Photo: dakar.com
Toby Price put another stage victory to his name as he was the leading bike in Stage 9. The Marathon stage around Belen proved to be a grueling ordeal for all the Dakar competitors, but the KTM rider showed that being the road opener was not at all a hard task for him.
It is not uncommon to see Special Stages shortened during the Dakar Rally. Most often special stages are cut short by the race organizers because of inclement weather that makes competing either too hard even for the tough men and women of the Dakar, or too risky.
Race direction decided to end Stage 9 at the second checkpoint, because navigation through the Fiambala dunes in the 42 degrees Celsius (just under 108 F in the shade) heat proved to be exceedingly difficult. Price was already leading at CP2, so the premature ending of the SS prevented him from opening a bigger gap from his rivals.
He was towed to the next checkpoint, where he intended to attempt an on-site repair. To his relief, he learned there that the Special Stage was over, so he will be able to have his team repair the bike overnight. Whether he will change his engine is yet uncertain.
Price established a solid 29-mite lead at the top of the general ranking, but he still has to remain focused and avoid making costly mistakes. Next in line is Stefan Svitko, with a 5-minute advantage over Goncalves, and therefore, still having to fight for his second position on the podium.
Honda's rider also has to be careful, as Husqvarna's Pablo Quintanilla, who finished Stage 9 in the seventh position, is close behind him, with a gap of less than five minutes. Antoine Meo and his KTM are three minutes behind the Chilean rider, while Benavides puts Honda in the sixth position. Yamaha is seventh with Helder Rodrigues, while Guell, Brabec and Van Beveren round up the top ten.
Sanz and Gyenes were 14th and 19th, respectively, and now occupy the same corresponding positions in the general ranking. Stage 10 links Belen and La Rioja, with a 283 km (176-mile) link and 278 km (173-mile) special stage.
Race direction decided to end Stage 9 at the second checkpoint, because navigation through the Fiambala dunes in the 42 degrees Celsius (just under 108 F in the shade) heat proved to be exceedingly difficult. Price was already leading at CP2, so the premature ending of the SS prevented him from opening a bigger gap from his rivals.
More problems for Goncalves
Honda is still not through their dark days. After the brutal crash from yesterday, Stage 9 brought more problems for Goncalves. A branch punctured his bike's radiator and he was forced to take things easy.He was towed to the next checkpoint, where he intended to attempt an on-site repair. To his relief, he learned there that the Special Stage was over, so he will be able to have his team repair the bike overnight. Whether he will change his engine is yet uncertain.
Price established a solid 29-mite lead at the top of the general ranking, but he still has to remain focused and avoid making costly mistakes. Next in line is Stefan Svitko, with a 5-minute advantage over Goncalves, and therefore, still having to fight for his second position on the podium.
Honda's rider also has to be careful, as Husqvarna's Pablo Quintanilla, who finished Stage 9 in the seventh position, is close behind him, with a gap of less than five minutes. Antoine Meo and his KTM are three minutes behind the Chilean rider, while Benavides puts Honda in the sixth position. Yamaha is seventh with Helder Rodrigues, while Guell, Brabec and Van Beveren round up the top ten.
Sanz and Gyenes were 14th and 19th, respectively, and now occupy the same corresponding positions in the general ranking. Stage 10 links Belen and La Rioja, with a 283 km (176-mile) link and 278 km (173-mile) special stage.
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