The fourth stage of the Dakar Rally 2023 at the Ha’il bivouac, which included 425 kilometers on the chronograph and a liaison of 152 km, saw Monster Energy Joan Barreda Team’s Joan Barreda take the stage win, followed by Monster Energy Honda Team’s Pablo Quintanilla and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Skyler Howes.
The first 100 kilometers were actually true mountains of sand that gave riders the unique pleasure of climbing up and down. Afterward, there was a sequence of sandy tracks – quite wet due to the heavy rain in the past days – on the return journey to Ha’il. On a more Dakar-typical day, navigation was a big challenge to overcome.
Monster Energy Honda Team had a good day, first because Ricky Brabec could come back to the bivouac safe and sound after being cleared from the hospital. Then also because Chilean Pablo Quintanilla made the second time of the day, just 16 seconds behind Spaniard Joan Barreda – who is also riding an Honda CRF 450 Rally.
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Adrien Van Beveren was fifth today, two minutes and 37 seconds after Barreda. Making honor to the true Dakar spirit, José Ignacio Cornejo stopped to help the Portuguese Joaquim Rodrigues, who had a severe crash. Because of this noble gesture, he lost seven minutes and 35 seconds – so this time was later compensated in his final standing: he got 10th place in the stage. Overall Quintanilla is now in seventh place, Van Beveren eighth and Nacho Cordejo 12th.
Tomorrow the fifth stage from this year’s Dakar Rally will once again start and finish at the Ha’il bivouac. This special stage will have 374 km and a long liaison of 275 km. In this second loop around the Saudi capital of off-road racing, a field of small dunes with camel grass will give way to vast expanses peppered with dunes. So dune jumping will be key and will spell the difference between gaining and losing minutes in this slalom-type sector. In this terrain, mastering soft sand without losing time is certainly a goal more at the hand of real experts.
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