Red Bull KTM’s Sam Sunderland retains championship lead after 2017 Atacama rally.

Stage 5 - 3rd Rd. Rally 2017 – Atacama Rally (CHL)

After four very hard days in the saddle, the KTM mounted riders just had the final 158km special stage to complete. It didn’t prove as easy as they had hoped as the stage turned out to be one of the fastest and most dangerous of the rally. Frustrated with the accuracy of the road book, Sam Sunderland decided it was best to ease off slightly and guarantee a safe finish.
Sunderland: “The main goal was to arrive at the finish and luckily I made it home safe and I still lead the world championship. Fourth place overall is not what I was hoping for, but it could have been worse. It’s disappointing not to finish on the podium, but at the same time I’m simply glad to arrive at the finish in one piece. The road book seemed to be inaccurate at times. Distances were wrong and there were some hazards missing. I had a few moments today where my life flashed in front of my eyes. There are two rounds of the championship to go and I’m already looking forward to Argentina. My team have been perfect the entire rally – as they always are - so thank you very much to them.”
Matthias Walkner used a similar tactic to Sunderland, aiming to bring his KTM 450 RALLY home safely today. The Austrian was not so happy with his overall performance but is looking forward to building on his overall pace and fitness for the next rally, the Ruta 40.
Walkner: “I lost a lot of time today after making a mistake with my navigation. On such a short stage, even a small error can prove quite costly. I feel my speed is not quite as good as it could be, but I plan to work on that. I can learn from these mistakes and take that experience forward. Hopefully at the next event I will be able to push again and stay with the leaders.
“I am happy to arrive safely at the finish – it’s amazing how fast things can change out in the desert. I’d like to wish Pela well on his recovery, and say thanks to my team for all their hard work.”
KTM Rally Factory Racing’s Laia Sanz enjoyed the final day. The Dakar women’s champion put in an excellent performance to finish the special stage inside the top-10 in ninth place. Using the Atacama for her Dakar training, Sanz was pleased with how her rally progressed.
Sanz: “I am so happy to finish the rally safely because the event was very fast and quite dangerous. It’s never nice to see a fellow rider injured as I did earlier in the week. For me, my training on the Atacama has been good. Despite not riding my Rally bike till a week ago, I soon felt comfortable and up to speed. The final two days have felt very good on the bike and my navigation has improved too. It has really helped my preparation for the Dakar.”


Next event: Desafio Ruta 40 (ARG) - August 25th - 31st 2017


Provisional Results Stage 5 Atacama Rally 2017
1. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL), Husqvarna, 1:35:42
2. Ignacio Cornejo (CHL), KTM, 1:35:54 +12 seconds
3. Paulo Goncalves (PRT), Honda, 1:36:01 +19 secs
4. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 1:38:07 +2:25
5. Xavier de Soultrait (FRA), Yamaha, 1:41:29 +5:47
Other KTM 
8. Sam Sunderland, (GBR), KTM, 1:47:28 +11:46
9. Laia Sanz (ESP), KTM, 1:51:11 +15:29 
10. Daniel Gouet (CHL), KTM, 1:53:24 +17:42
11. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 1:53:38 +17:56


Provisional Standings - Atacama Rally 2017 after 5 of 5 stages
 1. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL), Husqvarna, 12:53:49
 2. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 12:59:12 +2:23
 3. Paulo Goncalves (PRT), Honda, 13:05:40 +11:51
 4. Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM, 13:17:04 +23:15 
5. Xavier de Soultrait (FRA), Yamaha, 13:27:35 +33:46
 Other KTM
 6. Matthias Walkner (AUS), KTM, 13:27:54 +34:05 
7. Ignacio Cornejo (CHL), KTM, 13:37:24 +43:35
 10. Daniel Gouet (CHL), KTM, 14:38:09 +1:44:20
 11. Laia Sanz (ESP), KTM, 14:47:23 +1:53:34


Provisional Standings - FIM Cross-Country Rallies Championship after 3 of 5 races
1. Sam Sunderland, 74 points
2 Pablo Quintanilla, 68
3. Paulo Goncalves, 55
4. Matthias Walkner, 49
5. Kevin benavides, 41
6. Pela Renet, 28
7. Antoine Meo, 25
8. Mohammed Al Balooshi, 23
9. Adam Tomiczek, 20
10 Maciej Giemza, 17
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