The Peruvian world-class event reached its climax today, with the best pilot in each of the three categories taking the overall victory at the end of the final stage. Guilherme Spinelli (cars), Pablo Quintanilla (motorcycles) and Ignacio Casale (quads) are the champions of the 2013 DesafÃo Inca, which also crowned the winners of the Dakar Series and the Dakar Challenge.CARS: GUILHERME SPINELLI TRIUMPHANT IN PERU Coming to Peru as the favourite was the best stimulus for Brazil’s Guilherme Spinelli (Mitsubishi ASX Racing), who consolidated his lead in style in today’s stage. It took the champion 11 h 29′40″ to complete the three gruelling stages. The Alta Ruta 4×4 team (+1 h 52′38″) and Diego Weber (+2 h 10′05″) snapped up the other two podium places. Spinelli’s virtuoso performance meant he was the only driver or rider to win all the specials and stages of the DesafÃo Inca: the perfect reward for the hard work of the Brazilian Mitsubishi Petrobras team. MOTORCYCLES: PABLO QUINTANILLA ON A WHOLE NEW LEVEL His ability to set a blistering pace throughout the three-stage race helped Chile’s Pablo Quintanilla (KTM 450 Rally Réplica) defend his lead and win the overall classification. His cumulative time of 11 h 56′05″ was enough for him to win the fierce battle against David Casteu (+9′29″), who clawed back some time but was unable to close the gap. Peru’s Eduardo “Tato” Heinrich came in third, 31′14″ down on the winner. Pablo Quintanilla surprised everyone from the first stage. He moved into the overall lead and that is where he stayed until the end of the event, showing just how much preparation went into his KTM. Following Cyril Despres’ withdrawal due to a mechanical in yesterday’s stage, Quintanilla withstood Casteu’s onslaught and went on to become the new champion. QUADS: IGNACIO CASALE IS THE CHAMP Chile’s Ignacio Casale (Yamaha Raptor 700) extended his run of strong performances in Peru to wrap up his victory in the Quads category at the end of the third stage. With a time of 12 h 54′37″, there was clear daylight between Casale and Ignacio Flores (+26′15″), his rival in the last two stages. Argentina’s Sebastián Halpern (+1 h 31′41″) took the bottom step of the podium. This is Casale’s first international win. The Chilean rider took all the specials in the race apart from the second stage. A fantastic performance in the land of the Incas, where he tamed the awe-inspiring dunes of Ica beneath an unforgiving sun which pushed the riders to the limit. DAVID CASTEU TAKES THE DAKAR SERIES Frenchmen David Casteu (Yamaha YZF 450) was crowned winner of the Dakar Series after finishing the DesafÃo Inca in second place. Casteu, who was in the thick of the action in Ica, also became the top-ranked rider of this season after riding strongly to fifth place in Argentina’s DesafÃo Ruta 40. He already won the inaugural edition of the Dakar Series, held in Hungary and Romania in April 2008. NASER COLOMBO, GALLEGOS AND SILVA WIN THE DAKAR CHALLENGE Up-and-coming Chileans Cristian Naser Colombo (motorcycles) and VÃctor Gallegos (quads) passed the three stages of the 2013 DesafÃo Inca in Peru with flying colours. Ãlvaro Silva and his navigator Ernesto Castro win the challenge on the car category and will represent Peru in January. This result earned them the much coveted free tickets to the 2014 Dakar Rally. WHAT THE PROTAGONISTS HAD TO SAY Guilherme Spinelli (cars): “It’s a very special day for me because it’s the first race we win outside Brazil. I’m very happy because we have a highly competitive car.” Pablo Quintanilla (motorcycles): “I came here to get some experience, and this victory’s put me on cloud nine. I rode smartly, without making any mistakes. It’s a privilege for me.” Ignacio Casale (quads): “I’m delighted with this great result. I won my first international rally. This shows I’ve been training well, I’m happy.” |
|
For further information: www.desafioinca.com |
|
Copyright A.S.O. Рphoto credit: B. Mah̩
|
|
|
