Monster Energy Honda Team make their biggest impact on the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge so far: a stage win and overall leadership for the Honda CRF450 RALLY duo in the penultimate stage.
The fourth and penultimate stage in Abu Dhabi, held in the dunes of Liwa desert, proved to be a highly-tactical affair. The competitors, who on paper, stand a chance of overall victory had their focus more on the final stage rather than the win in today’s special. Paulo Gonçalves, who set off from fourth place, caught the front-runners who had started out earlier and rode with the group until the stage-end, as has been the pattern over the whole rally so far. Monster Energy Honda Team’s Portuguese rider finished the day with the fastest time of the group and thus retakes the overall leadership as he had done on the second day.
The speed of the top competitors was perhaps marginally slower than on previous occasions which allowed Kevin Benavides, starting from behind, to pick off the riders ahead. After overtaking various adversaries the Argentine crossed the line in Hamim with the day’s quickest time. This marks the first win for the rider after coming back from injury, showing that Benavides lacks neither the hunger for victory or the pace on the Honda CRF450 RALLY.
The fifth and final stage of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge will conclude with the return of the riders to the Yas Marina Circuit complex, after a total trek of 219.76 kilometres against the clock, to decide the final outcome of the rally. In the 2015 edition a heavy sandstorm led to the final stage being cancelled outright.
1 GONCALVES Paulo POR Monster Energy Honda Team 15:32’56.8
2 WALKNER Matthias AUT KTM Factory Racing Team +0’33.8
3 RENET Pierre-Alexandre FRA Husqvarna Factory Rally Team+1’10.5
4 SUNDERLAND Sam GBR KTM Factory Racing Team +1’15.7
5 QUINTANILLA Pablo CHI Husqvarna Factory Rally Team +1’30.4
6 MEO Antoine FRA KTM Factory Racing Team +54’44.3
7 ALBALOOSHI Mohammed UAE Ride to Abu Dhabi Team +1:07’29.9
8 JAFFAR Mohammed UAE +2:22’33.7
9 TOMICZEK Adam POL KTM Orlen Rally Team +2:31’54.0
10 MCBRIDE David GBR Vendetta Racing UAE +2:40’20.8