The 2016 Dakar in the motorcycle begins to take shape and begins to have a proper name: Toby Price. The Australian KTM has achieved his fifth stage victory and it will take 24 minutes to Stefan Svitko, who has been second after the abandonment of Paulo Gonçalves, the only hope for Honda, which has suffered mechanical problems.
The bike race ahead by becoming a crucial test today and has been key days. Today they played a marathon of 293 kilometers has finished CP2 neutralized because of the high temperatures in the desert of Fiambala, where many drivers are stuck in the dunes and in danger the security of all these stage.
Still, it was enough to have a day of Dakar. And the surprise has jumped half way when Paulo Gonçalves stopped on the track. The Portuguese rider suffered a mechanical problem in the radiator of his Honda and had to abandon the race, leaving only the lead from Toby Price, who also accumulated more distance competition. Thus, the two favorites for victory Honda have ended prematurely this year that promised so much.
Returning to Price, the Australian KTM scored his fifth stage victory and escapes in general to see how Gonçalves fell out of action. Toby and has a margin of 24 minutes over the second classified, which now has become Stefan Svitko, his KTM teammate. Thus, the Australian could have sentenced the test, and only a human or mechanical error can get you out of that leadership, which is so well maintained at a great pace.
Today the second stage was for Kevin Benavides, who finished seven minutes from time Price. Argentina is the last hope for Honda to end the test with a good result. It is fourth half a minute off the lead and only a minute from the podium, which now is in the hands of Pablo Quintillana with its amazing Husqvarna, which today has left him in fourth place, losing ten minutes with Price.
Third in this section in Belén has been Svitko, which from now on will keep his back on his teammate and his choices are a matter of Price to win this Dakar as matched. The Top 5 of the day was closed by Ricky Brabec, which has been just eleven minutes of Price and approaches Gerard Farres in general. Catalan was eighth today and thanks to low Gonçalves has been seventh overall as the best catalan rider.
The rest of the top ten completed the day Antoine Meo, Adrien Van Beveren, Gerard Farres, Helder Rodrigues and Armand Monleon, which stands behind Laia Sanz overall after this big stage. Catalan KTM rider it’s 13th and has been successfully passed as difficult as this stage, which has also been 13th. In general, however, it is still lagging behind Juan Pedrero, after losing much time today being 27th to 45 minutes, has fallen to 11th place overall.
Other local drivers with some problems have been Jordi Viladoms and Ivan Cervantes, who remained in the Top 20 after problems yesterday and in today have to the 23rd and 19th position. Near them and Antonio Gimeno is in 25th place.
Tomorrow the riders will get back on track to compete in the tenth stage of the test, which will go from Belén to La Rioja, making a total of 278 kilometers, continuing through the desert area of ??Fiambala that has given so much trouble today.