Pablo Quintanilla wins Stage One and keeps the lead

Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge

Monster Energy Honda Team is ruling in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2023!

Pablo Quintanilla wins Stage One and keeps the lead

Monster Energy Honda Team is ruling in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2023! After the prologue win, Chilean Pablo Quintanilla was today once again the fastest rider on Stage one. His teammate Adrien Van Beveren kept his second place, while José Ignacio Cornejo improved his performance finishing in fourth place and Ricky Brabec was 6th overall.

Going into the depths of the Empty Quarter, Stage 1 connected the city of Al Dhannah and Qasr Al Sarab with a total of 404 kilometers. The Special Stage was 242 km long, added by a liaison of another 162 km. Dunes and sandy tracks made the day, a terrain that meets the profile of Honda riders in a perfect way since all of them are desert specialists.

Tomorrow Stage 2 will keep the competition in the same region, with a 257 kilometers tour around Qasr Al Sarab – added by a liaison of 108 km. The action takes place on the depths of the Empty Quarter, with sandy tracks and huge dunes to overcome. For the Monster Energy Honda Team the challenge will be simple: to keep the lead in a day that Pablo Quintanilla and Adrien Van Beveren will open the track.

Provisional Standings after Stage One

Pos.	Rider	Num.	Nation	Team	Constructor	Time
1	Pablo Quintanilla	7	CHI	Monster Energy Honda Team	Honda	3:40:15
2	Adrien Van Beveren	42	FRA	Monster Energy Honda Team	Honda	3:42:31
3	Toby Price	18	AUS	Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team	KTM	3:45:32
4	Ross Evan Branch	16	BWA	Hero Motorsports Team Rally	Hero	3:45:35
5	José Ignacio Cornejo	11	CHI	Monster Energy Honda Team	Honda	3:47:51
6	Ricky Brabec	2	USA	Monster Energy Honda Team	Honda	3:48:29
7	Luciano Benavides	77	ARG	Husqvarna Factory Racing	Husqvarna	3:49:07
8	Skyler Howes	10	USA	Husqvarna Factory Racing	Husqvarna	3:49:45
9	Mason Klein	43	USA	BAS Dakar KTM Racing Team	KTM	3:53:49
10	Paolo Lucci	46	ITA	Solarys Racing	Husqvarna	4:03:19

Pablo Quintanilla ⁷

Monster Energy Honda Team

This was a great stage for me, since I was able to find a good pace from the beginning. The terrain was not easy, with many drops in the dunes and some fast parts difficult to see. Everything went well with me and my Honda CRF 450 Rally. I could get the right balance between speed and navigation. Winning the prologue and the first stage means we have started the race on the right foot so let's continue that way!

Adrien Van Beveren ⁴²

Monster Energy Honda Team

Everything went well today, it was a good day in the dunes. The terrain was hard with a lot of broken dunes and valleys, not so easy to find the rhythm. I am happy and Pablo was with me until the end and we could ride fast together. So far the result is good but we have to stay focused knowing there are four more stages to race.

José Ignacio Cornejo ¹¹

Monster Energy Honda Team

It was a good first stage! We started third and that was a risk, then I could reach Skyler Howes and manage to keep racing all the way with him. I think I did a good job, got some bonus and overall it was a solid performance. Now I am motivated and strong for tomorrow, willing to improve my position in the overall ranking.

Ricky Brabec ²

Monster Energy Honda Team

I am happy to finish another stage. I definitely felt better than the result showed today. I was a little bit sore today, we battled the wind most of the day and that was hard for the body. Anyway I am here to fight and do my best until the last day.