Jean Turner | January 9, 2016
All three major teams have now incurred losses in the top-five. Red Bull KTM’s Matthias Walkner was helicoptered off the course today following a bad crash in Dakar Rally Stage 7. Yesterday it was Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Ruben Faria who was helicoptered out after crashing and suffering a broken arm. Yesterday also spelled the end for HRC’s top gun Joan Barreda, who had to be towed to the finish following a mechanical failure. Although Barreda completed yesterday’s stage and was still technically in the race, he opted not to start today citing an injured hand.
Each team has lost one of its top riders, but the competition still rages on between the factory KTM and Honda powerhouse teams.
As reported earlier, the second special of Stage 7 was canceled due to more extreme weather in the area, but not before riders put in over 200 miles in the first timed special. Red Bull KTM’s Antoine Meo was declared the winner in Dakar Rally Stage 7, marking the first stage win of his career.
“The first part was real tough,” Meo commented. “We couldn’t see the terrain properly because of the sun glare. But I rode fast, I made no mistakes and I navigated properly toward the end. I felt much better than yesterday so I attacked a bit. I’m discovering the Dakar; it’s still hard to judge. I wanted to be in the top 10 and so far, it’s even better. I try to be consistent and not get too tired. I’ll do my best to keep it up. I feel okay physically, but I know we’ve still got to tackle the toughest week.”
HRC’s Paulo Goncalves arrived at the finish a bit late, but was awarded third place in the stage upon receiving time back for stopping for downed rider Matthias Walkner. We earlier reported Goncalves taking second place, but after results were finalized, his Honda teammate Kevin Benavides edged him out by three seconds for the runner-up spot on the day. HRC’s Michael Metge finished behind him in fourth, making for a good day for the red team.
“At the start of the special, I stopped to help Matthias, who had taken a tumble,” said Goncalves. “I stayed with him until Pablo Quintanilla got there. The first part of the stage featured some navigation but then the profile was a bit like two days ago, with lots of [water crossings]. In the second special, after the neutralized section, it was raining cats and dogs. I was almost scared; it was almost snow.”
At that point, Dakar Rally Stage 7 was suspended for the motorcycles, and riders convoyed from La Quiaca to Salta, Argentina by way of an alternate route. (The cars and trucks continued through the rest of the stage.)
Husqvarna’s Pablo Quintanilla was another rider who received time back after stopping for his friend Walkner. “Today was hard,” Quintanilla said. “At the start of the special I came across Matthias who’d just fallen. I stayed with him until the helicopter came. It’s tough to ease back into your pace after that. He’s like a friend to me.”
Early reports indicate that Walkner hit a ditch and ejected. The Austrian rider was airlifted to a hospital in Uyuni where he is reportedly in stable condition with a broken femur and also a possible knee injury. According to Austrian motorsports publication LAOLA1.at, KTM Motorsport Advisor Heinz Kinigadner announced Walkner will be transported home to Salzburg, Austria on Sunday.
Quintanilla managed to get through the rest of the special without incident. “My week was quite difficult because it was hard to find my rhythm on the mountainous terrain of the start to the rally. However the priority was getting to the rest day without any mishaps, without any injuries and in the top-10. We did it, so I’m happy in this sense. Now is time to catch a breather before a tough second week with lots of navigation. It is a new phase.”
KTM’s Toby Price also obtained his goal of reaching the halfway point on a positive note, but he is well aware that the battle is far from over. Price, who was delighted to see a show of Aussie nationalism at the finish, ended the day fifth in the stage. He is still second overall in the general ranking, but lost a bit of ground to Goncalves, who now has a three-minute lead.
“I’m happy with my performance today,” Price said. “There were Australian flags at the finish of the special. It’s nice to get support when you’re racing so far from home. I’m happy with the work we’ve done so far. It’s far from over; a mechanical or a navigational mistake can destroy everything. My aim is to finish the race and get a podium spot. We’ll see… we had a good first week, no significant mistakes. Our objective was to get to the rest day in a good position.”
Ricky Brabec was strong today once again with another top-10 finish. He finished 10th and now sits 12th in the overall. Unlike his teammate Goncalves, Brabec was sad to see the second part of the stage canceled, since he was enjoying riding in the rain.
“Other than [Walkner’s accident], the stage was very good and fast,” Brabec said. “It was the same stage as two days ago so we remembered a lot of the stuff. The second stage getting canceled was a disappointment. It was raining quite hard on us but it was still fun.”
Along with Brabec, all four other American riders entered in the 2016 Dakar Rally—Alexander Smith, Ian Blythe, Scott Bright and C.R. Gittere—have officially made it through to the halfway point. In a show of true grit, all of them have carded steady, consistent finishes and continue to climb up the overall ranking.
Riders are now back in Argentina, where the remainder of the Dakar Rally will take place. Riders now find themselves in familiar territory, and are preparing for tougher terrain and more complicated navigation.
“We will start pressuring in the second week that promises to be harder than the first one,” commented HRC Team Manager Wolfgang Fischer. “We will try and stay focused on that and be ready to attack and defend our lead. The whole team, the riders among each other and all staff, have been working very well together to arrive in this position in Salta.”
Dakar Rally Stage 7 Results:
- Antoine Meo (KTM) 2:27:27
- Kevin Benavides (Hon) +1:53
- Paulo Goncalves (Hon) +1:56
- Michael Metge (Hon) +3:51
- Toby Price (KTM) +4:33
- Pablo Quintanilla (Hus) +4:52
- Arana (Hus) +5:03
- Gerard Farres (KTM) +6:01
- Stefan Svitko (KTM) +6:03
- Ricky Brabec (Hon) +6:17
- Laia Sanz (KTM) +7:03
- Ian Blythe (KTM) +11:41
- Alexander Smith (Hus) +20:14
- Scott Bright (KTM) +34:11
- C.R. Gittere (Hus) +50:33
Overall Results after Dakar Rally Stage 7:
- Paulo Goncalves (Hon) 22:52:30
- Toby Price (KTM) +3:12
- Stefan Svitko (KTM) +9:24
- Pablo Quintanilla (Hus) +18:06
- Kevin Benavides (Hon) +21:01
- Antoine Meo (KTM) 21:06
- Helder Rodrigues (Yam) +24:44
- Gerard Farres (KTM) +29:57
- Alain Duclos (Shr) +30:32
- Juan Pedrero (Shr) +31:45
- Ricky Brabec (Hon) +38:07
- Laia Sanz (KTM) +44:36
- Ian Blythe (KTM) +1:55:15
- Alexander Smith (Hus) +3:34:51
- Scott Bright (KTM) +4:32:31
- C.R. Gittere (Hus) +7:16:37