2023 Sonora Rally: Laisvydas Kancius wins Quad duel

The Sonora Rally‘s Quad category was barren compared to the first two World Rally-Raid Championship rounds as only Laisvydas Kancius and Rodolfo Guillioli were entered, tying T2 at January’s Dakar Rally for the fewest entries in a W2RC class. Still, a two-man race was a race nonetheless as the pair renewed their battle from Abu Dhabi, with Kancius coming out on top and strengthening his W2RC points lead.

Kancius won four of the six legs while Guillioli took two. Guillioli was the first entry to start the rally by kicking off the Prologue, which he called “a rare honour”, but fell behind quickly after an error sent him off course and he placed seven minutes after Kancius.

The margin grew in Stage #1 after Kancius won by nine minutes, though Guillioli returned the favour as he edged out his rival in Stage #2 by just thirty-seven seconds in a “very inconsistent and dangerous” course due to multiple riders crashing out in the early sectors. Kancius’ Yamaha Raptor had suffered an electrical failure coming to the Selective Section, which he discovered was due to faulty wiring insulation.

While Kancius rectified his issue for the third stage, Guillioli encountered a very familiar problem when the coil connecting the spark plug to the engine broke just ten kilometres into the liaison route heading to the speed section; he replaced the spark plug in time to start the stage, only for his Raptor to break down again. Such an issue had denied him a shot at the overall podium in Abu Dhabi. By the time Guillioli reached the finish, he had to pause and adjust the plug approximately twenty-five times and was over twenty-two minutes back of Kancius.

With Guillioli trying to re-find his groove in Stage #4, Kancius solidified his advantage by beating him to the win by 10:26. Trailing by 49:32 entering the fifth and final day, Guillioli won by three minutes. Although not an overall win, Guillioli cherished the rally since “when I reached the finish line, I had passed thinking that the only thing that mattered to me was to bring a stage winner’s medal to each of my daughters. The one from two days ago, and today. I did it!!! Happy day, very happy!!! and in one piece…”

Kancius remains the championship leader, growing from forty-four points to a very nice sixty-nine, while Guillioli goes from seventh to third with thirty-three. Pablo Copetti, who skipped Abu Dhabi and Sonora, is still second with thirty-eight points and intends to return for the next race in Argentina.

“I gained new experience, I tested my physical capacity, I also had a little stress, but I managed the situations,” said Kancius. “So, everything is positive and this year can be really special and exceptional.

“It’s a great feeling not only to win, but to participate in the competition in general, to gain experience, test yourself, and improve.”

Quad overall results

Finish	Number	Rider	Team	Time	Margin
1	162	Laisvydas Kancius	AG Dakar School	15:33:14	Leader
2	165	Rodolfo Guillioli	Pepitas Racing Team	16:19:45	+ 46:31

Quad stage winners

Stage	Rider	Time
Prologue	Laisvydas Kancius	55:20
Stage #1	Laisvydas Kancius	1:59:07
Stage #2	Rodolfo Guillioli	2:09:40
Stage #3	Laisvydas Kancius	4:49:51
Stage #4	Laisvydas Kancius	3:21:06
Stage #5	Rodolfo Guillioli	2:14:32

Overall winners

Class	Number	Competitor	Team	Time
T1	201	Nasser Al-Attiyah	Toyota Gazoo Racing	10:29:55
T3	302	Mitch Guthrie	Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team	11:17:24
T4	400	Rokas Baciuška	Red Bull Can-Am Factory Racing	11:51:05
RallyGP	18	Daniel Sanders	Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing	11:01:09
Rally2	17	Romain Dumontier	HT Rally Raid Husqvarna Racing	11:48:21
Rally3	57	Massimo Camurri	Freedom Rally Racing	15:59:16
Quad	162	Laisvydas Kancius	AG Dakar School	15:33:14
National Car/UTV	605	Sara Price*	SP Motorsports	17:14:04
National Enduro	513	Brendan Crow*	Brendan Crow	16:37:36
National Malle Moto	501	Matt Sutherland*	Matt Sutherland	18:24:08

* – Not competing in World Rally-Raid Championship

W2RC Quad standings

Rank	Rider	Points	Margin
1	Laisvydas Kancius	69	Leader
2	Pablo Copetti	38	– 31
3	Rodolfo Guillioli	33	– 36
4	Juraj Varga	30	– 39
5	Abdulaziz Ahli	25	– 44
6	Carlos Alejandro Verza	20	– 49
7	Adomas Gančierius	16	– 53
8	Antonas Kanopkinas	11	– 58