Desafio Ruta 40 Norte
Monday 27 August
Second stage: Villa Unión - TinogastaLink section: 54.56 km - Special: 336.91 km – Link section: 45.89 km - Total: 437.36 km
In this desert region, the mornings are always cold, around 4°C, but once the sun comes up, the mercury flirts with 32°C…
Such temperature jumps alone are tough enough and today’s Special was a real test for all the motorcyclists and even more so for the quad bikers. The course started off in a dry, sandy river bed and veered off into off-road terrain with vegetation, rios and big stones, finishing, after a neutralisation, in the famous Fiambala dunes.
Navigationwise, too, this second Special was complicated and Sam Sunderland (KTM), who set out in front, and Pablo Quintanilla (Husqvarna) got lost around km 50… Later, Sunderland had a hard fall and banged his head. The British rider retired at the neutralisation and will not be riding tomorrow.
Despite a very swollen hand after his fall in the first Special, Kevin Benavides (Honda) won the Special with a lead of 48 seconds over his team mate Paulo Gonçalves. Xavier de Soultrait (Yamaha) put in a fine performance with a third position ahead of Jonatan Barragan (KTM) and Martin Duplessis (KTM).
Pablo Quintanilla (Husqvarna), who lost some time, wound up 7th ahead of Caimi (Yamaha) and Ricky Brabec (Honda). But with the retirement of his direct rival for the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, Sam Sunderland (KTM), the man from Chile should be more serene. “Today, the Special was really tough”, he explains. “At the start, there were some confusing notes in the road book and I make a mistake that cost me a lot of time. Once I got on the right trail, I focused on the navigation. It was also tough riding today, and it was easy to make a false move and end up on the ground.”
Adrien Van Beveren (Yamaha) did not ride the Special today as his machine refused to start.
On the FIM motorcycles’ leaderboard, Benavides (Honda) has a lead of 48 seconds over Paulo Gonçalves (Honda) and 20’07 over Xavier de Soultrait (Yamaha).
The Trial-like terrain was even harder going for the quads. Rafal Sonik (Yamaha), who set out at the same time as #117, Marcelo Fernandez, saw the Argentinian, who was riding at high speed, hit a rock and crash hard. Sonik, who stayed with him for a while, was credited with the time lost. Kees Koolen (Barren Racer) failed to check a waypoint — as did Rafal Sonik — and took a 20’ penalty. Rodolfo Guillioli (Yamaha) found himself without a road book after the neutralisation and followed Rafal Sonik through the dunes… The good news today is that Alexis Hernandez’s Yamaha was working normally! The bad news is that Lucas Innocenti has broken his elbow.
The results will be updated on the page www.desafioruta40.com.ar.
On Wednesday, the Desafio Ruta 40 will be finishing in Belen but there are still three exciting Specials to go.
Provisional results in the second Special, FIM motorcycles
1.Kevin Benavides (Honda) in 3h56’14
2.Paulo Gonçalves (Honda) at 3’19
3.Xavier de Soultrait (Yamaha) at 8’59
4.Jonatan Barragan (KTM) at 25’24
5.Pablo Quintanilla (Husqvarna) at 38’56
Provisional overall standings, FIM Motorcycles
1.Kevin Benavides (Honda) in 7h46’41
2.Paulo Gonçalves (Honda) at .48
3.Xavier de Soultrait (Yamaha) at 20’07
4.Pablo Quintanilla (Husqvarna) à 44’40
5.Jonatan Barragan (KTM) à 1h43’49
Judith Tomaselli