Monster Energy Honda Team trio among the top riders

Stage Report

Monday, Mar 7th 2022

Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2022

2022 Season Round WORLD2

Monster Energy Honda Team trio among the top riders

Monster Energy Honda Team riders capitalised on a scorching, dune-filled marathon stage at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge: the three Honda CRF450 RALLY riders Brabec, Cornejo and Quintanilla all currently hold places in the rally top five.

Another arduous day in the Liwa desert near the Emirates’ ‘Empty Quarter’. The second stage of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge featured a total of 316 kilometres of special stage with heaps of sand and dunes – not to mention the sweltering heat – once again dominating the day. Competitors also had to negotiate their way through a dried-out lake. Once back at the bivouac, it was time to leave the bikes in the parc fermé without access to mechanical assistance from the teams.

The tough trek continued for the Monster Energy Honda Team riders. The team’s three riders now hold the privileged position of being able to manage the race over the coming days. Ricky Brabec, fourth today, occupies second in the overall race standings, followed by team-mate José Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Cornejo. Pablo Quintanilla is fifth, only seven and a half minutes behind the leader. The Chilean posted sixth on the day.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, sees the third stage, marking the rally’s halfway point. The race will cover 255 kilometres of timed special stage – once again in the vast Liwa desert – with just 35 kilometres of liaison section.

Pablo Quintanilla ⁷

STAGE: 6th Provisional: 5th

This second stage was a bit faster than yesterday. The first part went through sandy valleys and the speed was very high. Until refuelling I didn’t feel at all comfortable with this terrain, but then I was able to ride with more pace and there were some technical areas of dunes where I was able to push a bit harder. It was a good day and the race is still very tight. Opening up on this type of terrain can really hurt you; right now I have fast riders in front and behind, which could be good for the remaining stages. These first two days have been very physically demanding, now we are going to try to rest our bodies before tomorrow’s stage.

José Ignacio Cornejo ¹¹

STAGE: 8th Provisional: 3rd

I felt very good on the bike, very comfortable and I think that showed in the riding. I took this second stage of the Abu Dhabi with some good pace and I think it went well. I think I had a good stage; we are doing well in the overall standings and in a good starting position for tomorrow’s stage.

Ricky Brabec ²

STAGE: 4th Provisional: 2nd

Day two was a good one. A long, hot day. It was great. We’re now here in the bivouac getting ready for tomorrow. The stage was long. I lost maybe five minutes. I think that the team is in a good position. Today was really hot in the dunes. I made no mistakes, but a couple of other people crashed. We capitalized on that and we will go on the attack tomorrow. The team is in a great position and we’re looking forward to tomorrow.

Stage 2 Results

Pos.	Rider	Num	Nation	Team	Constructor	Time/Gap
1	Evan Branch Ross	16	BWA	Hero Motorsports Team Rally	Hero	4:10’28
2	Benavides Luciano	77	ARG	Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing	Husqvarna	+0’39
3	Benavides Kevin	1	ARG	Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team	KTM	+0’41
4	Brabec Ricky	2	USA	Monster Energy Honda Team	Honda	+0’49
5	Caimi Franco	6	ARG	Hero Motorsports Team Rally	Hero	+1’34
6	Quintanilla Pablo	7	CHI	Monster Energy Honda Team	Honda	+3’52
7	Rodrigues Joaquim	27	POR	Hero Motorsports Team Rally	Hero	+4’02
8	Cornejo José Ignacio	11	CHI	Monster Energy Honda Team	Honda	+4’16
9	Sunderland Sam	3	GBR	Gas Gas Factory Team	Gas Gas	+6’05
10	Price Toby	18	AUS	Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team	KTM	+6’17

Rider Standings

Provisional Standings after Stage 2

Pos.	Rider	Num	Nation	Team	Constructor	Time/Gap
1	Benavides Kevin	1	ARG	Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team	KTM	7:58’48
2	Brabec Ricky	2	USA	Monster Energy Honda Team	Honda	+4’23
3	Cornejo José Ignacio	11	CHI	Monster Energy Honda Team	Honda	+5’04
4	Sunderland Sam	3	GBR	Gas Gas Factory Team	Gas Gas	+5’45
5	Quintanilla Pablo	7	CHI	Monster Energy Honda Team	Honda	+7’27
6	Benavides Luciano	77	ARG	Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing	Husqvarna	+9’08
7	Price Toby	18	AUS	Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team	KTM	+9’19
8	Caimi Stefano		ARG	Honda Argentina – MEC Team	Honda	+9’25
9	Rodrigues Joaquim	27	POR	Hero Motorsports Team Rally	Hero	+9’46
10	Walkner Matthias	52	AUT	Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team	KTM	+11’10

Location Information

The erstwhile UAE Desert Challenge, one of the world’s most prestigious international cross country rallies, entered a new era in March 2009 when it was renamed the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge with the five-day motor sport spectacular being staged in its entirety across Abu Dhabi emirate under the auspices of the Abu… read more.

Circuit Records

2021	Matthias Walkner (KTM)
2019	Sam Sunderland (KTM)
2018	Pablo Quintanilla (Husqvarna)
2017	Sam Sunderland (KTM)
2016	Toby Price (KTM)
2015	Marc Coma (KTM)
2014	Paulo Gonçalves (Honda)

Abu Dhabi – United Arab Emirates – View in Google Maps

Mark McGhee (607)

I was born a century too late, or maybe too early.
I like to ride motorcycles and write about that.