Jean Turner | January 2, 2016
The 2016 Dakar Rally got underway today in Argentina – or at least got a little bit of a warm-up with the 11km (6.8-mile) prologue. Day one saw riders complete a 171km transfer section followed by a short sprint to determine the starting order for tomorrow – the first stage of the Dakar Rally. HRC Honda’s Joan Barreda topped the field in a virtual tie with Husqvarna’s Ruben Faria, followed by Helder Rodrigues of the Yamaha factory team. The trio will lead the field tomorrow in Stage 1 from Rosario to Villa Carlos Paz in Argentina.
The prologue (a new feature in the Dakar Rally) wasn’t necessarily a test of outright speed, however. Many riders, such as KTM’s Toby Price, opted to ride conservatively with the goal of securing a modest starting position. “I was aiming for a 10th to 15th position,” said Price. Fellow factory KTM rider Matthias Walkner agreed with the strategy, explaining he didn’t want to push too hard because he didn’t want to start in front. In that regard, it was a successful day for both riders, as Price finished 16th right behind Walkner in 15th for the day.
For riders such as Rodrigues, however, out front is exactly where they want to be. “It was a good day for me as I achieved my goal,” said Rodrigues, of the Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team. “The Dakar Rally is long and I wanted to be at the front from the beginning.”
Although the prologue was short, it wasn’t without a challenge. A water crossing turned out to be deeper than expected and ended up costing time for some of the riders, such as KTM factory rider Laia Sanz and Dakar rookie rider Antoine Meo.
“The briefing said it was about 30cm deep, but I think it was more than a meter,” said Meo. “So the bike took on water and I had to take off the filter and remove the water to get it restarted.”
“I felt comfortable with the bike, then it stopped in the rider,” Sanz explained. “I got started quite quickly but to lose 2-3 minutes in the prologue is not a good start. Now I need to be calm and have no problems. I need to be smart and improve every day.”
On the “Team USA” front, American rider Ricky Brabec had a good first day, finishing a modest 22nd place in the prologue, earning himself an ideal starting position. Ian Blythe finished in 41st place, C.R. Gittere finished 73rd and Scott Bright came in 76th place.
American rider Alexander Smith – son of off-road legend Malcolm Smith – had some difficulties today, reporting that he lost his front brake 1km into the prologue. “I rode the remainder of the test with no front brake,” said Smith by way of an inReach Message. “Tomorrow is a new day and I’m planning on making the most of it.”
Racers have a big day tomorrow in Stage 1, with nearly 400 miles (632km) ahead, including a 141-mile (227km) special test.
Prologue Results: (Stage 1 starting order)
1. Joan Barreda (Hon) 6:27
2. Ruben Faria (Hus) +0.00
3. Helder Rodrigues (Yam) +0.03
4. Adrien Van Beveren (Yam) +0.04
5. Michael Metge (Hon) +0.08
6. Kevin Benavides (Hon) +0.08
7. Gerard Farres (KTM) +0.09
8. Pablo Quintanilla (Hus) +0.10
9. Stefan Sitko (KTM) +0.11
10. Jordi Viladoms (KTM) +0.13
11. Alessandro Botturi (Yam) +0.14
12. Txomin Arana (Hus) +0.15
13. David Casteu (KTM) +0.16
14. Javier Pizzolito (Hon) +0.16
15. Mattias Walkner (KTM) +0.17
16. Toby Price (KTM) +0.18
22. Ricky Brabec (Hon) +0.22
41. Ian Blythe (KTM) +0.46
49. Paulo Goncalves (Hon) +1.00
73. C.R. Gittere (Hus) +1.26
76. Scott Bright (KTM) +1.31
85. Alexander Smith (Hus) +1.41
102. Antoine Meo (KTM) +2.16
114. Laia Sanz (KTM) +3.43