Sam Sunderland holt den Gesamtsieg, Matthias Walkner 3. bei der Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2017
Dies gab ihm eine Gesamtgewinnspanne von 6: 13,7 Minuten auf den zweitplatzierten Pablo Quintanilla aus Chile. KTM-Teamkollegin Matthias Walkner aus Österreich belegte insgesamt Platz 3.
Sunderland: "I'm happy to take the win of course. It's always good, and that's the objective. The team was good all week, and I'm pleased to get the job done. It's almost like a home race for me. I've been close to winning it many times before but to get it done this year feels very cool."
Der britische KTM Pilot hat seinen Sitz in Dubai und diese Rallye, bei der es lange Rides in den weichen Dünen gab und vor allem drückendeTemperaturen mit über 40 Grad Celsius zeigte, dass er sich in dieser Umgebung sehr wohl fühlt. Er schaffte auch drei fulimante Etappengewinne in dieser Rallye.
Walkner, der in der Dakar-Rallye 2017 den zweiten Platz nach Sunderland beendete, zeigte während des fünftägigen Wettkampfs erstaunliche Konsequenz. Er war dritter in vier Etappen und belegte den vierten Platz in der anderen, sagte aber nach dem Rennen, dass er ein wenig nervös gewesen war und einen Fehler in der Endphase gemacht hat.
Walkner: “It was a really nice stage today and very fast. I knew everyone had to push because we still had to fight for the podiums. At first, I felt my speed wasn't that good, and I was a bit nervous about making mistakes, but I was able to ride a bit faster after the refueling. Overall I think this was a pretty good result especially because the dunes are not my favorite terrain. They are fun to ride but not for racing."
Meo: "I'm very happy to finish without any crashes, and the result was pretty good. The third and fourth days were pretty difficult for me physically but today was a bit better because there was more piste than dunes. But I enjoyed riding in the dunes, and it was a lot of fun today. I also enjoyed the navigation, and I hope to continue like this in the next race."
Das KTM Factory Team wandert Richtung Qatar weiter. Zur 2. Runde der Rallye Weltmeisterschaft. (April 17-22).
Next Race: April 17, 2017 – Sealine Cross-Country Rally (QAT)
Results Stage 4 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2017
1. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 3:38:15 h
2. Pela Renet (FRA), Husqvarna, +2:34 min
3. Paulo Goncalves (POR), Honda, +5:34
4. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, +8:41
5. Mohammed Jaffer (KUW), KTM, +10:14
Other KTM
7. Mohammed Al Balooshi (ARE), KTM, +12:12
8. Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM, +14:37
9. Antoine Meo (FRA), KTM, +15:15
10. Lee Stephens (AUS), KTM, +16:43
Results Stage 5 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2017
1. Sunderland, 2:40:20 h
2. Pablo Quintanilla (CHI), Husqvarna, +5:59 min
3. Walkner, +8:58
4. Goncalves, +12:26
5. Renet, +14:56
Other KTM
6. Meo, +15:32
8. Stephens, +22:44
9. Balooshi, +24:20
10. David McBride (GBR), KTM, +27:01
Final Standings Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2017 after 5 of 5 stages
1. Sunderland, 18:14:32,5 h
2. Quintanilla, +6:13,7 min
3. Walkner, +8:16,1
4. Goncalves, +11:10,3
5. Renet, +14:50,8
Other KTM
6. Meo, +1:09:00,6 h
7. Balooshi, +1:30:34,2
8. Jaffer, +2:54:48
9. Adam Tomiczek (POL), KTM, +2:59:10,3
10. McBride, +3:06:06,1
www.abudhabidesertchallenge.com
