Sunderland battles to sixth on stage one of the Atacama rally.

Stage 1 - 3rd Rd. Rally 2017 – Atacama Rally (CHL)

In what proved to be another tough day in the Chilean desert around the city of Copiapó, Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Racing rider Sam Sunderland rode well, despite starting near the front, to post the sixth fastest special stage time.


The British rider used his experience to navigate his way through the undulating desert terrain and post a very respectable time, despite his disadvantaged start order.


Sunderland: “The first stage here is always about getting used to the desert. There are a lot of valleys and a lot of tracks, so navigation is difficult, and extremely important. Trying to get your head around that is tough but it was a pretty good stage for me.


“After the cancelled Prologue yesterday, I knew my start position was not good and riders behind would be able to catch the front-runners. With 220kms of sand special stage, the guys behind can follow the lines and easily make up time. Overall, I am happy with my riding and navigation, so I am confident going into the four remaining long days ahead."


Sunderland’s team-mate, Matthias Walker, did not have such a straightforward day in the desert. A few mistakes cost him some time, but despite that, he clocked in just three minutes behind Sunderland.


Walkner: “That was not the best stage for me. The first 100km went well, but there were so many lines and navigation was really difficult. I had one big crash and made a few mistakes, so I'm lucky to reach the finish line. It felt like my first ever rally today, I need to regroup now and try to focus on tomorrow.”


KTM Rally Factory Racing’s Laia Sanz enjoyed her day in the dunes. The women’s Dakar champion also started near the front of the field, but was pleased with both her navigation and pace and was placed 12th after the special stage.


Sanz: “Starting at the front was never going to be easy today. It was a really difficult stage to navigate so it was impossible to go fast without making any mistakes. Some of the riders caught me pretty quickly, including Matthias - I managed to stay with them for a few kilometres, so that shows that my pace is good. All-in-all I am happy with how I rode the stage and I'll continue working on things tomorrow.”


Stage two leaves Copiapó and heads north, into the Atacama Desert and finishes at the coastal city of Taltal.


Results Stage 1 Atacama Rally 2017
1. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL), Husqvarna, 2:23:12 
2. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 2:24:22 +1:10 
3. Paolo Goncalves (POR), Honda, 2:24:47 +1:35
4. Xavier de Soultrait (FRA), Yamaha, 2:26:30 +3:18
5. Franco Caimi (ARG), Yamaha, 2:29:49 +6:37
Other KTM
6. Sam Sunderland, (GBR), KTM, 2:30:13 +7:01
8. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 2:33:23 +10:11
9. Ignacio Cornejo (CHL), KTM, 2:33:45 +10:33
11. Daniel Gouet (CHL), KTM, 2:39:54 +16:42
12. Laia Sanz (ESP), KTM, 2:48:47 +25:35
13. Enrique Guzman (CHL), KTM, 3:16:10 +52:58
14. David McBride (GBR), KTM, 3:19:09 +55:57
15. Tomas de Gavardo (CHL), KTM, 3:28:14 +1:05:02
16. Dave Mabbs (IRL), KTM, 3:58:50 +1:35:38

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