Walkner wins ADDC Stage 3 as Sunderland retakes mid-way lead

2022 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge – Stage Three

Matthias Walkner has topped Stage Three’s 255-kilometre timed special by close to one minute, as the reigning FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion clawed back overall positions at the mid-way mark of the 2022 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Walkner now sits four and a half minutes behind the overall leader and will open Stage Four.

Matthias Walkner – P1

“The stage went well today – it always feels good to get a win. It was perhaps not the best result for the overall because it means I will lead out tomorrow and lose some time on the others. I planned in the morning to ease off a little towards the end of the special, but honestly, I was having so much fun out there in the dunes I just kept going. Times are tight at the top of the standings, and it’s going to be tough opening tomorrow, but the goal remains the same – get to the finish safely and hopefully with a good, solid result.”

Placing as runner-up on the 290km stage three of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, RC 450F racer Sam Sunderland now leads the provisional rally standings by four minutes and twenty-four seconds, with two days left to race. Despite pushing hard throughout the stage, the reigning Dakar Champion ended up racing much of the special on his own.

Sam Sunderland – P2

“Another long, tough day here at the Desert Challenge – it’s so hot here, it seems like they turned the cooker on for us when we arrived. It makes it tough on everyone I suppose. I rode on my own for most of today, which makes it tough to gauge your rhythm against the rest of the field, so I just tried to push and push. I’m back at the top of the overall now, but I think with two days left to go it’s going to be really close to the end.”

Returning to form on day three of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, Skyler Howes posted the third quickest time after a solid day of racing through the mixed terrain special stage. Improving with every completed stage as he continues to rebuild after his early season injury, the American now aims to bring the same speed and form into the final two stages of the rally.

Skyler Howes – P3

“I felt much more like myself today despite a small crash in the dunes. From the start things were much better. I got into a good rhythm early and maintained that pace all the way to the end. For most of it I was riding in a group, which was fun and overall it was just a much better day and a step in the right direction. I’m really happy after today and the goal is to carry this momentum into the final two days of the rally.”

Toby Price continues to put in strong, consistent performances at this year’s ADDC. Completing stage three as fourth fastest, Price lies sixth in the provisional rally standings – well within touch of the leaders with two stages remaining. With an advantageous start position for tomorrow’s 243-kilometre timed special on stage four, the Aussie racer will be looking to close the gap and put himself in a strong position heading into the final day.

Toby Price – P4

“Day three is done. It was another tough day and for a lot of the time I was riding on my own. It makes it really difficult to find a good rhythm and then you start to wonder if you’re on a good pace as sometimes you think you’re going really well and other times it seems slow. I was caught by Matthias (Walkner) and Skyler (Howes) later on, and that was the first time I rode with people in the dunes at this event. It was good because you could set a much better pace and it was a lot of fun too. All in all a good day, I kept it on two wheels, and now looking forward to the final two stages.”

Pablo Quintanilla battled throughout the stage to keep up with the main group who will eventually be in the fight for the final victory. The rider set a swift pace and reached the finish in fourth place, four minutes behind the day’s winner, leaving him in forth overall spot, four minutes fifty seconds adrift of the leader.

Pablo Quintanilla – P5

“We finished the third stage and the truth is that I am very happy with today’s performance. We tried to push as hard as we could during the whole day to try to reduce the gap. The general standings are very tight and it will be that way until the final kilometre. We have to stay focused. The feeling with the bike is getting better and better. I’m very happy.”

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Joaquim Rodrigues led the charge for the team finishing with an impressive sixth fastest time in the Rally GP class. Following him closely is Franco Caimi. Ross Branch who opened the stage today finished the stage in the 12th position in the Rally GP class.

Even though he found himself riding alone for most parts of the dangerous stage, JRod rode strong to the finish overcoming the dangers of limited visibility. His consistent track record so far in the rally currently places him at the seventh place in the overall rankings.

Joaquim Rodrigues – P5

“Today turned out to be a good day for me. I was riding all by myself most of the day, and it’s really tough to do that in these deserts, especially with the constrained visibility and the dangers it comes with. So I tried to ride safe and bring the bike home. My focus is to be consistent, and to continue the good pace till I reach the finish line in two days.”

Franco too had a good day, and his measured ride in Stage 3 fetches him the ninth place in the overall standings.

Franco Caimi – P7

“We’re back in the bivouac with the team once again, and I would consider that as an accomplishment! I feel much better about my performance today than yesterday, and that to me is highly motivational and reassuring that I’m on the right track. Step by step, little by little we’re improving, and I’m looking forward to the next stage.”

Ricky Brabec also had a noteworthy day, despite starting in fourth place among the group that opened the track. During the second half of the special, the American moved into the head, opening the way, which logically led him to shed time to the rest of the chasing pack. Nevertheless, the American holds fifth in the overall standings, sixt minutes behind the leader.

Ricky Brabec – P8

“Stage three was great. I started fourth on the day. I was thinking that I would catch Kevin later in the special and that I would have been able to push all day, but unfortunately I caught Kevin and the front group before refuelling, then right after refuelling Kevin made a mistake. I was really hoping Kevin would stay in front all day and open as I know he is fast in the sand dunes, but after refueling he had a small crash and from there I took turns opening the special with Luciano. I lost a bit of time but all in all it was good. We’re healthy. We are happy. There are two days left so we’ll go back and recharge for the next couple of days.”

Nacho Cornejo was able to finish a special that got off to a complicated start. However, he managed to drop just a few minutes which he should be able to make up tomorrow as he will be starting from a rear position.

José Ignacio Cornejo – P9

“Today was a difficult day for me: I lose some minutes at the beginning of the stage, but after that, I decided to attack, to keep pushing at a good pace. It wasn’t bad, I felt comfortable on the bike and I was able to make up some of the lost time. We made it through the day and we still haven’t lost anything.”

Following his third-place result on stage two, Kevin Benavides set off near the front of the pack into today’s special. Catching up with the two riders ahead of him by the refueling point, the Argentinian rider was running well inside the top 10 and looking to push hard over the remaining 100 kilometres. Frustratingly, a heavy crash caused Benavides to stop for some time, but thankfully the 2021 Dakar Champion was able to continue to the finish. Although sore, Kevin will aim to get some rest overnight and be back to attack Wednesday’s stage four. The KTM 450 RALLY rider currently lies third in the overall rankings.

Kevin Benavides – P10

“A tough day for me today. The stage was good – hard work and tricky to maintain a good pace over the broken dunes, but I think I did a good job in the first half of the stage and had managed to catch the guys in front. After the refuelling I had a crash and hurt my stomach, but after taking a minute or two I was able to continue. I managed to complete the stage in a pretty good time, but I need to try and recover a little now to feel better for tomorrow.”

Second into stage three after his impressive runner-up result yesterday, Luciano Benavides quickly moved past the leading rider to open the special. In what was a highly commendable display of navigation, while also managing to maintain a strong pace, the FR 450 Rally mounted rider was never caught by the chasing pack, leading them home while only losing a minimal amount of time. Luciano would ultimately record the 11th fastest time.

Luciano Benavides – P11

“Today was a long day with lots of positives. I was able to catch and pass Ross Branch at around the 50-kilometre mark, so I knew my pace was good and then I opened the stage for the rest of the day pretty much. After refuelling I was riding with Kevin (Benavides) until he crashed so I stopped to make sure he was ok and then pushed on to the finish. There was some complicated navigation in the dunes near the end but I enjoyed the challenge and reached the finish without any issues. I’m happy and looking forward to tomorrow.”

Having won Stage 2, the mantle of opening Stage 3 fell on Ross. Being the first one on the stage and marking the first tracks into the soft dunes, Ross knew he would lose some time. However, he still rode well to the finish, avoiding navigational errors.

Ross Branch – P12

“I really enjoyed opening the stage today! Visibility was quite low in the morning, so I couldn’t ride very fast. But opening today brought me a lot of confidence in my navigation – I didn’t make many mistakes, in fact, I was pretty spot on. Overall, I had a really good day, and I’m thankful that we are back at the camp in one piece.”

With the race at its halfway point, tomorrow sees the penultimate stage of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, with a 243-kilometre special stage in the Liwa desert.

2022 ADDC Stage 3 Results

2022 Standings following Stage 3