Stage two of the 2021 Dakar Rally has proven to be a successful one for Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing with Pablo Quintanilla provisionally finishing third fastest and teammate Luciano Benavides safely inside the top 10, in eighth. In the general standings, Quintanilla and Benavides sit fourth and seventh, respectively.

Making the most of being the 22nd rider to start today’s stage two, Quintanilla immediately settled into a strong pace. The Chilean rider, runner-up at the 2020 Dakar, moved up into the top five by the first checkpoint and didn’t look back, maintaining a great rhythm over the various changes in terrain to ultimately complete the 457km timed special as third fastest. Currently lying fourth in the provisional overall standings, Pablo Quintanilla will be looking to chase down the two riders ahead of him on tomorrow’s stage three.

Stage three of the 2021 Dakar Rally, totalling 629km, both starts and finishes in Wadi Ad-Dawasir. Riders will face a tough 403km timed special as part of a looped course consisting of wide-open desert interspersed with slower technical sections.

Pablo Quintanilla: “It was a really good day for me today – it was a long stage, really fast with some tricky navigation in places. Things started off tough right from the beginning with some very soft dunes, some of them were difficult to cross. Then some faster valleys between dunes, which I really liked – it suits my riding style and I much prefer it to the slower technical sections. It looks like there will be more dunes tomorrow, so we’ll see how things go.”

Provisional Results Stage Two – 2021 Dakar Rally
1. Joan Barreda (ESP), Honda, 4:17:56
2. Ricky Brabec (USA), Honda, 4:21:51 +3:55
3. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL), Husqvarna, 4:23:58 +6:02
4. Ross Branch (BWA), Yamaha, 4:29:50 +11:54
5. Jose Ignacio Cornejo (CHL), Honda, 4:30:02 +12:06

Provisional Standings (after stage two) – 2021 Dakar Rally
1. Joan Barreda (ESP), Honda, 8:15:38
2. Ricky Brabec (USA), Honda, 8:22:01 +6:23
3. Ross Branch (BWA), Yamaha, 8:22:15 +6:37
4. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL), Husqvarna, 8:22:54 +7:16
5. Xavier de Soultrait (FRA), Husqvarna, 8:24:03 +8:25

STORY: Toby Price Secures Stage Three Dakar Rally Win (January 2021)
STORY: Toby Price Wins Stage One At Dakar 2021 (January 2021)

LINK: Dakar.com

photo (c) Rally Zone