PABLO QUINTANILLA RUNNER-UP ON STAGE THREE OF THE DESAFIO RUTA 40 RALLY

Continuing his stellar performance on the trails of Argentina, Pablo Quintanilla has secured a strong runner-up result on the third rally stage of the 2018 Desafio Ruta 40. Remaining second in the rally’s provisional overall standings, the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider has two more stages to battle for the overall victory at this round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship.

Faced with yet another demanding stage at this year’s Desafio Ruta 40, Pablo enjoyed a steady pace to post the second fastest time for the day. With the timed special shortened due to issues with the GPS signal on all motorcycles, competitors reached the overnight bivouac late on Wednesday afternoon.

After three exhausting days of racing through some of the most remote areas of South America, Quintanilla hasn’t put a foot wrong so far at the Desafio Ruta 40. Following a well-calculated plan, the FR 450 Rally powered rider is one minute and 13 seconds behind the provisional overall leader with two more stages left to be contested in Argentina.

Thursday’s penultimate stage of the 2018 Desafio Ruta has a total distance of 514km. Taking competitors from Tinogasta to Villa Unión, it features a 357km-long timed special.

Pablo Quintanilla: “I’m really satisfied with how things are going here in Argentina. It was another hard stage today and my goal was to make up as much time as I could to the overall leader. Today we had more off-piste sections where navigation was tricky. The timed special was shortened due to problems with the GPS signal on the bikes. Nevertheless, I think we did a great job today. We have two more days for this race to finish and I feel I’m in a good position to fight for the top step of the podium. I feel great racing my Husqvarna in these conditions and I will continue giving my best to finish this event on a high note.”

2018 Desafio Ruta 40 Rally – Stage 3 Provisional Classification
1. Paulo Goncalves (Honda) 02:04:38
2. Pablo Quintanilla (Husqvarna) 02:07:32
3. Ricky Brabec (Honda) 02:09:48
4. Toby Price (KTM) 02:13:18
5. Luciano Benavides (KTM) 02:13:57
6. Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco) 02:14:13

2018 Desafio Ruta 40 Rally – Provisional Overall Classification [After Stage 3]
1. Paulo Goncalves (Honda) 10:37:17
2. Pablo Quintanilla (Husqvarna) 10:38:30
3. Toby Price (KTM) 10:42:55
4. Matthias Walkner (KTM) 10:46:09
5. Luciano Benavides (KTM) 11:13:33
6. Ricky Brabec (Honda) 11:21:37