“I will fight to win the Dakar”
EN BREVE…
- The Dakar in South America produced a host of stars. One of the brightest is undoubtedly Pablo Quintanilla, the Chilean rider who will make his 13th appearance in 2025.
- Looking back over his brilliant racing career, Pablo made his Dakar debut in 2013, when in third place, he had an accident, which led to his retirement. He also failed to finish in 2014, when a rock hit his hand and fractured his knuckles at the end of stage 3. He was one of the stars of the 2015 Dakar. After the first week in fourth place, he won the very tough Uyuni stage and fought for third place head-to-head with Toby Price, to finish in fourth place.
- As a factory Husqvarna rider in 2016, Pablo reached the coveted Dakar podium in third place with a stage win. At the end of that year, Pablo won the World Cross Country Rally title, a feat repeated the following season.
- In 2019, he fought with Toby Price for the lead and crashed hard just 100 km before the finish. He suffered a double ankle fracture but still finished in fourth place, in a heroic display of character. In 2020, in the first Dakar in Saudi Arabia, Pablo won two stages and tried to close the gap to Ricky Brabec, but in the end, he finished runner-up, 16 minutes behind the winner.
- In May 2021, Honda announced the signing of Quintanilla, who ended a five-year relationship with Husqvarna. The Chilean's debut with the Japanese brand came at the Rally Andalucía, where he finished third. His quick adaptation to the bike and the team was reflected in his victory in that year's Morocco Rally.
- Then came the heart-stopping definition of the Motorcycle category of the 2022 Dakar. The final special stage was only 164 km long, and Pablo Quintanilla went all out to put pressure on Sam Sunderland to erase his 6m52-second deficit. Even though the Chilean was faster at almost all the checkpoints, it was not enough in the end, and he fell three minutes short of glory.
- In the 2023 Dakar, he had a solid showing to claim fourth place just off the podium as the highest-ranked finisher in his Honda team and was satisfied with his performance, even if it was not the result he was looking for.
- On the back of a difficult year in the W2RC, where he finished sixth, he was on pace at the Rally of Morocco and showed his speed and fitness, even if a crash knocked him out of the rally.
AMBITION 2025
P.Q.: “The 2024 Dakar was a thankless event for me. I was having a great race and showing my skills. I felt good on the bike and demonstrated that I could fight for the top spots. However, running out of fuel took us out of the title picture, but despite that, I could still ride, which let us add mileage and test for the 2025 edition.”
“Morocco was one of the rallies where I felt most comfortable all year. Unlike previous rallies, the terrain suited me well; I felt good on the bike, was fast, and showed that I have the speed and fitness to fight for titles. A crash knocked me out of contention, but that doesn't take away the good feeling I had in that race, similar to what we will experience in the Dakar. The idea is to fight to win it in the end, knowing that we have to be very focused, not make any mistakes and ride at one hundred per cent every day.”
