Pablo Quintanilla leads the way after stage one of the Atacama Rally

By Press Release on 15th Aug 18

Rally

Rockstar Energy Husqvarnas Pablo Quintanilla has taken the provisional overall lead at the Atacama Rally after the first full rally stage contested in Copiapo.

Following his strong performance in the short opening Prologue, the Chilean rally star has secured a solid runner-up result on stage one and is now leading the overall by one minute and 40 seconds going into stage two.

Taking advantage of his good starting position Pablo was able to maintain a steady pace from the start to the finish of the timed special. Posting a total time of two hours, 52 minutes and 23 seconds, Pablo was just four seconds behind eventual stage one winner Kevin Benavides.

Stage two is the longest of this years Atacama Rally and features a timed special of 375km. Taking competitors towards the city of Vallenar in the Atacama region, it is expected to be a long and challenging day of racing for all competitors.

"Its been a good day and Im really satisfied with my performance on stage one," said Quintanilla. "This was the first full rally stage after my small injury and I felt even better than I expected.

"I was able to find a good race pace and maintain it until the end of the timed special. The way I rode today gives me some extra motivation for the remainder of this rally. I feel good on my bike at the moment and enjoy every moment of it.

"Stage 2 will probably be one of the hardest days of this rally. Were heading towards a new area and the terrain and conditions are expected to be quite challenging. Therell be some off-piste sections so its crucial to remain focused and avoid mistakes. Ill do my best for another good result tomorrow."

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