Toby Price runner up on ADDC Stage 4 | P3 overall

2022 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge – Stage Four

The penultimate day of the 2022 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge has seen a battered and bruised Toby Price place himself in the perfect position to challenge for the overall win, taking second for the day and now sitting 1m42s off the lead, with just Sam Sunderland and Pablo Quintanilla between him and victory, with 371 km, including 209 km of timed special to go…

Although temperatures in the Liwa Desert weren’t quite what they have been during earlier stages of this second round of the FIM Rally-Raid World Championship, the mixture of rocky pistes and large, rolling dunes still put up a huge challenge for all competitors on today’s 243-kilometre timed special.

Luciano Benavides raced to an impressive stage victory on the penultimate day of the rally. The Argentine was on form throughout the 243-kilometre special, delivering a faultless ride to claim a deserved debut stage win ahead of the final day of the event.

As the 11th rider to enter stage four, Luciano Benavides was poised for a strong result as he could utilise the lines left in the sand by the leading riders. Despite this known advantage, the Argentine opted to concentrate on his roadbook to avoid any potential deviations from the route and focused on riding his own race. Even at the day’s refuelling station when informed that the win was a strong possibility, Luciano applied the same strategy to the very end of the special, which rewarded him with the first stage win of his career in the FIM Rally-Raid World Championship.

Luciano Benavides – P1

“I really wanted a stage win and it feels really good to finally secure one for myself, but also the team as together we have been working really hard. From the start today I pushed really hard and I knew that I had a good opportunity to win after starting in 11th. At the refuelling stop I knew I was in with a good chance of winning but I kept focused on myself and my riding and relied on my roadbook to minimise mistakes, which paid off. I’m so happy to have finally won a stage! Tomorrow I look forward to the challenge of opening the final day of this race and my aim is for another strong result.”

Coming into his own, and finding a strong rhythm as the rally progresses, Toby Price has been quietly moving up through the ranks of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Placing as runner-up on the penultimate stage of the event has elevated the experienced Aussie to third place in the provisional rally standings – less than two minutes behind the leader. Although Price will start near the front on Thursday’s final stage, with the special only covering 209 kilometres, the two-time Dakar winner is well-placed for a strong finish to the rally.

Toby Price – P2

“I’m pleased with today, and it feels good to be right up at the sharp end. It wasn’t quite as warm out there today, but the stage was still really challenging with some big dunes and tricky terrain. I set off well, caught Skyler (Howes) by around kilometre 60, and after that we just tried to keep on pace with the guys in front. The whole race so far has been pretty demanding physically, but I still feel in good shape. Time to get some rest now and then it’s back to full gas tomorrow for the final day back to Abu Dhabi.”

Pablo Quintanilla finished in third place today after a fine stage, showing good pace throughout the 243-kilometre special. The Chilean moved up to second spot in the general rankings, just twenty-three seconds behind leader Sunderland.

Pablo Quintanilla – P3

“Today we completed the fourth stage in a satisfactory way. It went well for me. I rode almost all day on my own, in my own way, without knowing exactly if I had the best possible pace and if I was making up time or not. I felt very good and I had a great stage. The race is very tight and I’m second, just 20 seconds behind the leader. Tomorrow it will be very tough over the 200 kilometres and we will have to push hard from start to finish. Now, I have to get my energy back before facing tomorrow.”

It proved to be a good stage for Ricky Brabec, starting from eighth place to eventually finish the day in fourth, putting the American rider into fourth overall place in the rally, two and a half minutes shy of the leader. Brabec will battle to improve on the position tomorrow.

Ricky Brabec – P4

“Day four was great. It was a big day. We were expecting a little tougher navigation – a little more dunes, but unfortunately we couldn’t close too much time, but for the final day we are sitting pretty good, just a little bit out of the top step of the podium. It is definitely a battle between the top five riders to get on the podium. So tomorrow we’ll go full gas. The fight will go until the very end. It’s been a really good rally so far. I’m happy about how the team is working and the riding.”

The day did not start well for Joaquim Rodrigues, who found himself losing time caught in a struggle to pull his stuck bike out of sand at just around 10 kms from the start. Further ahead, a long jump off a dune made him crash head on to the ground. However, the Hero rider regained his rhythm quickly and made it to the finish in good time. His stellar performance moves JRod into the overall top-5 standings.

Joaquim Rodrigues – P5

“It was a good day, but it didn’t start very well. At around 10kms I got stuck in a dune and struggled to take my bike out. And then at 78kms I jumped a dune really far, fell on my head and broke my goggles. With a bleeding nose I made it to the refuel point, put myself back together and got back onto the track. I then focused on riding carefully to the finish, and I’m quite happy with the result we’ve achieved.”

Rounding out a positive day of racing for Husqvarna Factory Racing at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, Skyler Howes, lifted by his third-place finish yesterday, completed the stage four special as the sixth fastest rider.

Skyler Howes – P6

“Another positive day today. It took a while to get up to speed early on and then Toby Price caught me, so I rode with him to the end, which helped me to maintain a strong pace. There was some tricky terrain about halfway in but overall, it was a fun stage and a good day on the bike. I’m going to make a few small adjustments with my settings just to fine-tune things a little and then my focus is on a strong final day tomorrow.”

Still building up his physical condition from his pre-Dakar crash, Caimi Franco experienced yet another difficult day in the desert. However, his consistent improvement since the start of the rally has awarded him with a highly impressive seventh position in the overall rankings table.

Franco Caimi – P7

“Today was a difficult stage for me, as has been the case with every day so far at this rally. However, I really enjoyed the stage and had a lot of fun on the bike. I felt a lot better riding today, and I know I am improving each day. I look forward to the last day of the race, and am happy with how I’ve progressed so far.”

After catching up to Matthias Walkner, who had topped the previous day, the pace at the front was good enough for Sam to be able to take extra care over his navigation and ensure an accurate and safe passage through the challenging timed special. Arriving at the finish as ninth-fastest for the day, our 2022 Dakar Champ not only earned himself a really strong start position for the short 209km final special on Thursday, but was also able to maintain his overall lead in the event standings. However, with just 23 seconds now separating the top two, Sam will still need to go full gas on tomorrow’s final stage back to Abu Dhabi.

Sam Sunderland – P8

“Day four done, and I’m still in the overall lead, but it looks like things are really close at the top, just like Dakar. It was a tough stage again today with lots of rocky pistes and some big dunes. I caught Matthias (Walkner) around kilometre 80 and then rode with him for most of the day – he was doing a really good job of opening, so I just kept to a good, solid pace myself. It feels good to ride together like that and to be honest, I’ve been feeling a lot stronger in general as the race goes on. At the beginning of the event I felt a bit rough, but over the last couple of stages I’ve really found my rhythm and got into the swing of it. I’m happy with the bike and physically feeling good for the last stage, so we’ll see how we go.”

Nacho Cornejo suffered a crash in which he damaged his bike, with the Chilean rider dropping precious minutes from the timesheets. Tomorrow he shall be hoping to redeem himself with a better partial result.

José Ignacio Cornejo – P9

“We finished stage 4, which was going well until I fell around kilometre 160. It wasn’t very serious for me, but the bike bore the brunt of it, breaking the navigation tower. I was able to continue, but it was half loose and ended up breaking completely. I had to slow down over the last 30 kilometres. We are going to try to finish the rally in good shape, trying to come away from the last stage with the best possible result.”

Recovering from his severe crash earlier in the race, Ross took the day easy, taking risks and riding fast only where he was fully confident of the terrain. Still, his strong resolve to keep pushing to the finish lands the Rally GP class rider a thirteenth position in the overall standings.

Ross Branch – P12

“It was quite a difficult day for me right from the beginning of the stage. Maybe it was the pain from the injury and all the medication – my body did not feel powerful enough to take any risks or move fast. So, I took it easy today, riding fast where I could and slow where I was not confident enough. I’m grateful to be back safe, and we’ll get ready for the final stage.”

As the first rider into the timed special on stage four, Matthias Walkner had the unenviable task of opening the route and being the first to navigate through the mixed terrain. Despite the pressure, the reigning world champion was able to stay out in front for the entire 243 kilometres while also maintaining a good, solid pace. Completing the day in 13th, eight and a half minutes down on the winner, Matthias dropped down to sixth in the event standings, but will now enjoy a strong start position for tomorrow’s final sprint to the finish line.

Matthias Walkner – P13

“That was a really tough stage for me – one of the hardest in my life! With so many off-piste sections, leading out and having to open the stage was really tricky. You have to remain 100% focused for the whole special while trying to keep up a good strong pace. My main goal was to lose the minimum of time, which I managed to do. It was only Sam (Sunderland) that caught me, so that is really encouraging. I’ve been on the back foot since the first day really, but I’ve given it my all throughout the whole rally – riding at 110% on every stage. It’s exhausting, and I’ll definitely be glad to see the finish line tomorrow, but I’m super-happy with my riding, and the bike has been perfect, too.”

Kevin Benavides was in great shape early on in today’s stage, pushing hard and fighting for a place in the top five on time. Unfortunately, before the second checkpoint, a technical issue caused him to slow his pace, putting an end to his challenge. Despite the setback, the 2021 Dakar Champion used his skill and experience to bring his KTM 450 RALLY home to the finish, placing 26th. Benavides now lies 13th overall, but will try to attack tomorrow’s final stage, to finish his rally on a high.

Kevin Benavides – P26

“I started really well this morning, I knew I had the speed, and I knew I could make up time on the others, but unfortunately it just wasn’t to be. Around the 60-kilometre mark I had a small technical issue that slowed my pace and from there I just tried to bring it home safely and get to the finish. It’s disappointing of course, especially as I knew I had a good chance to challenge for the top spots, but these things happen, and you just have to move on. Hopefully I’ll have a good day tomorrow and finish the race with a strong stage result.”

Stage five of the 2022 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge will cover a total distance of 371 kilometres and feature a timed special of 209 kilometres raced against the clock.

2022 ADDC Stage 4 Results

2022 Standings following Stage 4