Stage 4 of the Sonora Rally took riders (and a few drivers) into the dunes for their toughest test. Temperatures ran as hot as everyone’s desire to finish, exceeding triple digits and necessitating moving the start time up so that they didn’t spend too much time under the Sun.
“This terrain requires more difficult navigation and execution as well as riding in ever changing terrain,” said Matt Lube. “Just when you think you understand the consistency of the sand, the earth changes and a soft spot bogs the bike down. Lose focus for a second and the front tire sinks and over the bars you go.”
By the end of Thursday’s leg, Ciaran Naran got out with victory almost within his reach going into the final day. He absolutely crushed the stage as the only rider to set a time below four hours, clearing runner-up Kyle McCoy by nearly 25 minutes.
Mike Johnson entered Thursday as the overall Moto leader and clinging onto a seven-minute advantage over Naran. However, luck wasn’t on his side as he struggled with navigation and missed the final waypoint. The latter incurred a 15-minute penalty, though he had already finished 40 minutes behind Naran to cost him the overall lead.
“Navigation-wise, I didn’t have the best of days,” Johnson explained. “I navigated all the way until the last waypoint and somehow missed the last waypoint and cost me a bunch of time.
“Dunes were very tough.”
Johnson falls to third overall behind Naran and McCoy. The latter two are separated by 40 minutes, essentially assuring Naran the win barring a disaster on the final stage.
While Lube reinforced his Rally Enduro lead, it wasn’t the prettiest of days for him as he crashed just 20 kilometers into the stage on the third dune; the bike landed on top of him, though he managed to get out. Lube crashed five more times and got stuck on an especially tall dune as well. One accident caused the bike to lose power when the fuel line adapter got knocked off, costing him 12 minutes as he tried to find it. Despite everything, he was glad to make it back and get a “dip in the ocean back at the pits”.
Only three UTVs reached the finish, led by Mike Shirley.
“Today was insane. The dunes were so fun,” Shirley remarked.
Stage winners
Auto
| Class | Overall | Number | Driver | Total Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UTV Modified | 4 | 205 | Kirk Kontilis | 11:30:00 |
| UTV Stock | 2 | 204 | Daniel Gonzalez | 5:40:53 |
| UTV Unlimited | 1 | 206 | Mike Shirley | 4:45:57 |
Moto
| Class | Overall | Number | Rider | Total Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pro Moto | 1 | 21 | Ciaran Naran | 3:41:46 |
| Rally Enduro | 5 | 14 | Matt Lube | 4:50:44 |
Overall leaders
Auto
| Class | Overall | Number | Driver | Total Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2WD | DNF | N/A | No Finishers | DNF |
| 4WD | DNF | N/A | No Finishers | DNF |
| UTV Modified | DNF | N/A | No Finishers | DNF |
| UTV Stock | 2 | 202 | Jorge Cano | 18:05:58 |
| UTV Unlimited | 1 | 206 | Mike Shirley | 17:09:45 |
Moto
| Class | Overall | Number | Rider | Total Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pro Moto | 1 | 21 | Ciaran Naran | 15:51:03 |
| Rally Enduro | 5 | 14 | Matt Lube | 17:36:59 |
Featured image credit: Sonora Rally
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