Quintanilla & Short Climb Higher in Dakar’s Provisional Standings

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Duo Battle Through a Challenging Stage 11

January 18, 2018 – (Motor Sports Newswire) – Making the most of a challenging first half of the marathon stage, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing teammates Pablo Quintanilla and Andrew Short have both improved their positions in the event’s provisional overall standings following stage 11 of the Dakar Rally.

For Pablo Quintanilla, it was a day of mixed fortunes. Determined to attack the stage for a good result, the Chilean rally star was leading the way for the first half of the stage before a small mechanical issue forced him to stop briefly. Despite losing time as he fixed the issue, Pablo was quickly back on his Husqvarna to wrap up the stage in 12th position. With three more stages to be contested in Argentina, the FR 450 Rally powered rider is currently eighth in the provisional overall.

The eighth rider to start Wednesday’s stage, Andrew Short put in a steady run to bring his Husqvarna home in 13th position. Currently placed 17th in the provisional overall standings, the US racer moves one-step closer to finishing the first Dakar Rally of his career.

Taking place on Thursday, stage 12 will be the second and final part of the two-day-long marathon stage. Heading south, the stage will feature a 375km timed special as competitors’ head to the overnight bivouac in San Juan, Argentina.

Pablo Quintanilla: “I had a great start to the stage and I was just having fun on my bike. After the 100km mark in the dunes, I had a small technical issue, which took me about 15 minutes to fix. Unfortunately, I lost all the time I had gained from the start of the stage and had to do my best in the remainder of the timed special. We’ve had our fair share of bad luck in this year’s Dakar, but we are still here and fighting for the best. I am now eighth in the provisional overall and I will do my best to go even higher.”

Andrew Short: “One more exhausting rally stage is in the books and we’re getting closer to the finish. Tonight we’ll have to prepare our bikes by ourselves to get them ready for stage 12 tomorrow. Everything is going well for me so far, I keep learning and improving. This event is a huge experience for me and my mind now is focused on crossing its finish line on Saturday. We’ve all worked really hard this last couple of weeks, and it will be like seeing all the hard work pay off when we reach Córdoba. There are three more stages to go and I’ll do my best to stay focused on my goals.”

2018 Dakar Rally – Stage 11 Provisional Classification
1. Toby Price (KTM) 04:01:33
2. Kevin Benavides (Honda) 04:03:11
3. Antoine Meo (KTM) 04:08:04
4. Ricky Brabec (Honda) 04:09:07
5. Matthias Walkner (KTM) 04:12:34
6. Gerard Farres (KTM) 04:14:05
…
12. Pablo Quintanilla (Husqvarna) 04:35:29
13. Andrew Short (Husqvarna) 04:37:55

2018 Dakar Rally – Provisional Overall Standings After Stage 11
1. Matthias Walkner (KTM) 36:33:37
2. Kevin Benvides (Honda) 37:05:37
3. Toby Price (KTM) 37:12:54
4. Gerard Farres (KTM) 37:22:54
5. Antoine Meo (KTM) 37:32:42
6. Ricky Brabec (Honda) 37:51:47
…
8. Pablo Quintanilla (Husqvarna) 38:26:56
17. Andrew Short (Husqvarna) 39:40:08

Husqvarna Motorcycles. Tradition on two wheels since 1903.

Husqvarna Motorcycles are widely known and respected in the off-road world for a heritage of competition and numerous motocross and enduro world championships. Originally founded in Sweden in 1903, Husqvarna Motorcycles have been designed and manufactured in Mattighofen, Austria since 2013.

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Source: Husqvarna Motorcycles GmbH

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