Tag Archives: 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship

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Quintanilla wins Rally du Maroc – Walkner crowned champ – Sanders on podium

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Rally du Maroc 2021

Coming into the Rallye du Maroc with a 20-point advantage at the top of the championship standings, Matthias Walkner knew he still had to put in a strong performance at the penultimate round in order to clinch his second Cross-Country Rallies world title.

Using day one to get back up to speed on his KTM 450 RALLY after the three-month break since the previous round, Walkner used his skill and judgement to build his speed throughout the timed special to ultimately place fourth fastest. With the event heading into the vast expanse of the Merzouga dunes on day two, Matthias took the opportunity to push right from the outset and was able to successfully chase down his rivals ahead to win the stage by just over one minute. The result also elevated him into the overall rally lead.

Falling foul of one particularly tricky note in the road book on Monday’s stage three, Walkner dropped down the order to fourth as the event reached the halfway point. Coming back fighting, and with the goal of making up as much time as possible, the 2018 Dakar winner put in a superb performance that saw him narrowly miss his second stage win of the event by just 36 seconds.

Matthias Walkner

On the fifth and final day, Walkner knew exactly what was needed of him to score enough points to claim the world title. With the timed special shortened by the organizers to just 166 kilometers, times were very close across the whole field. Placing eighth on the final stage, Walkner finished second overall for the event and earned himself 20 points, securing the 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship for himself and KTM.

Of the three championship rounds raced so far, Walkner has shown incredible consistency, finishing as runner-up at the high-speed Rally Kazakhstan, before taking the win in the contrasting conditions of the epic Silk Way Rally, held in Russia less than one month later. Now, with another podium result in Morocco, the experienced 35-year-old has shown he is clearly on form and will now be aiming to carry his winning momentum into the final round of the series in Abu Dhabi before focusing on the 2022 Dakar next January.

Matthias Walkner

“It’s been a super cool rally for me. I set out this morning hoping to take the win, but I made a small mistake about halfway through that only maybe cost me a minute, but it was enough on the shortened stage to lose out. Second place overall is great though and to win the world championship title early is amazing. The team have been great all year, so a big thank you to them. It’s time to relax now and really enjoy the moment.”

Matthias Walkner

While it was Walkner and KTM winning the war that was the 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, the battle victory went to the Monster Energy Honda Team’s new recruit Pablo Quintanilla. On the final day of the rally the Chilean saw off his rivals to claim both stage and race victories.

The 166-kilometre final special stage went quickly for most of the riders still in contention for victory at this Rallye du Maroc. David Castera, race director, had designed a stage with very little navigation. With little movement of wind, the dust hanging in the air accompanied the riders throughout the journey, making it impossible for riders starting from the rear to make up time.

Pablo Quintanilla

Pablo Quintanilla started in a fine position from which to attack Mathias Walkner’s lead. The Monster Energy Honda Team rider held a sufficiently strong pace to allow him to fulfil this main mission and capture the final stage of the Rallye du Maroc and overall rally victory.

Pablo Quintanilla

“I am very happy with the victory. It was a very difficult week and I want to thank the whole team for the great job they did. It was fantastic for us. Personally, I felt very comfortable, I was riding with great pace, with good navigation and that’s very good for my confidence. I am also very motivated for the next objective, which is the Dakar. We are going to take a short break, rest, recharge our batteries and then we will concentrate on the Dakar.”

Pablo Quintanilla

Aussie youngster Daniel Sanders secured third overall for his, and GASGAS’, first ever podium result in the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship. Even with a minor setback on day three, the Aussie turned things around on the final two stages, upping his pace and rapidly closing in on the leader to complete the rally just over five minutes short of the win.

Daniel Sanders
Daniel Sanders

“The last day is done and what a week it’s been! Opening the final stage was pretty cool. After around 80 kilometers the navigation became a bit more tricky so I had to slow my pace to make sure I was on the right path. I actually had a small crash in the dunes but I was up quick and straight back on a decent rhythm. I’m really happy to have finished third on this stage after opening and overall it’s been a great week. To end it with a podium and secure the first podium result for GASGAS in the world championship is really cool. Now I’m looking forward to the next race in Abu Dhabi.”

Daniel Sanders

Ricky Brabec was unable to whittle down the gap separating him from his rivals in the general standings and, in spite of finishing runner-up on the final day, narrowly missed out on a podium place to Daniel Sanders.

Ricky Brabec

“I’m happy to finish another rally, it’s been good training for the Dakar. I’m also very excited for the Honda team to be on top of the podium. Unfortunately, we couldn’t have two Honda riders on the final podium. It takes a lot of guts to win a stage and it takes a lot of courage to open a stage: only three riders have opened this rally, and I think we opened the most difficult stages. I’m really looking forward to the Dakar and this was just training. I made a couple of mistakes and missed out on the podium on the last day, but at least we’ll get home safe and sound and get back to training to be ready for the Dakar.”

Ricky Brabec

Rounding out a highly positive week in Morocco, Yamaha’s Adrien Van Beveren finished ninth overall on the final stage to secure his well-deserved fifth-place finish in the final classification. Confident with his navigation, his ability to open stages, and feeling at one with his Yamaha WR450F Rally, the Frenchman is excited for the future, especially with the 2022 Dakar Rally now very much on the horizon.

Adrien Van Beveren

“I’m really happy with my performance at the Rally Du Maroc. It ended today with another great day on the bike and I’m really confident for the future as my navigation and speed is right where it needs to be. The ultimate goal is to be ready for the Dakar and if I can take the feeling that I had this week to that race then I will be really happy. It’s been a great event here in Morocco. I opened much of stage four, showed good speed all week, and the hard work that the team and myself have done in the lead up to the race is something that we are proud of, and it really paid off.”

Adrien Van Beveren

Both returning to competition following injury, KTM’s Toby Price and new signing Kevin Benavides used the Rallye du Maroc to rebuild their speed and confidence while also putting the all-new 2022 model KTM 450 RALLY through its paces in its competitive debut. Making changes and developing the bike as the event progressed, the two experienced Dakar champions were pleased with the performance of the machine and look forward to continuing their work at the next round in Abu Dhabi. Ultimately finishing seventh and 13th respectively, Benavides and Price were also joined in Morocco by teammate Sam Sunderland. Unfortunately, the British rider was forced to withdraw from the event on day four, due to illness.

Toby Price

“It’s good to get the last day done, and out of Morocco in one piece. I picked up a small penalty for speeding in today’s stage but all-in-all I can’t complain. It’s good to get the first one under the belt after being off the bike for so long and I’m looking forward to Abu Dhabi now to see what we can do there.”

Kevin Benavides

“The last day went well for me, I kept to a solid pace and made sure I didn’t have any crashes. I was pleased with my riding and navigation, and it’s good to get the first race done with the team. I’ve been a little careful all through the rally because my shoulder has given me some pain, but on the whole it’s gone well. And now I’m looking forward to more time on the bike at Abu Dhabi.”

Most Rally competitiros will next be in action at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, held from November 6 to 12.

Provisional Results
Stage 5 Rally du Maroc 2021

  1. QUINTANILLA Pablo CHI Monster Energy Honda Team 1:39’12
  2. BRABEC Ricky USA Monster Energy Honda Team +0’17
  3. SANDERS Daniel AUS Gas Gas Factory Team +0’18
  4. PRICE Toby AUS Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team 0’37+
  5. BRANCH Ross BWA Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team +0’37
  6. BARREDA Joan SPA Monster Energy Honda Team +1’05
  7. HOWES Skyler USA Husqvarna Factory Rally Team +1’58
  8. WALKNER Matthias AUT Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team +2’36
  9. VAN BEVEREN Adrien FRA Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team +3’45
  10. BÜHLER Sebastian POR Hero Motorsports Team Rally +4’51

Provisional Final Outright Overall Standings
Rally du Maroc 2021 after 5 of 5 stages

  1. QUINTANILLA Pablo CHI Monster Energy Honda Team 16:26’51
  2. WALKNER Matthias AUT Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team +1’59
  3. SANDERS Daniel AUS Gas Gas Factory Team +5’27
  4. BRABEC Ricky USA Monster Energy Honda Team +7’14
  5. VAN BEVEREN Adrien FRA Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team +18’01
  6. BENAVIDES Luciano ARG Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing +34’03
  7. BENAVIDES Kevin ARG Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team +39’38
  8. RODRIGUES Joaquim POR Hero Motorsports Team Rally +41’03
  9. SHORT Andrew USA Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team +41’53
  10. CORNEJO José Ignacio CHI Monster Energy Honda Team +45’19
  11. BARREDA Joan SPA Monster Energy Honda Team +48’12
    13. PRICE Toby AUS Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team +55’44

Source: MCNews.com.au

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Daniel Sanders ready to hit Morocco

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Daniel Sanders in Morocco

Daniel Sanders is fit and raring to go as the 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship heads to Morocco for the Rallye du Maroc.  Covering over 2,600 km, the race is set to pose a real challenge to all riders with its mixture of fast tracks and rolling sand dunes.

Marking the penultimate round of this year’s FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, the Rallye du Maroc is traditionally one of the last proper tests for teams and riders ahead of the Dakar Rally, held in January. Never having even visited the country before, let alone raced there, Daniel is looking forward to getting back to competition, especially at a desert location like Morocco.

Following his excellent fourth-place finish at the Silk Way Rally – a performance that earned him three stage wins from five stages – Sanders travelled to the United States where he spent the downtime working on his speed and bike fitness.

With the team joining him stateside in September, an intense month of road book training and work on bike set-up then followed. Now, feeling fast and comfortable on his GASGAS RC 450F, Chucky is excited to get back to racing.

Daniel Sanders

“It feels like it’s been a really long time since the last race, and with Silk Way not going the full distance due to the pandemic situation, that was a bit of a strange one too. Even though it was shortened, I had a good time in Russia – it was great to get some stage wins and it showed I definitely have the speed to mix it up front. After that, I flew to America and have been doing a lot of motocross training to maintain my fitness on the bike and keep that intensity you need. After the team arrived in the States, we did a lot of testing over there – plenty of road book training and working to improve the bike. I’m really looking forward to Morocco now, it’s a bit crazy not having so many races, but I’m definitely up for this next one. Hopefully the race should suit me, I’ve never been there before, but I hear it’s always a good race, with a good variety of terrain. I can’t wait to get started.”

Daniel Sanders

Totaling six days, the Rallye du Maroc will ease riders into things with a short Prologue stage on Friday, October 8. The short 10 km sprint will decide the start order for Saturday’s 441 km stage one, that in turn will be followed by a further four stages, all set out in loops from the main bivouac in Zagora. When riders reach the finish on Wednesday, October 13, they will have covered a total of 2,656 km, and raced 1,633 km against the clock. The mixture of fast tracks and dunes should suit Daniel’s skills perfectly, and the young Aussie is definitely keen to get started!

Daniel Sanders

Source: MCNews.com.au

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Walkner wins Silk Way Rally to extend points lead

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Silk Way Rally

2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship

The 2021 Silk Way Rally faced its fair share of challenges this year, with Covid-19 preventing the event from crossing into Mongolia, instead being confined to Siberia, with Austria’s Matthias Walkner (KTM) taking top honours.

Daniel Sanders

Walkner was able to claim the victory from Skyler Howes (Husqvarna) and Franco Caimi (Hero), with Australia’s Daniel Sanders (GasGas) proving a strong competitor but finishing fourth after a slow start couldn’t be offset by a number of stage wins.

First into the stage and enjoying a near five-minute advantage over the second-placed rider, Matthias Walkner still pushed hard through the tight forest tracks.

Matthias Walkner

With navigation less of a factor on the timed special, the experienced Austrian was able to maintain a fast, but safe pace over the demanding terrain. In doing so he finished the day as runner-up and increased his lead in the final event standings to six minutes and 20 seconds.

Combined with his second-place finish at round one of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship – Rally Kazakhstan – Walkner moves into the lead of the series standings with a 21.5-point advantage over the second-placed rider.

Matthias Walkner – P1

“The final stage here was really nice to ride. It was the same as day two, but instead of making it rougher, it seems the cars and trucks prepared it quite well for us today. I really tried to push at the beginning, because I know the first part of the stage is good for me over the fast pistes. In the forest I thought I might have to ease off a little, but it rode better today, and I was able to push for the whole stage. It’s a shame the rally had to be shortened, but the organizers did a great job of giving us a full event to race. To win the famous tiger trophy here at the Silk Way feels amazing, and with my win here I’m now also leading the championship. I couldn’t have asked for a better result really.”

Matthias Walkner

Aiming to defend his position, yet not wanting to make a costly mistake on the fast tracks of the special, Howes chose the perfect pace over the 110km timed section to ultimately finish fourth on the stage and claim second overall in the final rally standings.

Despite having a technical issue on the previous round of the series that knocked him down the order, his second-place result from the Silk Way Rally elevates Skyler to second overall in the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship.

Skyler Howes – P2

“To get second place and my first podium at a world championship round is amazing. I was hoping for a slightly longer race, and maybe another step higher on the podium, but I can’t tell you how stoked I am to finish as runner-up. Things went well over the whole race and in the end, it came down to just seconds on the final stage. Thankfully, I had a really good ride and was able to defend my position in the standings. The result here moves me up to second in the championship standings, which after my issues in the first round feels amazing. We’ve got a bit of a break now until the next race, but to be in the fight for the championship only gives me more motivation. I definitely can’t wait to get racing again.”

Skyler Howes

A stellar ride from Franco saw him hold on to his third position in the overall rankings, missing out on the second position by a mere six seconds, after close to 3,100 km of racing over five days.

Franco Caimi – P3

“I don’t have the words to describe how happy I am feeling right now, not just for myself, but also for the team. They have done a fantastic job, and we were able to finish on the podium. We pushed hard during the entire race and in the end, missed the second position by just six seconds. I am really happy with the result, and looking forward to growing with the team. I am sure we can accomplish great things together. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the Hero family and the fans for their support and good wishes.”

The fifth and final day of racing at the Silk Way Rally saw riders line-up for a re-run of stage two, the very same stage that Daniel claimed victory on just days ago.

Daniel Sanders

Entering the stage with the sole focus of making up time, Sanders was never headed as he reached each waypoint as the fastest rider, taking his third stage win from five starts at the shortened event. With two rounds of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship now complete, Daniel moves up to third in the provisional standings, although Walkner holds a significant lead.

Daniel Sanders – P4

“I pushed really hard today to try and get onto the overall podium, but it wasn’t quite enough. I left everything out there and did everything I could to make time up on the riders ahead, but it was a short stage and there wasn’t much to separate us all today. I learned a lot this week, I felt great on the bike, and I know I have the speed so it’s all positive. When we get home from here my main focus will be on improving my navigation as this is where I feel I’m lacking a little bit. But overall, a pretty decent week for me and the team.”

Daniel Sanders

Buhler also had a good rally and his consistency got him the fifth position in the overall standings. Joaquim had difficult times and luck during some stages and this cost him time and positions. Yet, he recovered well to complete the rally in the top 10.

Sebastian Buhler – P5

“Today was the same stage as SS2, so it was nice to ride at a good speed without too much navigation. The rally was shorter than what we were expecting, due to the situation in Mongolia, but the organisers did their best and we were able to complete the rally. Overall, it was a positive race and I felt good on the bike. I was gaining confidence to push harder each day and the team also did a good job. Thanks also to our fans all around the world for their support.”

Bringing his time at the Silk Way Rally to a positive end, Adrien Van Beveren finished stage five as the seventh fastest rider through the shortened special.

Adrien Van Beveren

Completing the stage just over one minute adrift of the third-place rider, it was a strong performance from Adrien despite the terrain not quite being to the Frenchman’s liking. Overall, Van Beveren placed sixth in the final classification.

Adrien Van Beveren – P6

“I enjoyed today’s stage, both with the terrain and also my riding. There wasn’t so much navigation today and it was something different to be riding fast through the woods. It was fun and I felt relaxed on the bike, which is something that I’ve been searching for this week. It’s been good to end with a positive ride. Because of the change to the schedule we didn’t go to Mongolia which is unfortunate, however, for me it was good to challenge myself on terrain that I’m not so comfortable on. This will make me a better rally rider so even if the result was not my best, I learned a lot this week with my riding and also the bike. Overall, it has been a positive experience for me at the Silk Way, it was great to be racing again, and I’m happy to have completed this rally.”

2021 Silk Way Rally Results

Source: MCNews.com.au