THE ICE IS BROKEN AT THE SONORA RALLY
It was a celebration momentum at the Cerro Colorado Speedway: the prologue from the Sonora Rally was held today at Hermosillo, the Capital of the Mexican state that gives name to the third round of the W2RC. Adrien Van Beveren was the fastest of the team. He, Ricky Brabec and Pablo Quintanilla will have the chance to choose their starting order for Stage 1.
After the ceremonial start at Parque La Ruina, the prologue from the Sonora Rally released the tension and allowed the riders to fight for the best position to the real start of the competition. Like usual, this warm up was composed of only 10 kilometres, added by a 43 Km liaison. The first part was a paved straight line surrounded by spectators eager to see and feel the vibes of the competition. The high temperatures of the Mexican desert reached today 38ºC in a landscape full of cacti where the hard tracks demanded all concentration from the riders.
Monster Energy Honda Team placed three riders in the Top 10 of the prologue. Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren was the fastest in 4th position, followed by American Ricky Brabec in 5th position and Chilean Pablo Quintanilla in 10th place. José Ignacio Cornejo finished 15th in the GP Rally standings.
Tomorrow it’s time for the real start of the Sonora Rally, with a first stage composed of a total of 340 km – 175 Km of special stage and 165 Km of liaison with start and arrival in Hermosillo.
Ruben Faria
”I am glad that the Sonora Rally is finally on the road! Like we knew this was just an introduction, but the prologue always has a role in the competition. Maybe this time the advantage for the riders in the Top 10 - they can choose their starting order for Stage 1 - is not so important since there will probably be a lot of dust in the air. The team is united and strong to fight at the highest level during the next five days in the Mexican desert”.
Adrien Van Beveren 42
”Today I missed the first note, I slowed down really a lot. We had like a dragster full gas for one kilometer and then at the end of this it was possible to go wide open, but I brake because I thought it was going to be narrow and it was not. So I lost a lot of time and after this I said to myself: I have to go really fast to catch back and I did it. In the end it was ok, so I am good for tomorrow.”
Ricky Brabec 9
”The prologue is done and I am happy with the result. I missed one corner pretty good so I lost some time there. If I didn’t miss this corner and made that mistake I think I would be a little bit better ranked. Anyways I think we are set up pretty good for stage one tomorrow, it’s a short stage but it will be dusty. Definitely to be more in the front will be better than to be in the rear, so I am excited to see the rally going and let’s see how it goes the rest of the week.”
Pablo Quintanilla 7
”The prologue is done! This was a 10 kilometer sprint that allowed us to get into the rhythm of the race and to release the tension and anxiety. I tried to go as fast as possible and the terrain was quite slippery. Anyway I felt loose and comfortable. ”
Private: José Ignacio “Nacho” Cornejo 11
”This prologue was a session where I felt good riding my Honda CRF 450 Rally. I made a few mistakes that cost me some time. But nothing is yet decided, the race starts tomorrow and we will have five days in the desert, so I am sure we will do our best stage by stage”.
Provisional Standings Prologue Sonora Rally
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Price Toby | 18 | AUS | Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team | KTM | 5:28 |
| 2 | Benavides Luciano | 77 | ARG | Husqvarna Factory Racing | Husqvarna | 5:33 |
| 3 | Schareina Tosha | 68 | SPA | Honda Team | Honda | 5:34 |
| 4 | Van Beveren Adrien | 42 | FRA | Monster Energy Honda Team | Honda | 5:34 |
| 5 | Brabec Ricky | 9 | USA | Monster Energy Honda Team | Honda | 5:36 |
| 6 | Evan Branch Ross | 16 | BWA | Hero Motorsports Team Rally | Hero | 5:37 |
| 7 | Howes Skyler | 10 | USA | Monster Energy Honda Team | Honda | 5:39 |
| 8 | Benavides Kevin | 1 | ARG | Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team | KTM | 5:39 |
| 10 | Quintanilla Pablo | 7 | CHI | Monster Energy Honda Team | Honda | 5:40 |
| 15 | Cornejo José Ignacio "Nacho" | 11 | CHI | Monster Energy Honda Team | Honda | 6:05 |
Location Information
San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora, Mexico - View in Google Maps
