After a complicated stage effectively shook up overall standings, Marc Coma is finally in control at the Dakar Rally. Photography by RallyZone Bauer/Barni.
The second half of the marathon stage at the Dakar Rally proved to be a brutal one, leaving a long list of victims in its wake and effectively shaking up the overall standings. Stage 8 got out to a late start this morning due to rain on the salt flats of Uyuni, Bolivia, but when it was deemed passable, riders set out on their trek back toward Iquique, Chile. The going got rough for many bike competitors, including leader Joan Barreda who dropped out of the top 20 today. Stage 8 claimed multiple other victims, including four riders in the top 20.
After finishing Stage 7 with a broken handlebar yesterday, Barreda had to call on Argentinian Honda rider Demian Guiral for a replacement handlebar since the marathon stage did not allow assistance from his support crew. The HRC rider once again had to rely on his Honda comrades today in order to reach the finish. After a mechanical failure, Barreda was towed to the finish by his teammate, Jeremias Israel. Although he is still technically in the running, Barreda lost a perilous amount of time on Stage 8.
Joan Barreda blasts across the salt flats of Uyuni on Stage 8 before a mechanical issue prompted him to seek a tow from his HRC teammate. Photography by HRC.
KTM’s Marc Coma rode cautious today, and carded a ninth-place finish. While his effort on the stage wasn’t his best, it was all he needed to move into the overall lead. Coma capitalized on HRC’s misfortune, and not only gained control, but also put another four-and-a-half minutes over second-place rider, Paolo Goncalves, who finished 15th.
Despite his progress, Coma did not have much to say. “It was a very extreme day. It was too difficult on the salt lake. There was the altitude, the cold, everything mixed in. It’s just another day. The important thing is the last day and where we are. It was not an easy day for us, so we will see.”
Juan Pedrero nearly took his first victory of the rally as he battled with Stefan Svitko throughout the stage. Pedrero squeezed his Yamaha in front of Svitko by a margin of one second, but they were both trumped by the KTM of Pablo Quintanilla who sped by him in the last miles through the dunes. Quintanilla celebrated his first win of the rally on Stage 8, and advanced to third place in the overall. Pedrero is nearly inside the top-10 with his second-place finish, and now sits 11th overall.
“It was very, very complicated,” Quintanilla said. “This morning, because it rained all night, the tracks were full of water and the salt pan (salt flat) was full of water, too. The bike suffered on the stage and the electrical circuit did, too. It was very tough: the altitude, the entire day on the bike, but I’m happy to be back in Chile. We’ll have a look with the mechanics to make sure we can start tomorrow in good condition.”
Australian KTM rider Toby Price continued his superb performance in the Dakar Rally with a fourth-place finish. The top-four riders crossed the finish within one minute of each other, marking the closest stage thus far.
An even more impressive came finish from HRC’s Laia Sanz on Stage 8. Sanz piloted her Honda CRF450 RALLY to fifth overall, and she was the last rider to notch a time under three hours on today’s precarious special.
Laia Sanz made impressive gains today with her fifth-place finish. The HRC rider now sits 9th in overall standings. Photography by HRC.
“Today was a really hard day,” said Sanz. “At the beginning some riders didn’t want to start because itw as dangerous and cold. But in the end, for me, it was a good stage. I was third until the dunes but then Toby [Price] and [Pablo] Quintanilla passed me very fast. Anyway, I’m very happy with this fifth position.”
While riders like Price and Sanz advanced in the standings, Stage 8 dealt out more hard luck to many riders in the top 20. HRC’s Helder Rodrigues lost over three hours when he had to perform bike repairs during the special. Israel also suffered a time loss after stopping to assist his HRC teammate, Barreda. KTM’s Matthias Walkner came in behind Barreda, also having lost over an hour and a half.
The Factory KTM squad lost Jordi Villadoms today who suffered engine failure. Yamaha-mounted riders Michael Metge and Alessandro Botturi also dropped out of the running today, as did Honda-mounted Daniel Gouet.
Dakar Motorcycle Results – Stage 8
1. Pablo Quintanilla (KTM)
2. Juan Pedrero Garcia (Yam)
3. Stefan Svitko (KTM)
4. Toby Price (KTM)
5. Laia Sanz (Hon)
6. Xavier De Soultrait (Yam)
7. Alain Duclos (Shr)
8. Hans Vogels (KTM)
9. Marc Coma (Hon)
10. Ruben Faria (KTM)
1. Marc Coma (28:51:12)
2. Paolo Goncalves (+9:11)
3. Pablo Quintanilla (+11:11)
4. Toby Price (+15:56)
5. Stefan Svitko (+26:30)
6. Ruben Faria (+34:34)
7. Alain Duclos (+58:08)
8. David Casteu (+1:10:48)
9. Laia Sanz (+1:18:51)
10. Ivan Jakes (+1:47:47)
