Pablo Quintanilla Crowned 2016 World Rally Champion
By TMX Archives on 9th Oct 16
Husqvarnas Pablo Quintanilla has won the 2016 FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship at the final round of the series in Morocco
The 2016 World Championship series was made up of five rounds and the team contested four – the Desert Challenge in the UAE and the Sealine rally in Qatar, the Atacama Rally in Chile and this week's Morocco Rally.
Quintanilla was third and second in the opening two rounds. He then won at home in Chile and finished second this week in Morocco. He was also third in the Dakar Rally 2016, the premiere event of the season.
With the world title almost in his grasp, Quintanilla approached the Morocco Rally with tactical caution. He went into the event with an 11-point lead over second placed Sam Sunderland but by stage four on Thursday, the British rider had narrowed the gap and was still very much in the running.
Then on Friday, Quintanilla turned up the gas and finished second in the stage, just 2.21 minutes behind stage and overall winner Toby Price, to finish third overall in the rally, but more importantly for him and his team, to secure the world title.
