at the start of the stage, but once again crashed severely
after 155km.
With a head injury and a suspected broken right hand,
the Portuguese rider, was forced to drop out of the race
for the 5th time out of 12 starts on the Dakar. After the
premature exit of Barreda Bort, this mishap was not good
news for Honda, even if they were leading the race at the
half way point thanks to Brabec.
A rest day in Arequipa saw 105 motorcycles still in the
race, along with 142 other competitors, this was the low-
est number of vehicles still running at the halfway point
since 2007. A testament to the tough conditions being
faced by all.
With 3 different leaders in the first 5 stages, the bike
race was quick to liven up for the favourites of the 41st
edition of Dakar. Honda had struggled as first Barreda
Bort then Goncalves dropped from contention. However,
it wasn’t all doom and gloom for the clan with the winged
logo, thanks to the revelation of Ricky Brabec, who lead
the general standings at the rally’s mid-way point. The
American, comfortable on the sandy terrain, had been
impressive on the first part of the Dakar and carried on
his shoulders all Honda’s hopes of (finally) knocking KTM
off their perch.
The Austrian firm had not yet had its last word, as Sam
Sunderland lay less than one minute behind the leader
of the general standings and boast the experience of al-
ready having won the Dakar. The rally lead was also open
to Quintanilla, 2 minutes 52 seconds behind, and Price,
who trailed by 3:21, not forgetting Van Beveren, Kevin
Benavides and Walkner, who were all legitimate outsiders
for outright victory in Lima. The final 5 stages were left
open to attack and offered an exciting final sprint!
The trek from Yauca to the small town of San Juan de
Marcona can seem a pleasant ride. Less than 100 km sep-
arate these two places going down the Panamericana road
on the Pacific Coast however, the field of the Dakar faced
an entirely different challenge, starting with a long liaison
to the start of the special - 267km. Right after the start, the
competitors tackled the fearsome dunes of Tanaka, the
toughest dune section in the rally. Then came the slightly
easier dunes of Acari, back after stage 3 but on a different
course, and a detour on the beach of Puerto de Lomas to
freshen up the competitors before a long off-road section.
The final showdown took place on the Duna Grande and
Duna Argentina sequence, which were not as difficult as
the dunes of Tanaka but came at the end of a gruelling
stage.
Pablo Quintanilla recharged during the rest day in
Arequipa and scored a double whammy on the road to San
Juan de Marcona. The Husqvarna rider attacked from the
start and claimed his first stage win since the start in Lima
Pic: F.Gooden / ASO DPPI
TRAVERSE 17