Chilean Pablo Quintanilla was fighting all day for the top positions during the first stage of the Sonora Rally and finished in third place. The 170 kilometers Special Stage made a tour around Hermosillo and was dominated by Spaniard Tosha Schareina, who is also riding a Honda CRF 450 Rally.

Like what happened in the prologue, the Monster Energy Honda Team was able to guarantee a good presence on the Top 10. Besides Quintanilla’s third place (41 seconds gap), Adrien Van Beveren finished in the 7th position (2:28 minutes gap), while Ricky Brabec reached the bivouac back in Hermosillo in 9th place (2:36 gap). With the hard mission to open the stage, “Nacho” Cornejo finished 16th today (7:52 minutes gap).

Tomorrow the difficulties of the Sonora Rally will speak louder, with more kilometers to cover between Hermosillo and Puerto Peñasco: a total of 541 km – 286 of special stage and 255 of liaison. Riders will enjoy quite a variety of terrains, with gravel tracks, sand and the tricky chott.

Ruben Faria

General Manager

”This was an important day, it was short but important anyway. It was the first day of a rally that is unknown to us. It was a good day with Pablo Quintanilla in third place, Adrien Van Beveren in 6th, Ricky Brabec in 7th and Nacho in 16th - these are the overall results with the prologue and stage 1 together. Nacho had to open the stage and this is not an easy mission to accomplish. The others are in a good position for tomorrow, looking for the best performance and standings. I consider this a good start to the rally with a good performance from all our riders. Ricky had a small crash that caused some damage in the exhaust system, but nothing more than that”.

Pablo Quintanilla 7

”This was certainly a good day for me. It was not an easy day, the first part of the stage had a lot of navigation in the vegetation and sometimes it was hard to see the piste. I tried to find a good rhythm and honestly I felt good. It is not easy to go fast because a mistake can happen anytime. To ride in a good pace was really the key. I am thrilled to be in a new landscape and to have a lot of spectators along the way also makes it special. ”

Adrien Van Beveren 42

”This was already a tricky day with chotts, not so many kilometres, a lot of fesh fesh and a lot of dust. I was surprised at the beginning but you have to adapt to this kind of road-book, where a lot of dangers are not signed. I was trying to push and I got surprised two or three times and I lost some confidence. I got lost at a certain point but then got back on track. I did not want to win the stage , so I am where I want to attack tomorrow.”

Ricky Brabec 9

”It feels great to be back in Sonora for a new adventure. I had a good start, a little bit ruff but the terrain is fun and I felt good all day. I had a little mistake earlier today resulting in a crash and then I had another mistake after that, I think I was trying to gather my thoughts after my crash. Lost some time with a navigation mistake but overall we are healthy and strong to continue fighting.”

Private: José Ignacio “Nacho” Cornejo 11

”The first stage was completed and I had a difficult position opening the way. I was feeling really good until kilometre 53 where I made a mistake. I went too far to the left and I had to come back. Overall and putting that mistake aside I had a good day, felt good on my Honda CRF 450 Rally. From now on I will do my best to put on some solid stages”.

2023 World Rally Raid Championship
Stage Round WORLD3   Sonora Rally

Provisional Standings Stage 1 Sonora Rally

Pos. Rider Num Nation Team Constructor Time/Gap
1 Schareina Tosha 68 SPA Honda Team Honda 01:33:25
2 Sanders Daniel 4 AUS Gas Gas Factory Team Gas Gas 01:33:31
3 Quintanilla Pablo 7 CHI Monster Energy Honda Team Honda 01:34:06
4 Walkner Matthias 52 AUT Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team KTM 01:34:31
5 Sunderland Sam 3 GBR Gas Gas Factory Team Gas Gas 01:35:29
6 Howes Skyler 10 USA Monster Energy Honda Team Honda 01:35:38
7 Van Beveren Adrien 42 FRA Monster Energy Honda Team Honda 01:35:53
8 Benavides Luciano 77 ARG Husqvarna Factory Racing Husqvarna 01:35:54
9 Brabec Ricky 9 USA Monster Energy Honda Team Honda 01:36:01
16 Cornejo José Ignacio "Nacho" 11 CHI Monster Energy Honda Team Honda 01:42:17
Location Information

San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora, Mexico - View in Google Maps