Photo: dakar.com
Helder Rodrigues came out of the shadows and claimed another stage win for Honda in the 6th leg of the 2015 Dakar Rally. The Portuguese rider had a very good pace and made no navigation mistakes and his time helped him jump from the 10th position straight to the 6th before the rest day in Iquique.
Still in a very good shape despite his inexistent Dakar experience, Australian rookie Toby Price did not let Rodrigues escape too far ahead and added another awesome stage finish in the runner-up position, a little over a minute behind the leader.
Another Honda machine, Paulo Goncalves’ arrived third in Iquique, shortly after Price, followed by the local hero Pablo Quintanilla, though at a noticeable distance. Still comfortable with their lead, the two Spanish arch-rivals, Barreda Bort and Coma, let Stefan Svitko finish 5th and settled for the 6th and 7th positions, respectively.
This time it was Coma who trailed behind Barreda, even though he had to let go around 2 minutes, and is now 12’27” behind the Honda rider. The top 10 was completed by Faria, Slovakian Jakes and Chilean Cabrera. Laia Sanz arrived in the 16th position.
Further behind, we see Pablo Quintanilla 30 minutes behind Barreda, but only 12 minutes behind Goncalves, and this means that the Chilean can, and most likely will try to reduce the gap for a shot at the 2015 Dakar podium.
Toby Price sits in a most rewarding 5th position, with a 4-minute gap separating him from Quintanilla, again a difference worth fighting to reduce in the remaining stages. Helder Rodrigues is 6th, followed by Ruben Faria, Stefan Svitko, Alain Duclos and with David Casteu rounding up the top 10.
Next the Dakar riders are leaving Chile and will enter Bolivia, a country which posed huge difficulties last year because of its very unwelcoming terrain. From Iquique, the riders will travel to Uyuni, with a 321 km (199 miles) special stage ahead, which will have them pass close to the Copiasa and Uyuni salt flats.
Stage 6 - Car/Bike - Stage Summary... by Dakar
Another Honda machine, Paulo Goncalves’ arrived third in Iquique, shortly after Price, followed by the local hero Pablo Quintanilla, though at a noticeable distance. Still comfortable with their lead, the two Spanish arch-rivals, Barreda Bort and Coma, let Stefan Svitko finish 5th and settled for the 6th and 7th positions, respectively.
This time it was Coma who trailed behind Barreda, even though he had to let go around 2 minutes, and is now 12’27” behind the Honda rider. The top 10 was completed by Faria, Slovakian Jakes and Chilean Cabrera. Laia Sanz arrived in the 16th position.
Rest day for the bikes and the quads in Iquique
We’re halfway into the 2015 Dakar, and the bikes and quads get their well-deserved day of rest in Iquique, on the shore of the Pacific ocean. The general ranking in the 2015 Dakar sees Honda’s Joan Barred Bort in the leading position, followed by KTM’s Marc Coma and another HRC rider, Paulo Goncalves. It looks like these three will battle it out in the remainder of the rally, as they are separated by 17 minutes, which makes almost anything possible.Further behind, we see Pablo Quintanilla 30 minutes behind Barreda, but only 12 minutes behind Goncalves, and this means that the Chilean can, and most likely will try to reduce the gap for a shot at the 2015 Dakar podium.
Toby Price sits in a most rewarding 5th position, with a 4-minute gap separating him from Quintanilla, again a difference worth fighting to reduce in the remaining stages. Helder Rodrigues is 6th, followed by Ruben Faria, Stefan Svitko, Alain Duclos and with David Casteu rounding up the top 10.
Next the Dakar riders are leaving Chile and will enter Bolivia, a country which posed huge difficulties last year because of its very unwelcoming terrain. From Iquique, the riders will travel to Uyuni, with a 321 km (199 miles) special stage ahead, which will have them pass close to the Copiasa and Uyuni salt flats.
Stage 6 - Car/Bike - Stage Summary... by Dakar
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