Bikesportnz

Chilean rider Pablo Quintanilla made his mark on the short run in the first of the big dunes, taking the win on the fifth stage of Dakar 2024.

The stage took in 118km of sand dunes through Saudi Arabia’s Empty Quarter as riders made their first tracks into the jaw-dropping landscapes towards Shubaytah.

Setting off early from the Al-Hofuf bivouac, riders were also faced with an arduous, energy zapping 527-km road section which would require some serious concentration during on the bike, before they were then thrown into the deep dunes on a hot day in the Eastern Province.

Joining Quintanilla on the podium was Honda team-mate Adrien Van Beveren in second place, the Frenchman using his vast sand riding experience to get back up to the sharp end by being fastest for much of the day before dropping just 37 seconds to his teammate.

José Ignacio Cornejo and Ricky Brabec were assigned with opening the stage once they’d got to the start of the special and although they both clinched some of the time bonuses on offer, it wasn’t enough for the Chilean.

Cornejo’s eleventh place finish cost him the lead of the overall standings and he now trails Hero Motosports Team Rally’s Ross Branch by over a minute in the battle at the top.

Despite nearly going over his handlebars heading down a dune, Brabec also reduced his time in the standings as he remains in a podium position after his seventh place finish in the desert.

American Skyler Howes made some positive adjustments to his Honda CRF450 Rally in the morning and this enabled him to manoeuvre himself across the extensive sandy section catching the riders ahead as he sneaked himself into the top 10, just under five minutes behind Quintanilla.

Next up is the mammoth 48-Hour Chrono which will be the biggest test of this year’s event with David Castera, the Dakar Rally organiser, already admitting he won’t be gaining many fans after it. Hidden waypoints will prove to be a navigation nightmare if the fatigued competitors lose their focus.

With a reverse starting order in place from the stage five results, Quintanilla will be the one to benefit as he will set off last out of all the RallyGP riders.

With a total of 835 km to ride, the special will contribute a hefty 626 km as the Empty Quarter dunes will look to take no prisoners at the halfway point of the rally.

Just to throw an extra spanner into the works they’ll have no access to the outside world, so they’ll be unaware where they are on the stage or in relation to their rivals. Action restarts on Friday morning at 7am where they’ll complete the stage back to Shubaytah and a much needed rest day in Riyadh further north.

“After two awful days everything fell into place. I went flat out but it wasn’t easy because the glare of the sun made it hard to see the tracks,” said Quintanilla afterwards.

“It was tough, but I managed to set a fast pace and had a great stage. I wasn’t expecting this type of soft sand because I heard it had rained in the last few days, but I had fun anyway on my bike. I’m happy to be in this position ahead of the 48 Hour Chrono, it’ll help me and perhaps unlock some opportunities.”

Photo courtesy Honda

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