Following yet another solid performance on stage four of the 2018 Dakar Rally, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider Pablo Quintanilla now finds himself placed second in the event’s provisional overall standings. Following a well-calculated plan of attack, the FR 450 Rally mounted rider is now one-minute and 55 seconds behind the provisional overall leader with 10 more stages still to be contested in this 40th edition of the event. 

Faced with yet another long and demanding stage in terms of navigation, Pablo did his best to avoid mistakes and keep his pace high during Tuesday’s stage four. Among the first riders to take the start from the beach of Peru, the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider secured fourth for the day. 

For Andrew Short, day four of the Dakar ended with the US racer earning his best result of the event to date. Making good use of his acute riding skills, he brought his FR 450 Rally machine home in 22nd position and is now 22nd in the rally’s provisional overall standings. 

The last stage in the challenging Peruvian dunes, tomorrow’s stage five of the 2018 Dakar Rally is expected to feature demanding navigation. Taking competitors away from the San Juan de Marcona bivouac, the stage is expected to finish in the city of Arequipa. Planned for Wednesday are 266km of timed special and another 508km of liaison section. 

Pablo Quintanilla: “It was a tough day today but we managed to make the best out of it. Following the mass start in the morning, initially we thought navigation wasn’t going to be that difficult but we were wrong. After some kilometres, we realised that navigation was tough for everybody and the soft sandy dunes were not making it easier for us. In such conditions it is always tough to find the waypoints and select the best lines in the dunes. Nevertheless, it was a good stage for me. I lost a few minutes between kilometres 200 and 230, but the race was OK for me. I feel much better now with my stomach and I had a good dinner today. Tomorrow is the last day in the Peruvian dunes so anything could happen. I know that if I keep calm and stay focused on my job, we can finish these sand stages with a good overall result." 

Andrew Short: “That was my best ever stage in rallying. It was good fun to have a mass-start and it was great to see the pace of the fast guys for 18km along the beach. In the dunes I was in a good position but there was a really tricky waypoint to find and I lost some time there. After finding that, I was able to continue with some really fast guys and manage to stay with them for a good distance. I did make a mistake with my navigation that was my own fault and cost me a little, but generally I am feeling really positive about the day. It was great to be able to ride with some of the top guys and I feel like I have learnt a lot more today.” 

2018 Dakar Rally – Stage 4 Provisional Classification 
1. Adrien Van Beveren (Yamaha) 04:08:23 
2. Xavier de Soultrait (Yamaha) 04:13:24 
3. Matthias Walkner (KTM) 04:15:33 
4. Pablo Quintanilla (Husqvarna) 04:15:55 
5. Stefan Svitko (KTM) 04:16:08 
6. Dani Oliveras (KTM) 04:17:02 
… 
22. Andrew Short (Husqvarna) 04:27:16 

2018 Dakar Rally – Provisional Overall Standings After Stage 4 
1. Adrien Van Beveren (Yamaha) 11:03:23 
2. Pablo Quintanilla (Husqvarna) 11:05:18 
3. Kevin Benavides (Honda) 11:06:38 
4. Matthias Walkner (KTM) 11:08:46 
5. Xavier de Soultrait (Yamaha) 11:10:57 
6. Toby Price (KTM) 11:13:37 
… 
22. Andrew Short (Husqvarna) 11:56:19