MEDIA BULLETIN 08

MOTOS

1 Kevin Benavides (ARG)

“It was a bad day for me because I had issues with my gear box. Because of that, I had to ride slowly. But now I have finished!!”

52 Matthias Walkner (AUT)

“It’s been a really good day for me. I opened and stayed there all day. For sure, I pushed hard to stay in the front…it’s been a super day for me.”

18 Toby Price (AUS)

“The ride today suited my capabilities and my condition. The arm is okay on the smooth surface. But, on some sections of ruts, it is not so good. The team did a great job on my bike.”

7 Pablo Quintanilla (CHL)

“The wind and heat made this really tough. Plus, I rode on my own for a lot of the stage. I tried to push but, that wasn’t easy on the soft sand. A key stage today, and just one to go.”

6 Franco Caimi (ARG)

“Today was a good fun stage which I really enjoyed, especially the dunes. I am happy to have finished. Another one stage and then we are done and dusted.”

11 Ignacio Cornejo (CHL)

“I crashed today and damaged my navigation system, but I am okay. I lost a lot of time trying to repair it. Plus, a lot of time was lost in the final 30kms. I have enjoyed the week, but have had too many problems.”

15 Lorenzo Santolino (SPA)

“I had a good start, but missed the drop on a dune and landed hard. But I am okay.”

77 Luciano Benavides (ARG)

“I am really happy that finally I won the stage. I’ve waited for many years for this moment to win a stage. I enjoyed the day and the stage was pretty nice. The performance of the bike was smooth. Racing in Abu Dhabi is really a challenge and I am looking forward to tomorrow.”

5 Skyler Howes (USA)

“I got so sick at the beginning. That was the first time I felt this way. But I got better later. The dunes didn’t have a flow. But overall, it has been a positive day and there were no navigation issues.”

2 Ricky Brabec (USA)

“The day was super tough. The wind definitely was a factor today. I was able to make up lot of time today. The last 40 kms was pretty much a race along the fence. We are happy with the way things are, and one more stage to go.”

48 Paolo Lucci (ITA)

“It was a good day and I was able to push hard. I enjoyed the dunes which came in all shapes and sizes. The second part was much faster. There’s just one day left, and I am feeling good.”

26 Konrad Dabrowski (POL)

“’I had a good fight with Paolo [Lucci] as we tussled for third place in our category. It was a good race and next time, I will make it harder for him.”

98 Mason Klein

“Yeah, for sure I’m happy with the improvement of riding in the dunes. I started off well, got into the rhythm in the beginning, and after re-fuelling kinda lost the rhythm. I am happy overall.”

78 Romain Dumontier (FRA)

“I tried to be safe on the bike. It is my first time here, so I need to discover the desert. Yeah, it is different from Dakar here as we have only dunes and sand.”

76 Abdallah Abuaisheh (JOR)

“Stage 4 for me was good, better than yesterday. After re-fuelling after 180 km, I had a problem with my bike, but I tried my best. I am happy and looking forward to the last stage.”

176 Abdulaziz Ahli (UAE)

“The stage was a bit tough at the beginning. After the re-fuelling it was okay and mostly straight. There were some really big dunes. Other than that, it was good. Thank God there were no problems today.”