Thread: Dakar Rally 2016

Desert Wings: Leading the charge to the Dakar 2016

The countdown begins to the world’s toughest race: The 2016 Dakar Rally starts on Monday, January 3.








The Qatari returns to the continent as FIA Cross-Country Rally World Cup champion leading a star-studded MINI line-up that includes former ski jump champion Adam Malysz and Kuba Przygonski, who switches from bikes for the first time.
Kuba Przygonski: “My main goal is to reach the finish line of the Dakar, but the quicker I can do this the better. I will use all the experience I picked while racing bikes at this race.”






KTM

After an impressive debut in 2015, Austrian Matthias Walkner arrives in Dakar riding a wave of success that has brought him the FIM World Cross-Country Rallies Championship. Walkner look set to follow Coma and Despres to glory. There’s strength in depth in the Red Bull KTM Factory Team paddock with Jordi Viladoms, Toby Price and Antoine Meo while multiple enduro world champion Ivan Cervantes is also onboard KTM machinery.
Matthias Walkner: “As I long as I’m not in the dust of a rider in front I enjoy every moment at the Dakar. There is so much to see and experience during the two weeks, it’s such a unique race.”
Toby Price: “Last year was a dream result for me to finish on the podium. We worked hard and got that bit of luck you need. Now I want to back that result up or even go a couple better.”

Hadn't it been moved to South America because the savages in Africa had made the event too risky.

Dakar 2016: After Stage 8, War Intensifies Between Honda and KTM



With the clear intention of winning this time, Honda had all its hopes pinned on Paulo Goncalves for stage 8, after Barreda Bort retired post an unfortunate stage 7. The 766km-long stage, with a special stage of 393km, allowed the riders to set fast speeds, but also test their navigational capabilities.
After WP1, Honda's Goncalves was leading over Price by 33 seconds and fellow teammate, Benavides, by seven. Benavides, who was 12th fastest after CP1, regained his momentum soon and was leading Goncalves by 10 seconds and had a one minute and five second lead over Price.
After the second section of the special stage, Toby Price re-entered the leadership board, posting the best time at WP6 and registering a 29 second lead over Goncalves, and a one minute and 51 second lead over Benavides. Price kept increasing his lead, as registered at CP2 and CP3, making it a two minute and 47 second lead over Goncalves.
Australian rider, Toby Price, won stage 8 of Dakar 2016 hammering a mammoth lead of five minute and 17 seconds. This win also made him top the overall standings by two minutes and five seconds.


1. Toby Price (KTM) - 2756
2. Paulo Goncalves (Honda) - 2701
3. Stefan Svitko (KTM) - 27:43:10
4. Pablo Quintanilla (Husqvarna) - 27:50:22
5. Kevin Benavides (Honda) 27:54:51
6. Antoine Meo (KTM) - 27:57:40
7. Helder Rodrigues (Yamaha) - 27:59:47
8. Farres Guell (KTM) - 2828
9. Juan Pedrero Garcia (Sherco TVS) - 2837
10. Alain Duclos (Sherco TVS) - 2837

Frenchman Stephane Peterhansel of Peugeot took advantage of technical problems suffered by his rival Sebastien Loeb as he won the sixth stage of the 2016 Dakar Rally and moved into the overall lead, 27 seconds ahead of Loeb. Spaniard Carlos Sainz finished second in the stage through the scenic salty desert landscape of Bolivia's Uyuni region. In the motorbike category, Australian Toby Price finished over a minute ahead of the field, leaving him second in the overall standings behind Paulo Goncalves from Portugal.



8 January 2016: Antoine Meo of France rides his KTM bike near Uyuni, Bolivia


8 January 2016: Chilean biker Pablo Quintanilla powers his Husqvarna during Stage 6 of the Dakar 2016 around Uyuni, Bolivia
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8 January 2016: Austrian biker Matthias Walkner rides past the Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest salt flat, located in Bolivia near the crest of the Andes some 3,650 metres above sea levelFranck Fife/AFP



8 January 2016: Peugeot's French drivers Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena repair their car during Stage 6 around Uyuni, Bolivia


8 January 2016: Australian rider Toby Price powers his KTM near Uyuni, Bolivia

Spaniard Carlos Sainz claimed victory in the short seventh stage but his Peugeot teammate Loeb remained top of the overall rankings with his second-placed finish. In the bikes section, France's Antoine Meo claimed his maiden Dakar rally victory. The second timed section was cancelled following severe thunderstorms that caused flooding across much of the route, which ran from Bolivia's Uyuni to Salta in Argentina. Austrian Matthias Walkner suffered an injury following a crash and left the race with a broken femur. A 63-year-old man was killed when French competitor Lionel Baud collided with him.

9 January 2016: Ronan Chabot of France drives his Toyota near Uyuni, Bolivia





9 January 2016: Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar drives his Mini into a puddle near Uyuni, Bolivia



9 January 2016: Toby Price of Australia is reflected in the water as he rides his KTM during the seventh stage of the Dakar Rally 2016 near Uyuni, Bolivia

After a rest day, the rally entered its second week and a change of terrain as loose sand, including dunes and rocky passes, took over. The 2010 Dakar Rally winner Carlos Sainz pulled ahead of defending champion Nasser al-Attiyah, who still retained the overall lead. Sebastien Loeb rolled his car but managed to right it and continue. In the bikes section Toby Price of Australia took over the overall lead, ahead of Honda rider Paulo Goncalves, who crashed but

11 January 2016: Peugeot's French driver Sebastien Loeb is helped to put his overturned car back on its wheels during Stage 8 of the Dakar 2016 between Salta and Belen, Argentina



11 January 2016: Carlos Sainz of Spain drives his Peugeot past Hans Smit of Netherlands on his Husqvarna motorcycle during the eighth stage of the Dakar Rally 2016 near Cafayate, Argentina


Carlos Sainz won the ninth stage which was shortened because of extreme heat, giving him an overall lead of seven minutes, three seconds over Peterhansel. Sainz finished in two hours, 35 minutes, 31 seconds, just ten seconds ahead of Dutchman Erik Van Loon in a Mini. Sebastien Loeb's troubles continued when the Frenchman's car became stuck in the sand. In the bike category, Australian Toby Price on a KTM comfortably won the stage by over seven minutes from Kevin Benavides of Argentina on a Honda. Price now had an overall lead of 24:47 from Stefan Svitko of Slovakia.


12 January 2016: Yamaha rider Helder Rodrigues of Portugal gestures to a helicopter casting its shadow over him during the ninth stage of the Dakar Rally 2016 near Belen, Argentina



12 January 2016: Antoine Meo (top) of France rides his KTM ahead of Juan Pedrero Garcia (C) of Spain on his Sherco TVS and Adrien Van Beveren of France on his Yamaha during the ninth stage of the Dakar Rally 2016 near Belen, Argentina



13 January 2016: Peugeot's Spanish drivers Carlos Sainz Lucas Cruz check their car after a mechanical failure during Stage 10 of the 2016 Dakar Rally between Belen and La Rioja, Argentina

Did they manage to lose Mark Thatcher to justify all the wasted fuel