Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2023
Stage 1
The Monster Energy Honda Team took a dominant start to the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in Stage 1, with Chilean Pablo Quintanilla the fastest rider, followed home by Adrien Van Beveren. Toby Price completes the top three after the opening stage, ahead of Ross Branch, José Ignacio Cornejo and Ricky Brabec.
Husqvarna’s Luciano Benavides and Skyler Howles head into Stage Two in seventh and eighth, followed by Mason Klein and Palo Lucci.
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 kilometres. The Special Stage was 242 km long, added by a liaison of another 162 km, with dunes and sandy tracks making up most of the day.
Pablo Quintanilla – P1
“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 – P2
“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.”
Toby Price – P3
“A good day today – a little bit different to what we’ve seen in the past at this event. Although the stage was fast with lots of straights and some big gaps between the caps, the dunes threw up a few surprises with some big drops along the way. A few caught me by surprise, so that meant it was difficult to attack the whole time as you didn’t know which of the rises would be cut away. I’m feeling good, and the bike is performing well here, so we’ll keep plugging on and hopefully put in another strong day tomorrow.”
Ross Branch – P4
“Stage 1 is over and done with, and I had a good day. It was a bit difficult in the morning as I wasn’t sure if I was riding fast or slow. Fortunately, I had a good pace going, the bike was performing really well, and I really enjoyed riding the dunes. Looking forward to a good start in the next stage.”
José Ignacio Cornejo – P5
“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 – P6
“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.”
Luciano Benavides – P7
“Stage one done here at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. It was quite different to last year I think – a new stage for us. A lot of it was quite fast, but the dunes themselves were cut away in places with some big drops. All of that meant it was difficult to find a good rhythm. I struggled a little bit with that and the stage was also very physical, so I was quite tired at the end. The guys at the front did a good job of opening, but I was able to clock up around one minute in bonuses being the third guy through the stage, so that helped a little. In general, I’m happy, because my feeling on the bike is good, so I’m looking forward to giving it full gas for the four remaining stages, starting with the first half of the marathon tomorrow.”
Skyler Howes – P8
“I opened the majority of the special today, so that was pretty tough, but I have to admit, it was good fun. I set off second, caught Balooshi by around kilometre 10, then when Nacho (Cornejo) caught me at around kilometre 150, we rode together, pushing each other to the finish. The stage was tricky enough that you had to stay focused to make sure you didn’t make any huge mistakes over some of the big dunes. As far as opening goes, I think it was a good one as it wasn’t too technical out there, but still a good start for the rally. With the bonus time I accumulated it puts me in a good position for the rally and a nice start position for tomorrow. Hopefully I can push on the tracks a little and keep this momentum going.”
Stage 2 will keep the competition in the same region, with a 257 kilometres 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.
Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2023
Provisional Overall after Stage 1
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time |
| 1 | QUINTANILLA Pablo | CHI | Monster Energy Honda Team | 3:40:15 |
| 2 | VAN BEVEREN Adrien | FRA | Monster Energy Honda Team | 3:42:31 |
| 3 | PRICE Toby | AUS | Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team | 3:45:32 |
| 4 | EVAN BRANCH Ross | BWA | Hero Motorsports Team Rally | 3:45:35 |
| 5 | CORNEJO José Ignacio | CHI | Monster Energy Honda Team | 3:47:51 |
| 6 | BRABEC Ricky | USA | Monster Energy Honda Team | 3:48:29 |
| 7 | BENAVIDES Luciano | ARG | Husqvarna Factory Racing | 3:49:07 |
| 8 | HOWES Skyler | USA | Husqvarna Factory Racing | 3:49:45 |
| 9 | KLEIN Mason | USA | BAS DAKAR KTM RACING TEAM | 3:53:49 |
| 10 | LUCCI Paolo | ITA | Solarys Racing | 4:03:19 |
