Jean Turner | October 7, 2016
The OiLibya Rally du Maroc (aka Morocco Rally) came to a close today in Erg Chebbi, Morocco, where Toby Price took the stage win along with the grand victory after five stages. It was a fight to the finish between Price and his Red Bull KTM Factory Rally teammate Sam Sunderland. Toby Price’s win on the final stage granted him the victory ahead of Sunderland in the overall. Yamaha duo Helder Rodrigues and Xavier De Soultrait rounded out the top-five.
Morocco Rally winner Toby Price (right) and runner-up Sam Sunderland (left) hoist the newly-crowned FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion Pablo Quintanilla. Photography by Husqvarna Motorcycles
The Morocco Rally served as the final round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, and it was Pablo Quintanilla of Chile who ended the five-race series on top. The Factory Husqvarna rider carded third place overall in Morocco to claim his first FIM rally world championship.
“For me this is a dream come true,” Quintanilla exclaimed. “It is something I have been dreaming about for many years, and with so much passion. Now I am the new world champion.
“We put in a lot of effort and hard work during this year. I just want to thank the team for the amazing job they did at every race.”
“I had a big fight with Sam [Sunderland] all week,” said Toby Price. “So it was tough. He put up a good fight and showed he’s ready for the Dakar. Also a big congrats to Pablo for the championship. Now it’s time to move on and get ready for the big one in January.”
Toby Price won the battle, but not the war. Photography by Marcin Kin/KTM Media Library
Toby Price showed true sportsmanship on stage four when he halted his race to help out downed rider Kevin Benavides. The HRC rider was unconscious after hitting an unexpected obstacle, which teams agreed was not marked as it should have been in the road book. Price helped Benavides regain consciousness and stayed with him until help arrived.
HRC Honda definitely had its share of misfortune. Star player Paolo Goncalves led the charge at one point, but was forced out of the race after dislocating his knee on stage three. Team HRC also backed American Ricky Brabec in the rally, but an electrical issue during the fourth stage left the young Californian unable to complete the section. Brabec was, however, able to line up for the final stage where he finished tenth.
It was a tough go for the HRC Honda team, but American Ricky Brabec made it to the finish with a 10th place finish on the final stage. Photography by HRC
“It was a tough time for Team HRC this week, but we came out safe and that’s the most important thing,” said Brabec. “The week was tough. We had a few problems here and there, but we worked through them. We got a finish. The final day for me was good. I started two minutes behind a Yamaha rider and I got by him and opened the trail by myself for the rest of the day. It was quite difficult as there weren’t always tracks, so the navigation was tricky in a few spots and I slipped down a bit, but I’m here and I’m healthy and happy. We got a finish for Team HRC so now we’ll keep training and go for the Dakar.”
Joan Barreda—HRC’s other heavyweight—did not compete in the Morocco Rally on account of having contested the China Grand Rally, which came to a close the day the Morocco Rally started. (Barreda won every stage of the China Rally for a commanding victory.)
KTM rider Ivan Ramirez competed as a member of the KTM Warsaw Rally Team. The defending National Hare and Hound champion gained entry to the Dakar Rally through the Sonora Rally earlier this year, and contested the Morocco Rally to get his feet wet in international rally competition before the January event. Ramirez put in a consistent effort to finish 15th overall.
American rider and respected Baja competitor Shane Esposito contested the Morocco Rally in what was reportedly a last-minute effort. He finished a remarkable 12th overall, beating many factory riders in the process, in his first-ever international rally race.
Morocco Rally Overall Results:
- Toby Price (KTM)
- Sam Sunderland (KTM)
- Pablo Quintanilla (Hus)
- Helder Rodrigues (Yam)
- Xavier De Soultrait (Yam)
- Adrien Van Beveren (Yam)
- Matthias Walkner (KTM)
- Juan Pedrero Garcia (Shr)
- Pela Renet (Hus)
- Rodney Faggotter (Yam)
- Shane Esposito (KTM)
- Ivan Ramirez (KTM)
- Ricky Brabec (Hon)
