Pablo Quintanilla Wins Final Stage 5 | Rallye du Maroc

The sand-strewn conclusion of the 2023 Rally du Maroc, the fifth and final round of the FIM Rally Raid World Championships, saw Monster Energy’s logo on top yet again as Pablo Quintanilla (Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally) was victorious in the final Stage 5, and was joined on the podium by Stages 2 and 3 winner, Monster Energy’s Tosha Schareina (Team Honda).

Quintanilla’s victory moved him past Monster Energy’s Ross Branch (Hero Motorsports) into the third and final overall position in the Bike Rally GP class, with Branch placing 4th overall and Schareina bringing it home in 5th. And from a team standpoint, Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally gave Honda Corporate the overall Manufacturers Championship with a total of four racers in the top seven overall individual positions (Jose Cornejo in 6th and Adrien Van Beveren in 7th).

For Quintanilla, consistency was to be key the entire week as the Chilean rode strong and fast and navigated well on the new Honda CRF 450 Rally, placing consistently on or near the podium and ending up just 12 seconds out of the runner-up position (3:00 to 3:12 gap behind 2nd place Luciano Benavides/Husqvarna) and 3:12 back of winner Toby Price (KTM) after six days of racing (Prologue + five stages) in Morocco.

Said Quintanilla: “When we finish it was a tough race, but also a good one. Super good race (Stage 5) after struggling a few stages with the bike. Hadn’t been able to compete to my level, until today, and finally I felt really good – with a lot of confidence on the riding and navigation. We rode with a good pace and that is super good, considering our next big goal – Dakar in 2024. Also, this was a race for learning, a new race with a new bike. So every day we were learning something new. And I think we are in a really good way for the next Dakar. So I’m super happy with my result, my performance on the bike, and now looking forward to the next rally.”

Added Schareina on Stage 5: “Today was really good again. We were in front at the first part of the race, then lost a little bit. So I think yeah, 3rd place today. I’m super happy with the result and with each member of the team. And of course, for Monster Energy for believing in me. This is the only way that I can show I’m grateful for all the work everyone put in for me. I’m super grateful.”

Finally, Branch commented on his top five overall result: “So that’s the end of Rallye du Maroc 2023 and the final race of the season. I’m really disappointed with the outcome. I really wanted to get on the overall podium and I fought hard all week, did everything right, but, unfortunately, I just missed out on the podium this time. But it gives me more motivation for Dakar now. I think we’ve made some really good steps in the right direction; the bike is feeling amazing and the team is great. Looking forward to January 2024. 2023 was a good year for us, finishing 4th overall in the championship.

Rallye du Maroc Results

Stage 5

1st - Pablo Quintanilla (Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally)

3rd - Tosha Schareina (Monster Energy/Team Honda)

4th - Ross Branch (Monster Energy/Hero Motorsports)

5th - Adrien Van Beveren (Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally)

7th - Jose Cornejo (Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally)

Overall (after 5 of 5 stages)

3rd - Quintanilla

4th - Branch

5th - Schareina

6th - Cornejo

7th - Van Beveren

That concludes the 2023 FIM World Rally Raid Championship season. The 2024 FIM World Rally Raid Championship opens with the famed Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia, Jan. 5-19.