Jean Turner | January 13, 2016
The arduous task of navigating the Fiambala desert in the longest-ever dunes stage in Dakar history is now behind racers, as Dakar Rally Stage 10 is in the books. Red Bull KTM’s Toby Price – with a comfortable lead in the overall as of yesterday’s Stage 9 – saw no need to push too hard today, and was content to collect third place behind winner Stefan Svitko and Honda rider Kevin Benavides. Honda HRC rider Paulo Goncalves collected fourth place only 14 seconds behind Price, followed by KTM’s Antoine Meo who rounded out the top-five.
Although Goncalves finished the day with a respectable time, the official overall ranking as of Stage 10 now indicate a penalty of 39 min, 56 seconds for the HRC rider. Once again, we have no information to explain any such penalty, and we will seek to clarify the overall standings tomorrow.
With a near 35-minute lead in the Dakar Rally, is it now Toby Price’s race to lose? Photography by Red Bull Content Pool
“Today was long sand dunes,” said Price. “A few little river beds and about 95% off-road. I took it easy because my motorcycle struggled in the heat yesterday. I also focused on navigating. It was very difficult at around the 30 km mark, so I took my time around that spot and I think that’s where I lost some time. In the last two days I’ve probably learned more than in my last six rallies. For sure it’s built my confidence up a bit and it shows I can navigate.”
The stage was a tricky one not only because of the terrain and the navigation, but because the unique starting procedure saw the motorcycles start in groups with cars and trucks. After the drama in yesterday’s Stage 9, HRC’s Paulo Goncalves held the 13th-place starting position and found himself behind a number of vehicles in the stage.
“I started behind the trucks and the tracks weren’t good,” said Goncalves. “The sand was very unstable and I had to ride very smoothly. But the day was a positive one. The good thing is I arrived without problems. I’m still in the fight for the top positions and now we will set up the bike for an attack tomorrow because in the marathon stage I repaired the bike as best I could.”
An unexplained 39:56 penalty appears to have dropped Paulo Goncalves to eighth in the overall ranking. At the time of the HRC Team’s daily press release (and according to Stage 10 media information from the Dakar Rally), Goncalves was listed as third. Photography by HRC
After suffering a damaged radiator yesterday, Goncalves and his teammates worked into the night in an effort to repair his CRF450 RALLY as best they could. As part of the marathon stage, the riders were in an isolated bivouac and could not call upon the support of the team mechanics, but instead did the best they could to make radiator and engine repairs.
It was another great day for Ricky Brabec, who miraculously seems to be gaining more energy and momentum by the day. Brabec collected another top-10 finish, this time eighth to continue his bid in the Dakar Rally. Another American, Ian Blythe, set a scorching time today to card 11th overall in Stage 10 – by far his best performance in the rally.
“Today, here at the second and final marathon, I knew it was going to be difficult so I sat back and took my time, just played it smart and safe, because I knew the dunes would get me,” said Brabec. “I’m happy to be at the finish line and I’m ready to go for the next three days. I’m also happy that Paulo got back and running. I know that we can end up on top.”
American Ricky Brabec blasts his way through the daunting sand dunes of the Fiambala desert in Argentina on Stage 10. Another top-10 finish has solidified the Dakar rookie in seventh overall. Photography by HRC
Weather continues to wreak havoc on the rally, and yet again, the course had to be shortened – this time only by 18 miles (30 km) due to a river crossing that had grown too deep due to rain in the area. That still left 160 miles (258 km) for riders to conquer in Dakar Rally Stage 10.
For Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Pablo Quintanilla, it was a substantial effort simply reaching the finish line. The Chilean made a valiant effort in Stage 10 getting his Husqvarna through the stage with a damaged rear tire, and losing minimal time in the process. Quintanilla finished sixth on the day, but advanced to third in the overall standings on account of Goncalves’ mysterious penalty.
“It was a bad day,” said an exhausted Quintanilla. “I tried to claw back some time, but when I reached the refueling zone my rear wheel was damaged. I mended it as best as I could. I was left unable to attack. I tried to stay calm and eased up the pace. I’m lucky to finish the stage. It was an awful day. I lost time, that’s fur sure, but we’ll keep on fighting ‘til the end.”
It was an exhausting and frustrating day for Pablo Quintanilla, but his hard work paid off. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider finished the stage despite a busted rear tire and now sits third overall. Photography by Husqvarna / Bauer E. / RallyZone
As for the fight for the overall, the time gap is substantial with Price in control, but with three days left of racing, anything can still happen. Goncalves and Price both have the experience to know that nothing is decided yet, and neither will be backing down until the finish on Saturday.
“I can ride a bit more defensively now,” said Price. “No need to attack to gain time like I did yesterday. I’ve got some margin, but no guarantee. Anything can happen. I’ve got to continue working. I must avoid any mistakes or missing waypoints. What’s important is to be in good shape and ready to kick it up a notch if necessary.”
“After what happened on Tuesday it will be very difficult to fight for the victory because the difference is very big,” commented Goncalves. “But it isn’t over yet. After the problems that I’ve had, to be here is very positive. I have to keep up a good pace every day starting tomorrow.”
Of course, another rider – Slovakian KTM rider Stefan Svitko – sits between them in second overall. Although the Dakar Rally Stage 10 winner continues to push forward with impressive speed and skill, he remains humble in his approach, commenting only, “There are three more stages before the end but I’m very happy with the classification. I didn’t expect that.”
Tomorrow is another extremely tough stage of the rally. A very long stage of 442 miles (712 km) including a 268-mile special (431 km) awaits with very difficult navigation, and a lot of sand and dreaded “fesh-fesh” (silt beds). “I think it will be the key stage,” commented Red Bull Rally Team Manager Alex Doringer. The difficult terrain, tricky navigation and sheer length mean that a lot of time can be made up, or lost in Stage 11.
Dakar Rally Stage 10 Results:
- Stefan Svitko (KTM) 3:47:23
- Kevin Benavides (Hon) +2:54
- Toby Price (KTM) +5:47
- Paulo Goncalves (Hon) +6:01
- Antoine Meo (KTM) +7:43
- Pablo Quintanilla (Hus) +9:55
- Helder Rodrigues (Yam) +12:01
- Ricky Brabec (Hon) +13:47
- Adrien Van Beveren (Yam) +18:01
- Gerard Farres (KTM) +26:46
- Ian Blythe (KTM) +30:02
- Alexander Smith (Hus) +1:17:35
- Laia Sanz (KTM) +1:34:29
- Scott Bright (KTM) +3:08:15
General Ranking after Dakar Rally Stage 10:
- Toby Price (KTM) 34:49:04
- Stefan Svitko (KTM) +23:12
- Pablo Quintanilla (Hus) +42:49
- Antoine Meo (KTM) +44:04
- Kevin Benavides (Hon) +45:10
- Helder Rodrigues (Yam) +56:17
- Ricky Brabec (Hon) +1:12:08
- Paulo Goncalves (KTM) +1:14:45
- Gerard Farres (KTM) +1:15:09
- Adrien Van Beveren (Yam) +1:21:55
- Laia Sanz (KTM) +3:22:42
- Ian Blythe (KTM) +5:31:59
- Alexander Smith (Hus) +8:06:10
- Scott Bright (KTM) +12:24:03
