Sonora Rally 2023 – 2023 World Rally Raid Championship Round 3 – Honda Ready
| The countdown is on for the Sonora Rally, the third stop of this year’s World Rally Raid Championship. This race is new in the calendar and will take place in Mexico between the 22nd and 28th of April, starting in Hermosillo and finishing in San Luis.
Less than two months after the last race, the W2RC is back making history by moving for the first time to North America. Created in 2015, the Sonora Rally is named after the second largest state in Mexico. The race became quite popular especially among the local off-road community, led by Darren Skilton. The vision of this desert and rally raid enthusiast – who is also a Dakar veteran – is now living a new level by entering the official Rally Raid Championship. Competing just on the other side of the American border, this time things will be quite different from the most common races in the region. Based on the traditional road book system and no assistance between start and finish, the race will have five stages connecting Hermosillo to San Luis, with a total of 1249 kilometers to tackle in the desert. Rocky tracks, dust and high temperatures will demand all energy and focus from riders during this week. Monster Energy Honda Team rider Ricky Brabec will be almost racing in his backyard. The first American to win the Dakar Rally in the motorbike category is also a record holder in this competition, after winning in 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021. For this reason he will be for sure in the spotlight, like his teammate Adrien Van Beveren – who won the last race in the dunes of the Middle East in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Chileans Pablo Quintanilla and José Ignacio Cornejo complete the squad. Administrative and technical scrutineering will take place on April 22nd in Hermosillo, the same location for the prologue on the 23rd. |
