Pablo Quintanilla | Photo creditsL: Just1
After a much needed rest, motorcycle riders returned to action on the 2019 Dakar Rally. Stage 6 had a total of 502 km, of which 336 were on a special stage against the clock, connecting Arequipa to San Juan de Marcona.
With riders facing again the dunes of Tanaka and Acarí, which they passed on their way while completing Stage 3, but this time with a different route, it was Chilean Husqvarna rider Pablo Quintanilla who showed what it takes to get the stage win and, at the same time, jumping to the overall lead of the Dakar 2019.
Quintanilla had an intense fight with Kevin Benavides (Honda), eventually beating his rival at the end of the day, and it was Matthias Walkner who gave KTM a podium finish on the stage.
On the overall standings, Pablo Quintanilla faces a tough last week of competition, but he has a 4m38s lead over Ricky Brabec (Honda), while the KTM main rider is Toby Price, 5m17s behind Dakar race leader.
Here’s the overall classification of the 2019 Dakar Rally after Stage 6
1. Pablo Quintanilla (Chile) – Husqvarna – 20h45m13s
2. Ricky Brabec (USA) – Honda – +4m38s
3. Toby Price (Australia) – KTM – +5m17s
4. Kevin Benavides (Argentina) – Honda – +8m01s
5. Adrien Van Beveren (France) – Yamaha – +9m15s