Stage four was the second half of the marathon after the riders of the Dakar rally camped in the desert overnight away from their teams. It was also the shortest day of the rally so far, and it went well again for the Monster Energy HRC Honda Team. Nacho Cornejo took his second stage win while his teammate Ricky Brabec was second. That put Cornejo in the overall lead ahead of Hero’s Ross Branch, with Brabec in third, 5 minutes from the lead. It’s another 15 minutes back to fourth place, Kevin Benevidez.
For Mason Klein, it was another day where he was doing well just to get to the finish with his ailing Kove. It will be another motor and another penalty tonight, but Mason is developing a huge fan base in China. One Chinese fan commented on Mason’s Instagram: “When you stopped, Chinese Kove users and Dakar fans were all watching your GPS.
Yesterday, everyone stayed up until 2 am Beijing time until you finished the race before going to bed. Yesterday, your feat will be recorded in the history of China’s motorcycle development. In two days, your fan base in China has exceeded everyone’s. I hope you can consider coming to China after completing the race smoothly. People would really like to travel to China!!!”
Jacob Argubright couldn’t get to the end of the Marathon stage, but he will be allowed to continue with massive penalties. “I’m officially out of my second Dakar rally with a mechanical issue. I did everything I could, but I couldn’t even move the bike if I wanted to. There is no one to blame here, and it is just part of the testing game. If all goes well, we will fix the bike, and I’ll be back racing tomorrow on stage 5. I just won’t be considered a finisher from this point forward.”
Ricky Brabec: “Stage four was good; it was the shortest one yet, so I was happy to have a shorter day. We’re at the bivouac an hour earlier than we have been, so that’s also nice, and it gives the mechanics some more time to work on the bikes. I was second on the road, which definitely wasn’t easy as navigation is really tricky this year. It can catch you off guard quickly, so if you’re not on your toes from sunrise to sunset, then it really can throw you.
Tomorrow’s stage five is a sand dune day. It’s a short one, but it’ll be a long day in the saddle with the liaison. The next three days are going to be interesting. Everyone in the team is doing a great job, and I’m looking forward to getting to the end of this rally.”
Skyler Howes: “I’m becoming more and more confident with the bike. We’ve made a few little changes to the suspension and some other positive adjustments. I had a small mechanical issue that slowed me down, and I also had to search for a hidden waypoint, which lost me some time.
The pace and riding were good, and it was another positive day overall. I prefer the previous stages as there are more stones, rocky canyons, and technical navigation. Once you get into the dunes, it’s almost like a motocross race; you push really hard, and you just follow the compass.”
Stage 4
1. Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo, Monster Energy Honda Team, recorded a time of 02 hours, 51 minutes, and 11 seconds.
2. Ricky Brabec, from Monster Energy Honda Team, followed closely at +00 hours, 02 minutes, and 59 seconds.
3. Kevin Benavides, representing Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, secured the third position with a time of +00 hours, 03 minutes, and 18 seconds.
4. Ross Branch, racing for Hero Motosports Team Rally, finished +00 hours, 04 minutes, and 26 seconds behind the leader.
5. Adrien Van Beveren, part of the Monster Energy Honda Team, claimed the fifth spot with a time of +00 hours, 05 minutes, and 25 seconds.
6. Luciano Benavides, competing for Husqvarna Factory Racing, clocked in at +00 hours, 07 minutes, and 22 seconds.
7. Joan Barreda Bort, a member of Hero Motosports Team Rally, secured the seventh position with +00 hours, 08 minutes, and 15 seconds.
8. Rui Gonçalves, racing for Sherco Rally Factory, finished at +00 hours, 09 minutes, and 51 seconds.
9. Skyler Howes, representing Monster Energy Honda Team, claimed the ninth position with a time of +00 hours, 10 minutes, and 05 seconds.
10. Romain Dumontier, from Team Dumontier Racing, rounded off the top ten with a time of +00 hours, 11 minutes, and 54 seconds.
Standings after Stage 4:
1. Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo, Monster Energy Honda Team, leads with a total time of 17 hours, 27 minutes, and 13 seconds.
2. Ross Branch, Hero Motosports Team Rally, trails by +00 hours, 01 minute, and 15 seconds, with a cumulative time of 00 hours, 01 minute.
3. Ricky Brabec, Monster Energy Honda Team, holds the third position, trailing the leader by +00 hours, 04 minutes, and 56 seconds.
4. Kevin Benavides, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, stands at +00 hours, 20 minutes, and 39 seconds behind.
5. Adrien Van Beveren, Monster Energy Honda Team, secures the fifth spot with +00 hours, 22 minutes, and 30 seconds.
6. Luciano Benavides, Husqvarna Factory Racing, is in sixth place, trailing by +00 hours, 31 minutes, and 11 seconds.
7. Pablo Quintanilla, Monster Energy Honda Team, is in seventh place with +00 hours, 31 minutes, and 44 seconds.
8. Toby Price, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, holds the eighth position with +00 hours, 34 minutes, and 54 seconds.
9. Martin Michel, Orion – Moto Racing Group, claims the ninth position with +00 hours, 38 minutes, and 11 seconds.
10. Romain Dumontier, Team Dumontier Racing, rounds off the top ten with +00 hours, 38 minutes, and 44 seconds.
