QUINTANILLA GAINS GROUND IN MOROCCO RALLY

[totalmotorcycle]

@QUINTANILLA GAINS GROUND IN #MOROCCO RALLY
#ROCKSTAR ENERGY #HUSQVARNA #RIDERS MOVE UP IN STAGE THREE


Quintanilla finished fifth in the stage, three minutes behind the leader and at overall fourth trails to lead rider by just over 11 minutes. He took a cautious approach in the opening days and particularly on Tuesday where riders had no overnight support from their teams and camped in the desert bivouac after a long, over 500 km stage. But with the finish line and a possible world title in his line of vision, Quintanilla is looking more comfortable and more confident.
Quintanilla: “The marathon stage is always difficult because we are without assistance and yesterday was a long day with tricky navigation. I lost some time trying to find the waypoint but then I tried to make up some time before the end of the stage. I was also thinking about saving the tyres a little bit, because riding two days in a row on the same tyres is really heavy, and today after a night in the desert we started with a really fast pace and it was very bumpy, and with lots of stones. I felt really good in the beginning and up to the refueling. Then I caught one rider and there was a bit of dust to deal with, so I tried to slow down and keep the rhythm until the end. The feeling with the bike is getting better and we will make some changes to the suspension for tomorrow, which I think will be better. Tomorrow we have another 300 km timed special so I will try to be focused on the road book and to recover some time in the overall.”
It was also a better day for Quintanilla’s teammate Pela Renet of France. He joined the factory rally team at the beginning of the season and this was his first experience of a marathon stage. “It was a first for me, a new experience and it was really nice to be all together overnight, in the middle of the dunes. We also had to take care of our bikes last night. We helped each other and it was good teamwork. Tomorrow I hope I will have another good day like today, without any crashes or navigation mistakes. I want to continue to improve, to push sometimes and to finish as close as possible to the front riders.”
Stage Four, the Erfoud Loop takes riders over a total of 376 km, of which 319 km are timed and they will again have to tackle the dunes. The final stage on Friday is 275 km, with 230 km the timed special.

Results Stage Three
1. Kevin Benavides, (ARG), Honda, 3:13.05 h
2. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, +51 sec
3. Matthias Walkner, (AUT), KTM, +1.04 m
4. Sam Sunderland, (GBR), KTM, + 1:28
5. Pablo Quintanilla (CHI), Husqvarna, +3.00
9. Pela Renet (FRA), Husqvarna, +7.01

Overall after Stage Three
1. Price, 6:55.26 h
2. Sunderland, +1.58 m
3. Benavides, +2.29
4. Quintanilla, +11.16
9. Renet, +33.34