his Prodrive Hunter.

Reaching the finish in his Toyota Hilux, Al Attiyah said: “Now we will try and win every day to take maximum points like we did today. We did quite a good job, I am quite happy. We have to now work for the points. Today we won five and I hope to win five points tomorrow as well. It’s a disappointment not to win the rally because it is my favourite rally. We need to accept what happened yesterday. This is a motorsport. Now we must try to push the limit of the car, like we did it today.”

It was another superb day for Emirati rider Abdulaziz Ahli, as the defending quads champion on a Yamaha Raptor extended his lead over Slovakia’s Juraj Varga, to a massive 1hr 24 mins 12 secs

Dubai-based Docherty deservedly stood in the rally spotlight as the overall bikes leader at the end of the previous day’s desert stage, after winning the Saturday qualifier.

Starting today’s stage was always going to be difficult, however, because of the navigational demands this brings, and the South African rider had already been overtaken by Mathias Walkner when he crashed.

Benavides stopped to assist him before the medical team arrived at the scene, and Docherty was evacuated by helicopter to Madinat Zayed hospital.

Benavides said at the finish: “It was really long and hot today. I stopped to help Michael when he crashed, and waited for medical aid to arrive. On a good note, it looks like my brother had a great ride, so I am happy.”

Branch commented: “It was a good day for me. I rode smoothly and consistently trying to minimize mistakes after yesterday errors and crash. Today my riding was much better.”

Another South African, Bradley Cox, who was fastest in the Rally 2 category on the day, also crashed and was taken to hospital by helicopter. But Branch, who was evacuated from yesterday’s stage for a hospital check-up, was cleared to restart today and was quickly back up to stage-winning speed.

ADNOC Distribution supplies the jet fuel for the Search and Rescue helicopters which are on permanent standby to go to the aid of competitors in need of attention.

Today’s ADNOC Distribution Special Stage 2 took the cars, trucks, bikes and quads on a difficult 318km passage through the Al Dhafra dunes, with My Station trucks on hand to refuel rally competitors along the spectacular desert route.

“We are glad to have our My Station service participate in this event and to be able to refuel vehicles as contenders race during this challenging stage,” said Bader Saeed Al Lamki, CEO, ADNOC Distribution. Our Super 98 premium fuel, which is extracted and refined in the UAE, is specially designed to offer advanced care and efficiency in the most demanding environments. We are honoured to be involved in this event and keep racers moving through their journey to victory.”

The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge takes place under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Ruler’s Representative in Al Dhafra Region.

The rally’s strategic partners are the Ruler’s Representative Court Al Dhafra Region, the Ministry of Defence, Abu Dhabi Sports Council, ADNOC Distribution, Al-Futtaim Toyota, Abu Dhabi Police, Yas Marina Circuit, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi Aviation, National Ambulance, Abu Dhabi Municipality, Abu Dhabi Distribution Co., Al Dhafra Region Municipality, Al-Ain Water, Abu Dhabi Sports TV, Civil Defence and the Abu Dhabi Waste Management Center.

For more information on the World Rally-Raid Championship, you can visit the official website www.worldrallyraidchampionship.com

Source Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge

The three-man Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team has successfully completed stage two of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge – round two of the 2022 FIM Rally-Raid World Championship. Kevin Benavides endured a tough day in the desert, stopping to assist an injured rider before continuing. After the time lost was returned to him, the Argentinian placed third and subsequently moved to the top of the provisional overall rankings. Toby Price and Matthias Walkner finished the stage in 10th and 12th respectively.

Stage two of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge covered a total distance of 453 kilometers and made up the first leg of the event’s marathon stage. A 316-kilometer timed special, raced against the clock, tested the riders with another mix of dunes and faster, sandy tracks. Arriving back at the bivouac at Hameem, riders had to carry out any required maintenance themselves, with no outside assistance permitted.

Following his third-place result on the rally’s opening stage, Kevin Benavides was one of the first riders to enter today’s special. Chasing down the riders ahead, Kevin came across a fallen competitor who needed medical assistance. After waiting for the helicopter to arrive, the 2021 Dakar Champion continued with the stage, pushing hard to make up time. Arriving at the finish, Benavides was awarded the time lost due to the incident, which ultimately placed him third for the stage and moved the KTM 450 RALLY rider into the provisional rally lead.

Kevin Benavides: “Today was a good stage for me and I’m happy with the final result. It was a tough stage both physically and mentally too, because at about kilometer 50 I stopped to help Mike Docherty after he had crashed. I called the helicopter and waited for just over 20 minutes before setting off again. It’s always tough to regain your focus after something like that, but I was able to keep up a good pace and complete the stage safely. It feels good to be leading the race, so I’ll try and keep this momentum going tomorrow.”

Stage two was a mixed day for Toby Price. Showing good speed in the first half of the special, the Australian moved up into the top five on time. A number of crashes in the latter kilometers of the stage slowed his progress and also resulted in a burned arm after falling under the bike. Nevertheless, the two-time Dakar winner is in good spirits and keen to continue pushing for the remaining three days of racing.

Toby Price: “Day two is done now and it went ok. I was making good progress up to around kilometer 140 where I had a bit of a crash. The bike landed on top of me and burned the inside of my arm, which isn’t great, but other than that it was a pretty solid day. It’s definitely a tough rally – the heat doesn’t help – but I’m pleased with how things are going and I’m ready for day three.”

After catching and passing the one rider who set off ahead of him this morning, Matthias Walkner soon found himself opening today’s long, grueling 316-kilometer special. Focusing on both the demanding terrain and his navigation, Walkner completed the stage just over 12 minutes behind the eventual stage winner. The result places the reigning world champion in 10th overall, but he will enjoy a strong start position for Tuesday’s stage three where he hopes to make up time on his rivals ahead.

Matthias Walkner: “The second day went well for me, but it was a long and very challenging stage. I caught the leader at around kilometer 15, and after that opened the rest of the special. I think I did a good job navigating and making my way through the dunes, but it was really demanding to be at maximum focus for close to four and a half hours, especially in the heat. I’m pleased with how things are going, no problems so far, so we’ll see what happens tomorrow.”

Stage three of the 2022 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge – the second leg of the event’s marathon stage – will see riders complete a total distance of 290 kilometers in a looped route from the bivouac at Hameem. The 255 kilometers of timed special will be raced against the clock.

Provisional Results – Stage 2 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2022

1. Ross Branch (BWA), Hero, 4:10:28
2. Luciano Benavides (ARG), Husqvarna, 4:11:07 +0:39
3. Kevin Benavides (ARG), KTM, 4:11:09 +0:41
4. Ricky Brabec (USA), Honda, 4:11:17 +0:49
5. Franco Caimi (ARG), Hero, 4:12:02 +1:34
Other KTM
10. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 4:16:45 +6:17
12. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 4:22:33 +12:05

Provisional Standings – Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2022 after 2 of 5 stages

1. Kevin Benavides (ARG), KTM, 7:52:48
2. Ricky Brabec (USA), Honda, 7:57:11 +4:23
3. Jose Ignacio Cornejo (CHI), Honda, 7:57:52 +5:04
4. Sam Sunderland (GBR), GASGAS, 7:58:33 +5:45
5. Pablo Quintanilla (CHI), Honda, 8:00:14 +7:26
Other KTM
7. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 8:02:07 +9:19
10. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 8:03:58 +11:10

Source Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Monster Energy Honda Team riders capitalised on a scorching, dune-filled marathon stage at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge: the three Honda CRF450 RALLY riders Brabec, Cornejo and Quintanilla all currently hold places in the rally top five.

Another arduous day in the Liwa desert near the Emirates’ ‘Empty Quarter’. The second stage of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge featured a total of 316 kilometres of special stage with heaps of sand and dunes – not to mention the sweltering heat – once again dominating the day. Competitors also had to negotiate their way through a dried-out lake. Once back at the bivouac, it was time to leave the bikes in the parc fermé without access to mechanical assistance from the teams.

The tough trek continued for the Monster Energy Honda Team riders. The team’s three riders now hold the privileged position of being able to manage the race over the coming days. Ricky Brabec, fourth today, occupies second in the overall race standings, followed by team-mate José Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Cornejo. Pablo Quintanilla is fifth, only seven and a half minutes behind the leader. The Chilean posted sixth on the day.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, sees the third stage, marking the rally’s halfway point. The race will cover 255 kilometres of timed special stage – once again in the vast Liwa desert – with just 35 kilometres of liaison section.

Pablo Quintanilla 7 - STAGE: 6TH PROVISIONAL: 5TH - This second stage was a bit faster than yesterday. The first part went through sandy valleys and the speed was very high. Until refuelling I didn't feel at all comfortable with this terrain, but then I was able to ride with more pace and there were some technical areas of dunes where I was able to push a bit harder. It was a good day and the race is still very tight. Opening up on this type of terrain can really hurt you; right now I have fast riders in front and behind, which could be good for the remaining stages. These first two days have been very physically demanding, now we are going to try to rest our bodies before tomorrow's stage.

José Ignacio Cornejo 11 - STAGE: 8TH PROVISIONAL: 3RD - I felt very good on the bike, very comfortable and I think that showed in the riding. I took this second stage of the Abu Dhabi with some good pace and I think it went well. I think I had a good stage; we are doing well in the overall standings and in a good starting position for tomorrow’s stage.

Ricky Brabec 2 - STAGE: 4TH PROVISIONAL: 2ND - Day two was a good one. A long, hot day. It was great. We’re now here in the bivouac getting ready for tomorrow. The stage was long. I lost maybe five minutes. I think that the team is in a good position. Today was really hot in the dunes. I made no mistakes, but a couple of other people crashed. We capitalized on that and we will go on the attack tomorrow. The team is in a great position and we’re looking forward to tomorrow.

Source Monster Energy Honda Team

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Kevin Benavides has made a strong start to the 2022 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge by placing third on the 297-kilometer opening stage. After posting the joint-fastest time on the event’s prologue yesterday, Matthias Walkner claimed fifth on stage one, with teammate Toby Price fighting back from a disrupted start to ultimately claim eighth.

Less than two months after the completion of the Dakar Rally, Red Bull KTM are back in action at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. The event opened with a short, two-kilometer prologue sprint to decide the starting order for today, Sunday’s, stage one. With the team taking the top three spots in the RallyGP category, all three riders enjoyed an advantageous choice of start position for the opening leg of the race.

It was Kevin Benavides who came out as the top KTM rider on stage one from the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi to Hameem. Taking a measured approach to the 262-kilometer times special, the Argentinian was able to increase his speed towards the end of the stage to claim third at the finish. The result puts the 2021 Dakar Champion in a good position for Monday’s stage two.

Kevin Benavides: “It feels good to get the race started. It was a really physical day today with plenty of dunes, but the bike felt good and after taking some time to get comfortable, I was able to really push towards the end of the stage. Hopefully, if I can keep this momentum up for the rest of the event, I should be able to secure a solid result. I start third tomorrow, so it gives me a good chance to chase down the two guys in front.”

Matthias Walkner has also got his ADDC off to a strong start, going quickest on the prologue before backing up that performance with a fifth-place finish on stage one. Walkner will be the fifth rider to enter stage two – the first leg of this year’s marathon stage – and as such will be looking to push to make up time on those ahead, while also conserving himself and his KTM 450 RALLY for what promises to be a challenging couple of days in the desert.

Matthias Walkner: “Yeah it was a nice first day for me. It was quite hot out there, but the terrain was good fun to ride with some cool dunes. The times are really close, and I think I have a good starting position for tomorrow. In the end, it’s only the first stage, but I’m happy with my riding, happy with how the stage went, and the bike is working really nicely in the sand, so everything is looking good for stage two.”

Arriving at the start of today’s special, Toby Price was found to have an issue with the GPS equipment on his bike. The time taken to replace the unit dropped the Australian down the start order, forcing him to set off as the 32nd rider into the special. Despite the disadvantage, Price remained focused and delivered an excellent performance to ultimately complete the stage eighth quickest. Similarly to his teammates, Toby will be looking to make up time on his rivals on Monday’s 453-kilometer stage two – the longest of this year’s event.

Toby Price: “It’s been a frustrating start to the rally for me – not ideal at all. There was an issue with my GPS this morning and it wouldn’t validate any waypoints. The organizers had to change the whole system before the start of the special, which dropped me right down the start order and had me playing catch-up all day. It’s tough when you’re back there because you are riding on your own for a lot of the time and you’re unsure what’s going on around you. I was able to post a pretty good time, so I’ll keep pushing tomorrow and hopefully get back up where I need to be.”

Stage two of the 2022 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge covers a total distance of 453 kilometers, 316 of which will be timed special. The stage marks the first leg of the event’s marathon stage, where no outside assistance is permitted overnight.

Provisional Results – Stage 1 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2022

1. Sam Sunderland (GBR), GASGAS, 3:18:32
2. Pablo Quintanilla (CHI), Honda, 3:20:34
3. Kevin Benavides (ARG), KTM, 3:20:43
4. Michael Docherty (ZAF), Husqvarna, 3:20:46
5. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 3:21:09
Other KTM
8. Toby Price (AUS, KTM, 3:23:58

Provisional Standings – Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2022 after 1 of 5 stages

1. Michael Docherty (ZAF), Husqvarna, 3:41:02
2. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 3:41:25
3. Kevin Benavides (ARG), KTM, 3:41:39
4. Sam Sunderland (GBR), GASGAS, 3:42:00
5. Ignacio Cornejo (CHI), Honda, 3:43:08
Other KTM
7. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 3:44:22

Source

The first stage of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge brought the riders to the bivouac situated in the middle of the Liwa desert after a 262-kilometre special raced over dunes and tracks.
It was ‘in at the deep end’ today for the riders who had to immediately face a highly physical 262-kilometre timed special stage. Almost half of the decisive section for the day’s classification took place over dunes, alternating with fast-paced sandy stretches of track.
Starting from rear positions, the Monster Energy Honda Team riders were able to pull back positions and, more importantly, make up time on the frontrunners. Pablo Quintanilla finished in an upbeat second place today, whilst Nacho Cornejo in sixth and Ricky Brabec in seventh, were among the top finishers. In the end, a penalty for Quintanilla saw him drop down the order to sixth place while fellow countryman Cornejo moves up one position.

Tomorrow’s stage will once again play out in the Liwa area, with 316 kilometres of special out of a total 453-kilometre route. The stage is the first leg of the marathon stage, meaning riders will be unable to receive any mechanical assistance once the special is finished until they reach the bivouac at Qsar al Sarab on the following day.

Pablo Quintanilla 7 - STAGE: 6TH PROVISIONAL: 6TH - We had a good starting position and we tried to make the most of it with some good pace. It was a good, positive day. No mistakes and I'm happy to get into the rhythm of the race quickly. Let's see how we are for tomorrow. Despite some discomfort in my ribs, I was able to ride and felt pretty good on the bike.

José Ignacio Cornejo 11 - STAGE: 5TH PROVISIONAL: 5TH - Stage one was very physically demanding and very hot. There was a quite slow area of dunes that was pretty suffocating. After refueling it was more open and it wasn't so hot. The pace was very high and the riders were really letting rip. The times are tight and it will be a tough battle all week. I enjoyed it. We are ready for the days ahead.

Ricky Brabec 2 - STAGE: 7TH PROVISIONAL: 7TH - First official day of the rally was a good one. A little mistake early on had me stumbling in the soft sand dunes. The flow was really slow in the morning. I believe I’m a little bit too heavy for these sand dunes. It was a little bit tough for me. All was good. We’re healthy. We’re fresh. I think we are in an ok position for stage two. We’re looking forward to this. Tomorrow’s marathon will be tough for the motorcycles with the big, soft sand dunes and the heat. It will be tricky for everyone out there tomorrow. We will do our best and attack tomorrow.

Source Monster Energy Honda Team