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 |
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 |
