Dakar 2019, Stage 6: Quintanilla takes lead with win

The 336km stage, which was run between Arequipa and San Juan de Marcona, was dominated by Quintanilla and Benavides, the duo trading the lead multiple times.

Benavides had the upper hand early on, setting the pace in the first 84 kilometres, which was followed by a short neutralisation zone and then the rest of the stage.

Quintanilla soon stole the lead but the gap between them was less than a minute until the sixth waypoint, where the Husqvarna rider started to inch away.

He ended up with a 1m52s lead over Benavides, with KTM duo Matthias Walkner and Toby Price taking third and fourth, both over four minutes behind.

Brabec was fifth, seven and a half minutes slower than Quintanilla, the American losing his overall lead to the Chilean as a result, 4m38s down.

Slovakian Stefan Svitko and Husqvarna's Andrew Short followed with Luciano Benavides and Adrien van Beveren taking eighth and ninth, but both riders stopping to aid the crashing Lorenzo Santolino.

Besides Brabec, Price and Benavides are the only other riders within 10 minutes of overall leader Quintanilla.

Walkner rounds out a close top five with a big gap developing between him and Yamaha's van Beveren and the struggling Sam Sunderland.

The Briton lost 22m59s during the stage and dropped from second to seventh, 21m06s off the lead.

Standings after Stage 6 (Bike class, top 10):