The Rally2 rider Bradley Cox (BAS World KTM Racing) sprang a surprise in the motorbike race by outspeeding all the RallyGP contenders. The South African clinched the win ahead of Toby Price (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Luciano Benavides (Husqvarna Factory Racing).
On a 1-kilometer drag strip, which was as hot as it was slippery, followed by 9 kilometers off road, Bradley Cox made a statement in the prologue. The Rally2 rider clocked the fastest time (5′26″) ahead of Toby Price (5′28″) and Luciano Benavides (5′33″).
As per the 2023 W2RC rules, only the RallyGP riders get to choose their starting order for the next day, so Cox will start tomorrow in sixteenth position, behind the last RallyGP entrant. The ten fastest in this category picked their spots as the sun began to dip under the horizon. They all chose places from the top 5 onwards, leaving the slower riders of the day to open the stage.
Nacho Cornejo (Monster Energy Honda), Mason Klein (BAS World KTM Racing), Sebastian Bühler (Hero MotoSports), and Sam Sunderland (Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing) had no say in it and will start in this same order. Skyler Howes (Husqvarna Factory Racing) will be fifth, ahead of Toby Price in sixth, who picked this spot last because he reckoned it was the best. Ricky Brabec (Monster Energy Honda) will take off seventh, Luciano Benavides eighth, Van Beveren ninth, Tosha Schareina (Honda Team) tenth, Ross Branch (Hero MotoSports) eleventh, Kevin Benavides (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) twelfth, Daniel Sanders (Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing) thirteenth, Pablo Quintanilla (Monster Energy Honda) fourteenth, and Matthias Walkner (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) fifteenth.
Ruben Faria, the manager of the Monster Energy Honda team, no stranger to prologue strategies, downplayed the significance of the choice: "The prologue always has a role in the competition. Maybe this time the advantage for the riders in the Top 10 is not so important since there will probably be a lot of dust in the air."
Bradley Cox dominated the Rally2 prologue ahead of two returning competitors, Romain Dumontier (HT Rally Raid Husqvarna Racing, 6′02″) and Konrad Dąbrowski (Duust Diverse Racing, 6′15″). The new Kove Racing rider, Neels Theric, finished fourth (6′16″), ahead of the championship leader, Paolo Lucci (BAS World KTM Racing, 6′31″). The leader of the provisional standings, Laisvydas Kancius (6′55″), beat Rodolfo Guillioli (7′51″) in the quad race.
MONDAY’S PROGRAMME*
· Stage 1: Hermosillo - Hermosillo
· Total: 333 km
· Road sections: 165 km
· Special: 168 km
· Special start times:
- first FIM start: 7:30 am
- first FIA start: 9:00 am
Follow stage 1 live: HERE
*Local times: GMT -7
Results of the Prologue here.