HRC Back Into the Lead in Dakar?

Jean Turner | January 5, 2016

Following provisional results, it appeared Honda HRC riders were back in the driver seat in the 2016 Dakar Rally, claiming the top-three spots in Stage 3 and reclaiming the overall lead. But it appears the ASO may have dealt out some penalties including a one-minute penalty to HRC’s top gun Joan Barreda. As posted in the general rankings on the official Dakar Rally website, KTM’s Stefan Svitko is now in the overall lead in the bike category followed by Honda rider Kevin Benavides with Barreda sitting third.

Joan Barreda HRC Honda Dakar Rally 2016 Stage 3 — HRC’s Joan Barreda topped the provisional results of Stage 3 in the Dakar Rally, but has a penalty dropped him back to third? Photography by HRC

Other penalty recipients appear to include Oliver Pain (originally listed as 13^th and now 20^th), Sherco’s Juan Pedrero (originally 11^th and now 24^th with a two-minute penalty) and factory Yamaha’s Alessandro Botturi who received a three-minute penalty (sliding from 14^th to 31^st).

These penalties, if upheld, effectively shuffle the deck inside the top-20. We are currently seeking confirmation on the general overall rankings in the Dakar Rally bike category.

Stage 3 Results:

Current Overall Standings after Stage 3: