Chilean rider Pablo Quintanilla, riding for Honda, bounced back after a tougher fourth stage this week, finishing 19th and then claiming victory on the fifth day of Dakar 2024. The race saw Botswana’s Ross Branch, aboard a Hero machine, extend his overall lead by 74 seconds over Chilean Nacho Cornejo (Honda). Spaniard Joan Barreda (Hero) suffered a late-stage crash but managed to complete the stage, while the consequences of his injuries were not immediately clear.
Quintanilla clocked 1 hour, 32 minutes, and 53 seconds, also surviving a six-minute penalty from the third stage. That setback dropped him from the stage win he secured on Monday and prevented him from cutting into the lead, with Branch, Cornejo, and American Ricky Brabec (Honda) all within roughly four minutes of the gap as the rally progressed through the midweek leg.
Barreda finished about ten minutes behind Quintanilla and sustained a nasal cut that sent him directly to the Vívac medical facility after the stage. The severity of his injuries was not disclosed at the time of reporting.
Riders started later than typical since this was the shortest stage of the Dakar. The route covered just under 118 kilometers, sandwiched between a half-marathon distance on the previous day and a grueling 48-hour stint that begins the next day and finishes on Friday of the same week.
At the first waypoint, Quintanilla trailed the best stage time by more than three minutes but quickly asserted himself. He had already held a lead by the second stage as the Saudi contender pushed hard in the dunes. In the end, the Saudi rider finished fourth, with Adrien van Beveren of France placing second on the stage, three-quarters of a minute behind the winner. The overall narrative of the race remains tightly bunched behind Branch, who emerged from a rocky start to hold a slim advantage over Cornejo and the rest of the field.
Branch also showed resilience after a tough opening stage. From eleventh at the first crossing, he climbed to sixth on the day and reclaimed the overall lead, finishing the stage more than six minutes ahead of his Chilean rival and placing thirteenth across the line, still ahead of Cornejo by a comfortable margin within the general classification.
Another notable performance came from the young American Mason Klein, competing with Korr Offroad Racing. Klein moved up five spots to finish fifth that day, continuing to demonstrate his rising speed in motorcycle categories. Mechanical issues had hindered his overall prospects earlier in the rally, but his midweek surge underscored his potential in weekends that demand endurance and technical skill. He advanced nineteen places that day, landing 36th overall.
Following the Wednesday results, Quintanilla moved up from seventh to sixth in the general standings, now about 26 minutes behind Branch. Earlier penalties and a rough Tuesday had dampened his hopes of a grand overall win, but a string of consistent results keeps him within striking distance. If he can sustain this early-season momentum and add another stage victory, the Chilean could once again be among the primary contenders for the Dakar crown in North America and beyond.
The ongoing 48-hour window has tested riders with long, demanding travel sequences through arid terrain. This particular week has been marked by unusual scheduling — the riders must cover more than six hundred kilometers over two days and endure overnight bivouac camping in desert conditions, relying on basic, military-style provisions. The experiences add another layer of challenge to an event already famed for its grueling pace and rugged environment, and they continue to shape the strategies of teams and riders as they push toward the finish line in Dakar’s harsh heart.
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