Cycle News Staff | October 18, 2021
Monster Energy Honda’s new recruit, Pablo Quintanilla, came from behind to win the Rallye Du Maroc in Morocco.
The Chilean bested teammate Ricky Brabec on Stage 5 and ultimately Red Bull KTM’s Matthias Walkner in the final standings by one minute and 59 seconds, with GasGas Factory Team’s new Australian recruit Daniel Sanders taking the Stage 4 win, which helped him to third overall in the final standings.
“I am very happy with the victory,” Quintanilla said. “It was a very difficult week and I want to thank the whole team for the great job they did. Personally, I felt very comfortable, I was riding with great pace, with good navigation and that’s very good for my confidence. I am also very motivated for the next objective, which is the Dakar. We are going to take a short break, rest, recharge our batteries and then we will concentrate on the Dakar.”
For Walkner, however, second in Morocco was enough to seal the 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship. The Austrian took second in the opening round in Kazakhstan, won the Silk Way Rally a month later and took second in Morocco, sealing the title with one round to go, the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, starting on November 6.
“It’s been a super cool rally for me [in Morocco],” Walkner said. “I set out this morning hoping to take the win, but I made a small mistake about halfway through that only maybe cost me a minute, but it was enough on the shortened stage to lose out. Second place is great though and to win the world championship title early is amazing. The team has been great all year, so a big thank you to them. It’s time to relax now and really enjoy the moment.”
Walkner’s victory is KTM’s third consecutive win in the series with Toby Price and Sam Sunderland earning the 2018 and 2019 titles, before the 2020 series was cancelled due to the pandemic.
Third in Morocco, Australian Sanders goes into the 2022 Dakar Rally as one of the dark horses on the red GasGas.
“Opening the final stage was pretty cool,” Sanders said. “After around 80 kilometers the navigation became a bit more tricky, so I had to slow my pace to make sure I was on the right path. I actually had a small crash in the dunes, but I was up quick and straight back on a decent rhythm. I’m really happy to have finished third on this stage after opening and overall, it’s been a great week. To end it with a podium and secure the first podium result for GasGas in the World Championship is really cool.”
Fourth in Morocco went to early rally leader Brabec. The Californian won Stage 3 but dropped from the leading trio over the next two stages, ending the rally happy, as he finalizes his preparation for Dakar 2022.
“I’m happy to finish another rally, it’s been good training for the Dakar,” Brabec said. “I’m also very excited for the Honda team to be on top of the podium. Unfortunately, we couldn’t have two Honda riders on the final podium. It takes a lot of guts to win a stage and it takes a lot of courage to open a stage: only three riders have opened this rally, and I think we opened the most difficult stages. I’m really looking forward to the Dakar and this was just training. I made a couple of mistakes and missed out on the podium on the last day, but at least we’ll get home safe and sound and get back to training to be ready for the Dakar.”
Fifth and the first Yamaha home went to Frenchman Adrien van Beveren from Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Lucio Benavides, one place ahead of brother Kevin on the Red Bull KTM.
Joaquim Rodrigues bought his Hero Motorsports entry home in eighth ahead of Monster Energy Yamaha’s Andrew Short, with Jose Ignacio Cornejo fending off fellow Monster Energy Honda rider Joan Barreda for the final position in the top 10.
The rally was the first competitive two-wheeled entry for Toby Price since he broke his shoulder at the 2021 Dakar Rally. The Australian finished strong, taking fourth on the final stage and eventually coming home in 13th.
“It’s good to get the last day done, and out of Morocco in one piece,” Price said. “I picked up a small penalty for speeding in today’s stage but all-in-all I can’t complain. It’s good to get the first one under the belt after being off the bike for so long, and I’m looking forward to Abu Dhabi now to see what we can do there.” CN
The fourth round of the 2021 FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship is currently underway with the Rally du Maroc, and American Ricky Brabec (Monster Energy Honda) has stormed into the lead following victory on stage three.
The Californian and 2020 Dakar champion finished second and third on the first two stages but made amends on stage three, finishing two minutes clear of Hero Motorsports Portuguese rider, Sebastian Buhler. Third on stage three went to another American, Andrew Short on the Monster Energy Yamaha.
“I started sixth today, not a bad starting position, although there was a lot of dust,” Brabec said following stage three. “Yesterday we adjusted the handlebars, but I didn’t feel comfortable, but I had to keep going. From the refueling until the finish, I did my best but unfortunately my teammates made a few mistakes, as Mathias [Walkner] did. I managed to find the way because I was going slow at that moment. I saw the line where we had to leave the river, but there were also many other tracks there. My gut instinct told me, and I followed it. I was riding alone for the final 60 kilometers, with no references. It was a good day, but there are still two more to go.”
Brabec’s new Honda teammate, former Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider Pablo Quintanilla, took ninth on stage three and now sits second overall, 10 minutes, 27 seconds off Brabec’s pace.
Stage one winner Joan Barreda (Monster Energy Honda) dropped to 10th overall on stage three following a navigation error, while stage two winner, Matthias Walkner (Red Bull KTM) sits third overall, 12 minutes, nine seconds from Brabec.
There are two stages remaining on the 2021 Rally du Maroc. CN