THE COUNTDOWN FOR THE SONORA RALLY IS ON
After a training session in the United States, the Monster Energy Honda Team is already in Mexico to race in the third stop of the W2RC: the Sonora Rally. Administrative and technical checks took place today in Hermosillo. Prologue will follow on Sunday.
After the hard campaigns in the sands of Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, the World Rally-Raid Championship is back in action from 22 to 28 April. The Sonora Rally makes history by joining for the first time the FIM calendar, meaning a lot for the North American off-road scene . Created in 2015, the race is named after the second largest state in Mexico.
Sonora Rally 2023 kicks off in Hermosillo next Sunday, with hundreds of vehicles pulling into Parque La Ruina. The official program begins today with Registration and Tech Inspection. Meaning the first spark of action, the Prologue will take place at the local favorite drag strip – Autodromo Cerro Colorado – from noon to 4pm. After this, the race will have five stages connecting Hermosillo to San Luis, with a total of 1249 kilometers of special stages.
The landscapes of Sonora meant in the past glory days for one of our riders – Ricky Brabec – the winner here in 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021. Now he will be side by side with teammates Adrien Van Beveren, Pablo Quintanilla and José Ignacio Cornejo anxious for more success but most of all determined to assure Monster Energy Honda Team is the leading squad.
Ruben Faria
”We spent a few days in the United States of America fully dedicated to training and testing. This was a great warmup for the team, since we believe our riders will face the same kind of terrain during the competition. The team is motivated, our riders are in full shape and they can count on the power and reliability of our Honda CRF 450 Rally. We will face a very demanding battle and I am quite confident that we can achieve a good result. The Sonora Rally is now for the first time in the W2RC, so this means a new experience for our team. It will be a new race for all, so I wish all our riders the best of luck”.
Adrien Van Beveren 42
”I am very happy to be in Mexico, it will be a new adventure and I can’t wait to discover this amazing country. We had an important training and testing session before the race and this was crucial for our confidence. It’s good to be back on track. Last year I could not race all stops of the championship, so it really feels great to have the chance to race the full season”.
Ricky Brabec 9
”I am super happy to be back at a local event, especially for us American riders. Our training week has been good, a little bit rocky, but good. Now we hope all the best for the Sonora Rally.”
Pablo Quintanilla 7
”We had the chance to have a few days of training before the race with desert riding and this was great. These days have been quite intense. Personally I feel strong and motivated to start the race here in Sonora. I know it will be a new and great experience for all our team .”
Private: José Ignacio “Nacho” Cornejo 11
”We are ready for the Sonora Rally after some days of training in the USA. As always I think about giving the best I can, so I am able to improve my performance in each stop. This means doing solid stages day by day. Really looking forward to this new round of the World Championship.”
Location Information
San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora, Mexico - View in Google Maps
