Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge
Monday, 4 avril 2016
Second Special: 278 km
With a 6 am start from the bivouac this morning, the motorcycle contingent did not suffer from the heat today and it actually rained in the dunes of Abu Dhabi. The overcast sky, the mist and the sand must have reminded Pablo Quintanilla (Husqvarna) of the coastal desert of his native Chile. Throughout the 278 km, he stayed on the offensive, winning the Special with a lead of 2'17 over Sam Sunderland (KTM) and 3'57 over Toby Price (KTM) and moving to top of the provisional standings. “ 278 km of sand was a long haul but it was a good Special for me. I set off in the ideal spot, in third place, and after the refuelling I rode with Tony and Sam. It was fun but the sand was soft and it even rained a little!”
Sam Sunderland, who was second, has found his pace. “I knew Toby would be riding flat out this morning after setting off first, so I had to work hard to catch up with him at km70. After that I was able to relax a bit, but then Pablo turned up and towards the end I drove my front wheel into soft sand, losing a few precious seconds”.
Toby Price, who lost his spot at the top of the leader board, said: “It was a long Special. I opened the trail and the others caught me up. After that we rode together. But I’m happy. It was a good day and I’ve gained a bit more experience!”
Pela Renet (Husqvarna) has come to terms with the desert, finishing in 4th ahead of the incredible Laia Sanz (KTM), in 5th place after this long and arduous day.
Behind the phenomenon Laia Sanz, Mohammed Al Balooshi (KTM) took an honourable 6th place ahead of Arana, Mc Bride and FIM Junior Cross Country Rallies World Champion Kuba Piatek.
It was a bad day for Helder Rodrigues, who had to go back to bivouac with a technical problem, losing the regulation 9h for a missed stage. However, he will be at the start tomorrow.
In quad, Rafal Sonik had a few technical issues with his Honda quad yesterday. It was nothing serious but he lost some time on the Special. The mechanical problems were rather worse for Ignacio Casale, who had to turn back this morning and return to bivouac. Today, Koolen was first quad and fourteenth in the Special ahead of Rafal Sonik, and Camelia Liparoti finished17th!
Judith Tomaselli