Sunderland runner up on stage two of Atacama Rally 2017

Stage 2 - 3rd Rd. Rally 2017 – Atacama Rally (CHL)

With stage two being cut short from 300km down to just 164km due to a fallen rider it was always going to be tight amongst the top competitors. FIM Cross Country Rallies Championship leader Sam Sunderland put in a great performance to finish as runner-up, just 17 seconds behind stage winner Kevin Benavides.


Sunderland: “Today was a pretty good day. I lost a little bit through navigation, but was happy with the first part of the stage. It’s always frustrating when they cancel part of a stage because we all want to race. I was in a good position to make up some time but unfortunately didn’t have the chance to maximise it. There are some long, heavy days coming up so I’ll look forward to them and do my best to get to the front.”


Matthias Walkner had another mixed day in the Atacama Desert. The Austrian rider rode intelligently today in order to minimise mistakes, but ended up losing time on the front runners.


Walkner: “Not the best day for me today. After making a lot of mistakes yesterday I tried to smooth things out and regain my rhythm. I concentrated hard on navigation too, but still lost a couple of minutes to the leaders. If I can keep riding well and work on my navigation a little bit more, I am sure I can close the gap to the front.”


KTM Rally Factory Racing’s Laia Sanz had a difficult day. Riding well through the special stage, Sanz came across the fallen Renet and stopped to help him. Obviously losing a lot of time whilst stopped, Sanz would eventually finish in 14th place. 


Sanz: “Today wasn’t a good day – it’s always difficult when you come across a friend that has been in a crash. I stayed with him until help arrived and then set off again. I think I was riding well up to that point, but after having to deal with something like that it’s difficult to concentrate on the rest of the stage and push. I was glad to reach the finish today after such a tough stage.”


Stage three leaves Taltal and heads north towards Mejillones. The special stage at 349km is the second longest of the rally.
 
Provisional Results - Stage 2 Atacama Rally 2017
 1. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 1:39:25 
2. Sam Sunderland, (GBR), KTM, 1:39:42 +17 seconds 
3. Franco Caimi (ARG), Yamaha, 1:40:03 +38 
4. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL), Husqvarna, 1:40:28 +1:03 minutes 
5. Xavier de Soultrait (FRA), Yamaha, 1:41:04 +2:11 
Other KTM
 7. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 1:41:53 +2:28 
9. Ignacio Cornejo (CHL), KTM, 1:47:23 +7:58 
10. Tomas de Gavardo (CHL), KTM, 2:06:42 +27:17
 11. David McBride (GBR), KTM, 2:07:16 +27:51 
12. Enrique Guzman (CHL), KTM, 2:14:39 +35:14 
13. Dave Mabbs (IRL), KTM, 2:27:06 +47:41 
14. Laia Sanz (ESP), KTM, 2:45:17 +1:05:52 
15. Daniel Gouet (CHL), KTM, 2:47:57 +1:08:32

 Provisional Standings - Atacama Rally 2017 after 2 of 5 stages 
1. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL),Husqvarna, 4:03:40
 2. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 4:03:47 +7 seconds 
3. Xavier de Soultrait (FRA), Yamaha, 4:07:34 +3:54 minutes
 4. Franco Caimi (ARG), Yamaha, 4:09:52 +6:12 
5. Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM, 4:09:55 +6:15
 Other KTM 
7. Matthias Walkner (KTM) 4:15:16 +11:36 
9. Ignacio Cornejo (CHL), KTM, 4:21:08 +17:28 
10. Daniel Gouet (CHL), KTM, 5:27:51 +1:24:11 
11. Enrique Guzman (CHL), KTM, 5:30:49 +1:27:09 
12. David McBride (GBR), KTM, 5:33:25 +1:29:45 
13. Laia Sanz (ESP), KTM, 5:34:04 +1:30:24 
14. Tomas de Gavardo (CHL), KTM, 5:47:56 +1:44:16 
15. Dave Mabbs (IRL), KTM, 6:25:56 +2:22:16

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