Cycle News Staff | March 15, 2022
2022 Dakar winner Sam Sunderland won the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge just ahead of the two Hondas of Ricky Brabec and Pablo Quintanilla.
Clocking in at the finish of stage five 34 seconds faster than anyone else, Sunderland claimed the overall race victory by over three minutes, after close to 17 hours of racing. The result extends his lead at the top of the FIM Rally-Raid World Championship standings to a sizeable 17 points, with three rounds left to race.
The final stage of the rally, at just over 200 kilometers long, was a sprint finish with all the leading riders hoping to improve upon their positions. In the end, Sam Sunderland won, Ricky Brabec was able to make it onto the final podium in runner-up spot while Pablo Quintanilla finished third overall. Monster Energy Honda Team maintain and extend their lead in the world championship.
In the overall W2RC standings, Sunderland increases his lead (63 points) over Quintanilla (46 points). Matthias Walkner (35 points) finishes fifth. The reigning World Champion just retains his place on the W2RC provisional podium ahead of Ricky Brabec (34 points). The American did the best operation of this second round by moving from seventh place overall to just off the podium.
In the Manufacturers’ World Championship standings, the Monster Energy Honda team maintains its advantage thanks to its one-two finish on the podium. Honda now has 83 points against 63 points for GasGas. Just behind, KTM remain in touch with 60 points thanks to fourth and fifth place on the ADDC for Price and Walkner. Hero Motosports took advantage of the performances of Rodrigues and Caimi to take fourth place from Sherco.
Ricky Brabec (right) and Pablo Quintanilla both claimed places on the final Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge podium.
Brabec moved from seventh place overall in the World Rally Championship standings to just off the podium.
Quintanilla has 46 points in the championship standings.
Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge Rally Stage One and Two Highlights
After two stages and three left to run, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Kevin Benavides was leading the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge Rally.
Race leader after stage one, Husqvarna rider Michael Docherty, suffered a hard fall and was flown via helicopter to the hospital.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Matthias Walkner won stage three of the 2022 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and is now in the fifth spot overall with 35 points.
Benavides was first on the scene of Docherty’s crash and stayed with the injured rider until more assistance arrived. The 2021 Dakar Champion, Benavides, 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-mounted rider into the provisional rally lead.
The stage win went to Hero’s Ross Branch, followed by Husqvarna’s Luciano Benavides (Kevin Benavides’ brother) and Kevin Benavides.
Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Luciano Benavides has raced to an stage victory on the penultimate day of the rally.
Kevin Benavides, Luciano’s brother and 2021 Dakar Champion, was leading after the first two stages and was fourth quickest in the final stage. He now lies in 13th overall of the rally standings.
American Ricky Brabec was fourth in stage two, four minutes and 23 seconds behind leader Kevin Benavides. GasGas rider Sam Sunderland was 40 seconds back in fourth, approximately another minute-and-a-half back was Honda’s third rider Pablo Quintanilla. Luciano Benavides, Toby Price, who had a navigational issue early on and a crash during stage two, Stefano Caimi, Joaquim Rodrigues and Matthias Walkner round out the top 10 overall.
The next FIM Rally-Raid World Championship event will be the Andalucia Rally, scheduled for June 6.
