In what turned out to be a seesaw battle between Red Bull KTM teammates after the premature exit of the entire Team HRC factory Honda rally squad, Red Bull KTM’s Toby Price pulled out the win in the 2016 OiLibya Morocco Rally today while Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Pablo Quintanilla netted the 2016 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship by finishing third overall.
Price, the reigning Dakar Rally Champion, had to come from behind to regain his position atop the leaderboard after losing momentum while stopping to assist fallen Team HRC rider Kevin Benavides during yesterday’s Stage 4. As a result, he started the day just over a minute behind Sunderland in the final stage 275-kilometer stage through the Erg Chebbi dunes today, meaning that speed and careful navigation would be key factors in the outcome of the stage that featured 230 kilometers of timed special.
Price is blessed with both, and he used them to erase the slight deficit to Sunderland, who fell off the pace, dropping outside the top five and finishing eighth in the stage. The end result was that Price was the winner, finishing the stage ahead of Quintanilla of Chile with a time of 2 hours, 29 minutes and 48 seconds. Quintanilla was 2 minutes and 21 seconds off Price’s pace, while Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team’s Hélder Rodrigues of Portugal finished a strong third, 2 minutes and 55 seconds out of the lead.
Thus, Price wrapped up the victory with an overall time of 13 hours, 6 minutes and 35 seconds over the five stages. Some of his week was far from uneventful. It included a run-in with the Moroccan Army, a heavy crash and having to stop and tend to Benavides.
“We always try to push for the wins in the stages, and I had a big fight with Sam all week, so it was tough,” Price said. “Today he got lost around the 140-kilometer mark and lost some time there, but everything is good. Sam put up a good flight, and he showed he’s ready for the Dakar. Also a big congrats to Pablo (Quintanilla) for the championship. Now it’s time to move on and get ready for the big one in January.”
Quntanilla, however, had a plan to stay smooth from the beginning, and it paid off handsomely with the World Championship crown. The Chilean came into the OiLibya Morocco Rally just 11 points ahead of Sunderland in the series points standings, and when Sunderland moved into the overall lead early in the rally, it appeared as if the Brit might be able to pull off the title. However, Quintanilla marched steadily along through all five stages and emerged with his first career FIM World Championship.
“I’m really happy about the season and for the team,” Quintanilla said. “We put in a lot of effort and hard work during the year. I just want to thank the team for the amazing job they did at every race. For me this is a dream come true. It is something I have been dreaming about for many years, and with so much passion. Now I am the new World Champion.”
Although his chances for victory ended early America’s Ricky Brabec still put forth the effort to finish the Morocco Rally, coming home 10th in Stage 5. Brabec was the only Team HRC rider to make it to the finish as both Paulo Goncalves and Kevin Benavides were forced to withdraw from the event due to injuries. Benavides crashed hard and Goncalves tweaked a knee during yesterday’s Stage 4. Brabec finished 63rd overall after running as high as third overall before suffering an electrical issue in Stage 3.
“The week is over, the rally is over,” Brabec said. “A tough time for Team HRC this week, but we came out safe and that’s the most important thing. The week was tough. We had a few problems here and there, but we worked through them. We got a finish. The final day for me was good. I started two minutes behind a Yamaha rider, and I got by him and opened the trail by myself for the rest of the day. It was quite difficult as there weren’t always tracks, so the navigation was tricky in a few spots and I slipped down a bit, but I’m here and I’m healthy and happy. We got a finish for Team HRC so now we’ll keep training and go for the Dakar.”
It was a good week for Yamaha, which saw four YZ450 Rally riders finish in the top 10 overall. Rodrigues, Xavier De Soultrait and Adrien Van Beveren occupied the fourth through sixth positions respectively. New Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team recruit Rodney Faggotter finished 10th overall.
2016 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship
OiLibya Morocco Rally
Morocco
Results: October 5, 2016 (Stage 5 of 5)
Stage 5
1. Toby Price (AUS)-KTM/2 hours, 29 minutes, 48 seconds
2. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL)-Hus/+00:02:21
3. Hélder Rodrigues (POR)-Yam/+00:02:55
4. Matthias Walkner (AUT)-KTM/+00:03:48
5. Juan Pedrero (ESP)-She/+00:06:19
6. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA)-Yam/+00:06:43
7. Alessandro Botturi (ITA)-Yam/+00:08:05
8. Sam Sunderland (GBR)-KTM/+00:08:51
9. Adrien Metge (FRA)-She/+00:09:10
10. Ricky Brabec (USA)-Hon/+00:10:28
2016 OiLobya Morocco Rally Overall Standings (after Stage 5 of 5)
1. Toby Price (AUS)-KTM/13 hours, 6 minutes, 35 seconds
2. Sam Sunderland (GBR)-KTM/+00:07:44
3. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL)-Hus/+00:17:02
4. Hélder Rodrigues (POR)-Yam/+00:19:05
5. Xavier de Soultrait (FRA)-Yam/+00:33:04
6. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA)-Yam/+00:33:59
7. Matthias Walkner (AUT)-KTM/+00:34:01
8. Joan Pedrero (ESP)-She/+00:37:40
9. Pela Renet (FRA)-Hus/+00:49:06
10. Rodney Faggotter (AUS)-Yam/+01:13:17
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