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Author: David Bodapati
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Maini brothers dominate; Rishon Rajeev, Rohaan Madesh share honours; Ishaan in line to retain title
Bengaluru, 9 Jan 2021: Now under the tutelage of Narain Karthikeyan, Maini brothers dominated the show and hogged the limelight in the Senior Class, once again for the third week running but it was Birel Art’s Rishon Rajeev, who put in another stellar performance taking a gold in the final race of the Junior Class while the pre-finals were dominated Madesh brothers of Peregrine Racing. Rohaan in Junior class and Ishaan in Micro Max class, excelled clinching a gold each in the fifth and penultimate round of the Rotax Max National Karting Championship here at Meco Kartopia, near Bagalur, on Saturday.
Kush Maini, the runner-up in the British F3 Championship, beat Arjun Maini, an F2 driver and Haas Formula 1 development driver for two seasons, before he switched to European Le Mans. However, much cannot be read into his under-performance as this is just karting to prepare for the new initiative that is being launched by Narain Karthikeyan, the pioneer and first Formula 1 driver from India. Arjun Maini is leading the championship as NK Racing Academy team with 342 over Suriya Varathan of MSport (323), as Kush Maini missed a race due to the death of his grandfather in Round 2. Arjun promptly dedicated his win to the man who was close to his heart and who moulded his character. Sohil Shah replaced Kush, for that race as a reserve driver of the team.
Rishov Ranjan, leads the Junior championship by 19 points after Round 5 Reigning champion in his class, now in Senior class, Shahan Ali Mohsin completed the podium in both the pre-final and the final. Rubbing shoulders with the country’s top-3 current single-seater star drivers is a boon to the talented MSport karter, who dominated the karting scene in junior classes.
Rohaan Madesh was brilliant in the win today as he showcased his driving skills and exhibited his talent to win one race. But he needs to be consistent to win races regularly in tune with his talent. Rohaan found his wonted form, and won the Pre-final race while Rishon Rajeev displaced him to take the victory in the Final race of Round 5. Rishon is leading the championship by 19 points. He took two wins, two poles and two fastest laps in the five rounds and also suffered engine issues in Round 3. Meanwhile, Ruhaan Alva, who swept everything in the X30 Nationals, but for one race, seems to have been bogged down by issues with the kart and began the Rotax season on a back-foot. But despite the setback, he logged a second place in both the pre-final and Final.
Ishaan Madesh, championiship leader in the Micro Max category. It is another well-known pair of siblings in the karting circles for the past few seasons and that’s Madesh brothers. It is the bubbly Ishaan Madesh, a happy-go-lucky karter, the junior of the two, who catches the eye every time he is on the track. The defending champion’s prime reason for karting is to enjoy, track time or not. Even after the race, he will take his skateboard and play on the track, given a chance. But once he sits in the kart, he is no mean joke. His focus, his skills and importantly his consistent performance are noteworthy. However, he has easily dealt with the competition in his class, and if his energies are channelised properly, and talent and skills fine-tuned, he has the ability to go places, provided he manages to keep the distractions out, which usually creep in as kids grow up. Watch-out for him, especially, as and when he moves to the Junior class. Ishaan of Pregrine Racing with 356 points is leading the championship over Aditya Suresh Kamath of Birel Art (330) and Arafath Sheikh of MSport too has an outside chance, mathematically, to still go for the 2020 title with 329 points in his bag. Sunday’s two races will make the champ!
Rohan Madesh takes the flag in the pre-finals and needs to score 20 points more than Rishon Rajeev in the two races on Sunday offering 34 (pre final) and 55 (final) points. @twitter fmsci Rohan Madesh, the elder brother, is much more mature and his driving and times are improving with each year. He has the pace but needs to stay focussed and get consistent results as the Junior class throws many challenges.
Rishon Magehalli Rajeev of Birel Art managed a fourth place in the other race taking in some valuable points while Rohan Madesh could not make it to the top-six in the race which was by Rishon, thus trailing him in championship points. The final round on Sunday will be crucial for both.
Akshat Misra of MSport took a third place in the Junior category while in the pre-finals, while it is Jaden Rahman Pariat completed the podium in the Final and Akshat could only finish sixth.
Provisional unaudited Results:
A brilliant freeze of the Rotax Max Karting Nationals, by well-known motorsport photographer Shajahan, the only one to attend all karting events in 2020 season. At INDIAinF1, we salute such dedicated photo journalists! (Editor’s note: RESULTS ARE NOT OFFICIAL and will be replaced once OFFICIAL RESULTS ARE RECEIVED!)
PRE-FINAL
Seniors (18 laps): 1. #65 Kush Maini (NK Racing) (Time: 14: 27.972; 55.500 Lap 8)); 2. #63 Arjun Maini (NK Racing) (14:29.772 – 55.608 Lap 4); 3. #72 Shahan Ali Mohsin (14:34.816; 55.896 Lap 2); 4. #61 Mihir Suman Avalakki (14:35.447 -55.877 Lap 4); 5. #77 K Suriya Varathan (14:38.106 – 55.710 Lap 5); 6. #68 Raaj Bakhru (14:50.421- 56.098 Lap 4). Grid: 12 drivers;
Junior (12 laps): 1. #27 Rohaan Madesh (11:37.059 – 56.247 – Lap 12) 2. #36 Ruhaan Alva (11: 37.520 – 56.298- Lap 12); 3. #49 Akshat Mishra (11: 37.940 – 56.098 Lap 7); 4. #26 Rishon Rajeev (11:39.001 – 56.063 Lap 6); 5. #45 Abhay M (11: 39.821 – 56.323 Lap 11); 6. #40 Jaden Rahmat Pariat (11:40.443 – 56.315 Lap 10). Grid: 10
Micro Max (10 Laps): 1. #11 Ishaan Madesh (11.08.065 -1:01.210 Lap 9); 2. #5 Arafath Sheikh (11:11.625 – 1: 01.758 Lap 3); 3. #2 D Nikhileash Raju (11:15.462 – 1:02.156 Lap 6); 4. #10 Aditya Suresh Kumar (11:19.308 1:01.297 Lap 9); 5. #25 Anuj Arun Velraj (11:22.779 – 1:02.698 Lap 4); 6. #17 Zarah Misra (11:28.369 – 1:03.516 Lap 5).
FINAL
Seniors (18 laps): 1. #65 Kush Maini (NK Racing) (Time: 17min, 02.885sec; Best lap: 55.576 Lap 6)); 2. #63 Arjun Maini (NK Racing) (17:09.043 – 55.716 Lap 14); 3. #72 Shahan Ali Mohsin (17:13.796; 56.065 Lap 10); 4. #77 K Suriya Varathan (17:14.177 – 56.125 Lap17); 5. #61 Mihir Suman Avalakki (17:22.494 -56.241 Lap 8); 6. #76 Nigel Abraham Thomas (17:24.934- 56.572 Lap15). Grid: 12 drivers;
Junior (15 laps): 1. #26 Rishon Rajeev (14:46.691 – 56.239 Lap 10); 2. #36 Ruhaan Alva (14:46.927 – 56.247 Lap 12); 3. #40 Jaden Rahman Pariat (14:48.081 – 56.312 Lap 11); 4. #45 Abhay M (14:53.057 – 56.468 Lap 13); 5. #48 Shaurya Kapani (14: 53.320 – 56.504 Lap 10); 6. #49 Akshat Misra (14;58.738 – 56.188 Lap 7). Grid: 10 drivers.
Micro Max (12 Laps): 1. #11 Ishaan Madesh (13.37.211 -1:00.167 Lap 7); 2. #10 Aditya Suresh Kamath (13:48.384 – 01:01.187 Lap 12);
Only 11 laps: #25 Anuj Arun Velraj (12:47.434 – 01:01.423 Lap 10); ?? Arafath Sheikh (13:49.293 – 1: 01.241 Lap 7); ?? #9 Veda Vishnu (13:58.106 – 1:02.282 Lap 3); ?? #12 Rohan Reddy (14:02.273 – 1:01.612 Lap 8);
Only 8 laps: #7 D Nikhilesh Raju (09:39.607 – 1:01.211 Lap 7).
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Ashish Raorane requests medical help after competitive section on Friday; Out of Dakar
Riyadh, 9 Jan 2021: Mumbai Mariner and privateer Ashish Raorane, ended his Dakar debut on a disappointing note as he was forced to withdraw late after finishing the competitive section of Stage 6 on Friday, according news recieved late. Ashish had a fall but is said to have got up and continued to ride, however, with a few kilometers to the finish, and after the competitive section, Ashish, unable to bear severe headache, requested for help and was hospitalised, thus ending his Dakar dream on Debut. The Media officer of Dakar is yet to respond to the queries from INDIAinF1 on the condition of CS Santosh and Ashish. Evo editor Sirish Chandran, however, put out an update bringing in relief that Santosh is recovering well.
Earlier, on Thursday, he said that he could not focus on Rally as he had to ride past his friend Santosh. He stopped and after a while after
Ashish was registered for the G2.2 Marathon class, popularly known as Malle Moto, Malle is nothing but `BOX’ in French language. No wonder Ashish carries his own box, that contains tools, one wheel, one set of extra tyres and other paraphernalia that is allowed according to rules. When he is rallying on he dunes, the organisers arrange transport to carry the box, which also has tent, for the rider to rest and recoup. In this class, he cannot take any assistance from others, and while all other competitors are sleeping after the stage, you can find Ashsish struggling to do the mechanic job, repairing his KTM 450 Rally Replica model or assisting a fellow competitor.
Ashish only preparation for Dakar and similar experience is last years Africa Eco race which he completed against all odds. Earlier, he also took part in Baja World Championship.
Pooling in different sponsors like Klim, Slipstream Performance, Dosmoto, Leatt, EBC Brakes, Gaerne, Hellraiser motorwear and Goodwill Enterprises, he did his own marketing and managed to go after his dream, with the support of his biker wife and a few friends.
The KTM biker on a 450 Rally Replica (RR) model has a performance tuner in Bigrock Spain, the only thing that is a necessity and he has done it.
Dakar at fever pitch at mid-way mark
231 vehicles (78 motorbikes, 14 quads, 56 cars, 49 lightweight vehicles and 34 trucks) out of the 286 cleared to start the race in Jeddah have survived a prologue and six stages and made it to the rest day. A further 26 vehicles have withdrawn from the race but remain eligible to continue the adventure under Dakar Experience rules without appearing in the general standings.
As different scenarios unfold, the titles at stake are still up for grabs in the five categories, but the current leaders have taken at least a few steps forward: biker Toby Price, quad rider Nicolás Cavigliasso, car driver Stéphane Peterhansel, lightweight vehicle driver Aron Domżała and truck driver Dmitry Sotnikov have the advantage going into the second week. The 23 vehicles in the Dakar Classic category overcame the challenges of the first week. Marc Douton and his Sunhill buggy lead the regularity race.
Motorbikes: Price holds tenuous grip on race lead
A dozen riders are still in with a shot as the race heads into its decisive second week. A mere quarter of an hour separates the top 10 halfway through the rally. Defending champion Ricky Brabec is thirteenth overall, but only 19 minutes down on the leader, which makes the Honda rider still a force to be reckoned with in the final week. Brabec made a series of navigation errors in the first few stages after claiming the prologue, but the American has remained in contact with the leading group without pushing his Honda too hard or burning through the six rear tyres allocated to each elite biker for the entire race. The 2016 and 2019 champion, Toby Price, is in control of the general standings. The KTM rider stayed as cool as a cucumber throughout a series of specials in which navigation turned up the heat on the competitors. Honda has placed two riders, Kevin Benavides and “Nacho Cornejo”, right behind the Australian and in perfect position to pounce on any mistake the leader may make at 2′16″ and 2′57″ back, respectively. The Argentinian put in a heroic performance in stage 5 from Riyadh to Al Qaisumah, soldiering on to victory despite crashing and hurting his nose and an ankle after cresting a dune. Meanwhile, the Chilean has found his rhythm after a cautious start to the rally and is now racking up one top placing after another.
Joan Barreda, the fourth Honda biker, sits in seventh place despite a string of navigation errors and has taken three stage wins so far, bringing his career tally to 27 and making him the third most prolific Dakar biker of all time, behind Stéphane Peterhansel and Cyril Despres, tied with 33. Xavier De Soultrait is fifth overall after six stages after a series of consistent performances near the front of the race. The Frenchman, now riding for Husqvarna and chasing Ross Branch in the general standings, even had a brief stint in the lead, as did American Skyler Howes, currently eighth. Daniel Sanders also flew the flag for Australia in the opening week, landing three stage podium finishes (including the prologue), sitting in 12th position 18 minutes behind his older countryman, and comfortably leading the rookie classification. On the other side of the coin were Andrew Short, who was knocked out of the race very early by an issue with fuel, and Matthias Walkner, who lost 2 and a half hours to a clutch problem in stage 2.
Quads: Cavigliasso in the lead but not in the clearIgnacio Casale’s departure to the truck category has left a power vacuum and encouraged a host of contenders eager to fill it. One man, Nicolás Cavigliasso, stands out from the rest. The Argentinian, who sat out the 2020 edition after claiming the 2019 Dakar with nine stage wins to boot, got back to his winning ways in stage 3 and has since finished every single stage on the podium, even when faced with the challenge of opening the way. Yet it was Alexandre Giroud who dominated the start of the race, winning the prologue and the first stage before running out of steam a bit. Following a series of mechanicals, navigation errors and a herd of sheep in his way, the Frenchman is sitting in third place overall, about 45 minutes behind Cavigliasso, with another Argentinian, Manuel Andújar, sandwiched in between. Andújar came in fifth in 2019 and went one better last year, when a stroke of bad luck dashed his hopes of finishing on the podium. Just over half an hour behind his countryman in the general standings, Andújar remains a real threat for the title, much like Giovanni Enrico, fourth at under an hour back. However, Pablo Copetti and the next few riders in the classification face a much bleaker picture. The Argentinian-American won the second stage, but a mechanical during the fourth special sent him crashing down the general standings, where he now sits in fourth place almost 2 h 30 back.
Cars: dancing on a razor’s edgeThe men on the final podium of the 2020 Dakar lined up for the start of this year’s edition in Jeddah with the confidence that comes from being one of the big favourites. Fast-forward one week and the protagonists are still the same, but the roles have changed. Struggling to adapt to what he calls “the new roadbook philosophy”, Carlos Sainz has made a series of navigation errors that have pushed him down to third place in the general standings, 40′39″ behind Stéphane Peterhansel. The collector of Dakar records is well aware that victory is far from guaranteed on the rest day, not least because he is just 5′53″ ahead of a rival as fast and aggressive as Nasser Al-Attiyah. The Qatari has been as unerring as “Peter” throughout the opening week, claiming four victories (including the prologue) and ratcheting up the pressure on the overall leader. He has a knack for pushing his rivals until they crack. Whatever the weather is like on the road to Neom and then Jeddah, expect the heat to rise in the competition stage after stage.
But… what about the men billed as dark horses at the start of the race? X-Raid and Toyota could only look on helplessly as Jakub Przygoński sank to fourth overall at 1 h 11 (although he remains in contention for a podium spot), Orlando Terranova threw in the towel in stage 5 due to an electrical problem, rising star Henk Lategan tumbled out of the Dakar after two stellar performances in a row, Yazeed Al-Rajhi broke his gearbox and his heart in stage 3, and Bernhard ten Brinke also crashed out of the race. Bahrain Raid Extreme is still banking on Nani Roma (fifth at 1 h 37) to catch up with the leading trio, but Sébastien Loeb is out of the running after making several blunders and breaking a wishbone, which meant an unscheduled night in the desert for the French driver and sent him plummeting to 45th place overall, 11 h 34 behind his old stablemate at Peugeot. Mathieu Serradori has a similar tale to tell after slipping down to 50th place despite a string of provisional podium finishes, while his equally ambitious teammate Yasir Seaidan languishes in 38th place. Not everyone can go the distance.
Lightweight vehiclesThe competition is fierce in this category, as proved by the list of stage winners, which features six different victors in seven specials (including the prologue). “Chaleco” López is the only former champion on that list and the only driver to score a brace so far. After leading the rally for four days, a mechanical forced the Chilean to surrender the lead to Aron Domżała, who now holds a slender margin of 4′46″ over Austin Jones. While Can-Am is firmly in command of the race, Team RedBull’s OT3s have twice made history in the opening week: first with Cristina Gutiérrez, the first woman to win a Dakar special since Jutta Kleinschmidt in 2005, and then with Seth Quintero, who became the youngest stage winner in the history of the rally yesterday at the age of 18. Not only that, the California Kid is now third overall!
Trucks: Karginov messes up, Sotnikov takes overAndrey Karginov went from ruling the 2020 Dakar with an iron fist to probably losing the 2021 edition on day one. The Russian’s crew lost over an hour and a half to a mechanical problem in the first stage, leaving him countin’ on a miracle to retain his title. However, Kamaz showed the depth of its roster as Dmitry Sotnikov rose to the occasion and took over from teammate Karginov. Sotnikov has finished in the top 2 in every single stage in a display of consistency that has put him half an hour clear of the rest of the field at the top of the general standings. Following the withdrawal of Siarhei Viazovich, who finished third last year, Karginov may well end up wondering who needs enemies with friends like his, as Andrey Karginov tries to stage an epic comeback, Ayrat Mardeev seeks to follow up on his first stage win since 2018 on the road to Ha’il, and Anton Shibalov attempts to build on his four podium finishes in six stages and second place overall.
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Harith Noah 27th; Hero MotoSports solid at half-way mark; J-Rod, 8th;
Stage 6: Al Qaisumah to Ha’il (Saudi Arabia) 618km: 8 Jan 2021: Keralite Harith Noah kept the Indian flag flying as he not only completed another stage but moved up 35th in General Ranking delivering a solid 27th position in a tough 618-km Stage 6 from Riyadh to Al Qaisumah on Friday.
Taking part in his second Dakar, following his finish in Dakar Xperience Class in 2020, last January, the German born Indian, is fast becoming a top contender to be the third Indian to finish a Dakar rally in the footsteps of CS Santosh and teammate KP Aravind.
Harith, supported by sponsors TVS, Sherco, Scott India and Camelbak India entered as a privateer but with full support from Sherco and part support from TVS Racing, who moulded his career and provided him an op to realise the Dakar dream last year. The 26-year old, 5.8 feet tall rider is a sports science nut and despite a fall in Stage 5, where he lost considerable time and lack of sleep, he managed to gain positions and keep the fight on.
The other Indian in the field is Mumbai Mariner Ashish Raorane, whose struggles began three months earlier, even before the Dakar began as he has to assist himself. But the Man with a solid will, like any mariner who conquers the sea, he prepared with grit and determination and believes in “Self Help is the Best Help”. No Assistance from anyone, not enough money to hire a team, nor to get all the equipment, still the dream continues. He dares to dream and by registering for the G2.2 Marathon class, popularly known as Malle Moto, he is halfway through achieving his goal, To FINISH DAKAR on DEBUT! Malle is nothing but `BOX’ in French language. No wonder Ashish carries his own box, that contains tools, one set of extra tyres and other paraphernalia that is allowed according to rules. In this class, he cannot take any assistance from others, and while all other competitors are sleeping after the stage, you can find Ashsish struggling to do the mechanic job, repairing his KTM 450RR’s `leaking tube’ or assisting a fellow competitor. Unlike any other class, the camaraderie in this Malle group is
balle, balle' .You help me, I help you’, attitude as only riders can touch their bikes builds team spirits and help them fight the dunes rather than themselves like other motorsports events. That is the special nature of Dakar, the mother of all motorsports cross country events.In the first place, it is like piloting a plane after entering the cockpit for only the second time. Yes, his only preparation for Dakar and similar experience is last years Africa Eco race which he completed against all odds.
Pooling in different sponsors like Klim, Slipstream Performance, Dosmoto, Leatt, EBC Brakes, Gaerne, Hellraiser motorwear and Goodwill Enterprises, he did his own marketing and managed to go after his dream, with the support of his biker wife and a few friends. If any Indian corporate sponsor ever has an ear, sponsor him and you will mint gold in terms of publicity for your brand. Trust us, we have seen this die hard motorsport nut!
The KTM biker on a 450RR model has a performance tuner in Bigrock Spain, the only thing that is a necessity and he has done it. With only `
Assistance'' coming fromOriginal by Motul, provided by the organisers to 9 bikers in his class, Ashish is pushing on, and we at INDIAinF1 assure him that the whole motorsports fraternity is behind him. Go for it, Ashish! We are proud of you!For the record, Ashish clocked 72 hours, 14 minutes and 33 seconds, which means that after almost completing all the competitive sections he was held up. INDIAinF1 is yet to get confirmation, but the Mumbaikar finished the stage is a big relief, just like Stage 5. Astride a No.#82 KTM, he took 85th position for an overall General Ranking of 81, the last man still hanging on to Dakar dream. Already more than 25 riders dropped out. However, the Dakar Rookie is 6th among the rookies and 24th in the Malle Moto class and is one among the 9 of them supported by `Original by Motul’ . (Editor’s note 9 Jan 2021: Later, Ashish was hospitalised. He had a fall, got up and continued. But due to a headache, he called for medical help and was hospitalised, according to late news from Dakar sources.
In Stage 6, he finished 23rd in his class Malle Moto, the G2.2 Marathon class. Now for a well-deserved REST? No not at all, Dreams don’t come in sleep, they give sleepless nightmares until the dream is achieved, yes, Ashish is in that State right now, and it is WORK in PROGRESS! Power to #AR2Dakar
ONLY INDIAN TEAM – Hero MotoSports
The only Indian team left after the tough outing of Thursday, is Hero MotoSports. Joaquim Rodrigues, popularly known as J-Rod, struck form once again and achieved an 8th place finish in the stage. Sebastian Buhler continued to hold his position steady with a 21st place finish for the only Indian team at Dakar Rally 2021, the mother of cross country rallies and the toughest in the world. Hero MotoSports Team Rally fielded one Indian and two other riders as part of their Mission Dakar 2021 campaign. Ace Indian rider and first to complete a Dakar, CS Santosh, in his seventh Dakar, crashed in the 5th stage and is currently hospitalised and is said to be stable. Joaquim Rodriques and Sebastian Buhler are the other members o Hero team that are keeping the flag flying.
With this steady run onFriday, Hero MotoSports Team Rally finds its riders in good positions at the halfway mark with JRod at the 17th position and Sebastian Buhler just shy of the Top 20 at 21st position in the overall rankings.
Considering the difficult Stage 5 that led to several competitors arriving in the bivouac very late in the evening, the organizers earlier today decided to shorten Stage 6 by 100 kms and also deferred the start by almost 90 minutes. However, the stage still challenged the competitors with 348 kms of special, featuring dunes of all shapes and colors, which proved physically demanding on the competitors.
REST DAY on Jan 9
The participants will enjoy a well-deserved rest day tomorrow, giving them time to recover from the onslaught of a tough first half of the rally and reassess their strategy for the next half.
Wolfgang Fischer says; “The participants will enjoy a well-deserved rest day tomorrow, giving them time to recover from the onslaught of a tough first half of the rally and reassess their strategy for the next half.”
Joaquim Rodriques says: “It was a difficult stage today. It was all sand and dunes, so physically it was very demanding, and yet I was able to put in a good run and bring my Hero bike to the finish line. The bike has been performing really well and has been helping me to achieve these results. I thank Team Hero for providing us this great bike. It makes a big difference to have a really good and reliable bike in this kind of a terrain. It feels so good to finish the first week and I am looking forward to the rest day tomorrow.”
Sebastian Buhler says: “Very hard stage today with riding all day in the sands. It was like 300 odd kms of motocross stage with not much of navigation, so it was very tough on the body. It’s good that we have a rest day tomorrow so we can recover a bit. The bike is performing very well, and I am happy to arrive at the half-way mark of the rally with no injuries and my bike in a very good condition.”
Provisional Standings: After Stage 6
POS NAME TEAM TIMING 1 JOAN BARREDA BORT MONSTER ENERGY HONDA TEAM 03H 45M 27S 2 ROSS BRANCH MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA TEAM +13S 3 DANIEL SANDERS KTM FACTORY TEAM +53S 8 JOAQUIM RODRIGUES HERO MOTOSPORTS TEAM RALLY +4M 35S 21 SEBASTIAN BUHLER HERO MOTOSPORTS TEAM RALLY +20M 34S Overall Standings after Stage 6
POS NAME TEAM TIMING 1 TOBY PRICE REDBULL KTM FACTORY TEAM 24H 08M 43S 2 KEVIN BENAVIDES MONSTER ENERGY HONDA TEAM +2M 16S 3 JOSE IGNACIO CORNEJO MONSTER ENERGY HONDA TEAM +02M 57S 17 JOAQUIM RODRIGUES HERO MOTOSPORTS TEAM RALLY +45M 01S 21 SEBASTIAN BUHLER HERO MOTOSPORTS TEAM RALLY +01H26M45S -
Major injuries ruled out: Hero MotoSports Statement on CS Santosh’s condition
New Delhi, 7 Jan 2021: Hero MotoSports has issued the following statement on the condition of 37-year old ace Indian rider and 7-time Dakar Rally veteran who crashed in Stage 5 and is airlifted to a Riyadh hospital. INDIAinF1.com wishes him a speedy recovery!
Santosh teammate Sebastian Buhler, who finished Stage 5 in 20th place said: “Today was a very tough stage. We had everything from tricky navigation, to a lot of dangerous rocks and a lot of dunes. So, I think it was a very good day for us to finish without any major incident. But the best news from today is to hear that Santosh is out of danger and is getting better. That’s the best part of today for us here in the team.” Another teammate, Joaquim Rodriques, popular as J-Rod despite a minor fall finished the stage in 22nd place. He said: “After a tough day, it was such great news to hear that Santosh has no major concerns with his injury and will recover well. We are really happy to hear this.”
Harith Noah continues good run with 41st position after Stage 5 for a general rank of 39 overall. He clocked 7 hours, 01min and 44 seconds for the 662-km stage. A TVS Racing product and the other Indian left in the field, is Ashish. Harith Noah supported by Sherco managed to complete the toughest section with aplomb whereas Mumbai Mariner, Ashish Raorane, in the Marathon category of `Malle’ for riders without assistance, has not made it to the finish at the time of reporting this article on 7 Jan at 9.33 pm IST. But he crossed the final Waypoint and was tracked live as he made it to the penultimate 330-km mark.
Earlier on Wednesday after Stage 4, Ashish Raorane said:
I had a good stage today. It finally felt like a rally after the Eenduro sections we were put through in the previous 3 stages! I had good fun navigating as well until I came across Santosh bike following his accident. As I passed it, I was unable to focus as his well-being and thoughts of his accident stayed with me. After an hour, I was able to regain focus and continue on…
Towards the end of the stage, I faced issues with navigation. The roadbook wasn’t scrolling so I had to manually scroll it, costing me a lot of time and missed turns. Overall, the stage was good with a long liaison though. At the bivouac, I noticed leakage from the front fuel tank fuel pump. I got working on it immediately and fixed the issue. Today was a really exhausting day and I wish my friend Santosh, a speedy recovery.”
The Statement
File photo of CS Santosh ride on 5th Jan 2021. Photo by Hero MotoSports Team Rally Our Hero MotoSports Team Rally rider C S Santosh is currently receiving treatment at the Saudi German Hospital in Riyadh, after a high-speed crash on Wednesday in Stage 4 of the 2021 Dakar Rally.
We are pleased to share that he has no major physical injuries except for the dislocated right shoulder and head trauma. The latest scans have also shown no major issue that could impact his full recovery.
The medical team attending to him have decided that the best approach to manage the injury is to reduce the body functions to a minimum and keep him in a sedated condition or an artificial coma.
He is receiving the best possible medical care and will continue to be under constant observation for the next few days.
We express our deepest gratitude and thanks to the riders who extended their help to Santosh. We also want to thank the organizers for getting the medical and rescue teams on the spot in quick time and airlifting him to reach the hospital quickly.
We are also most grateful to all of you for pouring in your prayers and wishes from all over the world for the speedy recovery of Santosh and your overwhelming support to our team.
The entire Hero MotoSports Team Rally and the extended Hero Family is fully committed to aid the recovery and rehabilitation of our teammate.
Hero MotoSports riders in top-20
Moving past the unfortunate incident of Stage 4, Hero MotoSports Team Rally continued to move forward in their Dakar 2021 campaign with a solid performance in Stage 5 today.
After Stage 5, both the riders are now placed inside the Top 20 in the overall rankings, with Joaquim Rodrigues in 19th and Sebastian Buhler in the 20th position.
It was the turn of Sebastian Buhler today to step up and post gains with a 20th place finish in the stage. Joaquim Rodrigues also fought off a very tough stage to finish in the 22nd position. The 456 km stage lived up to its expectation of being a very hard one, with a tough dunes section, stone littered tracks and tricky navigation designed to test the patience and tyres of the competitors. Both team riders kept their nerves steady and brought a tough stage home.
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Santosh was resuscitated by co-riders before airlifted to a Riyad hospital
By David Bodapati
Bengaluru, 7 Jan 2021: Ace Indian rider and a 7-time veteran of Dakar, CS Santosh of Hero MotoSports Factory Rally Team, who suffered a crash in Stage 4 after three Waypoints and about 130km into the stage, at around 2.15 IST on Wednesday, was airlifted to a hospital in Riyadh after “he was resuscitated by fellow Dutch and Italian riders” and the crash seems to be more serious than was stated yesterday according to South African and Dutch “Media reports”.
TimesLive, South Africa’s second biggest news website said quoting rallymaniacs.com, a Dutch website:
“Husqvarna’s Dutch rider Paul Spierings told the rallymaniacs.com website that he and Italian Maurizio Gerini had managed to resuscitate Santosh before the emergency helicopter arrived.
“When the helicopter arrived after 15 minutes, I luckily felt a pulse again. That was a huge relief,” Spierings said.
“I was able to act well because I knew what to do, but I had never resuscitated anyone in real life.”
However, sources told said that the Bengaluru-based 37-year rider is induced into a coma under medical observation for conducting investigations to rule out any serious issues, that is normally done for head injuries in a high-speed crash. Hero MotoCorp, however, is yet to reply to the email query of this reporter. The 24-hour observation has ended and a statement from the hospital is expected anytime tonight.
Last year, Hero MotoSport Rally team’s Portuguese rider Paulo Goncalves, suffered a tragic fall and lost his life in the seventh stage and the team withdrew from the Dakar Rally 2020. The stage is said to be the same physical stage but on the reverse run.
Joaquim Rodrigues (Competitor No. 27) said, “First of all, my thoughts go out to our brother Santosh and I wish him a speedy recovery. I know that he will pull through to come back stronger. Today was a very tough stage for me as this was where the tragic incident happened last year. It brought back a lot of painful memories for me and I couldn’t sleep all night. I had a nervous start to the stage but as I started to ride, I started to get into a rhythm and my navigation was perfect. I believe it was Paulo who was navigating for me today and I am so happy to know that feeling.”
A mixed day for Hero MotoSports in Stage 4, an earlier Hero statement said:
Earlier in a statement on Wednesday , Hero MotoCorp said, “On a positive note, Joaquim Rodrigues set a blazing pace today to finish Stage 4 at the 6th position. On a somber note, Indian ace CS Santosh suffered a crash today and had to forfeit the stage. His 2021 Dakar campaign has come to an unfortunate, premature end.
The report went on to say: “On a somber note, Indian ace CS Santosh suffered a crash today and had to forfeit the stage. He was immediately attended to by the on-ground medical team and was found to be stable. For a thorough evaluation and to provide him with the best possible medical care, he has been shifted to a hospital in Riyadh. His 2021 Dakar campaign has come to an unfortunate, premature end.”
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Desert Queen Laia Sanz completes Stage 4
xpected, the competitors who faltered in yesterday’s stage did their best to try and place themselves back into contention. Joan Barreda is a specialist in such scenarios, especially on fast courses on which his scorching pace over great distances enables him to dish out some serious damage. The Honda rider’s 26th career Dakar stage win also catapulted him to second place overall, fifteen seconds behind Xavier De Soultrait. The car special was just as closely fought, as Al-Attiyah took his fourth win since the start in Jeddah, but by such a slim margin (11 seconds) over Stéphane Peterhansel that their duel at the top of the general standings remained essentially unchanged. Sébastien Loeb also made capital out of the road to Riyadh by claiming fourth place in both the special and the overall, while Mathieu Serradori ran into trouble and finished seventh, 51 minutes back, and Yazeed Al-Rajhi plummeted down the general standings. In the quad category, Manuel Andújar claimed his maiden Dakar stage win as fellow Argentinian and 2019 champion Nicolás Cavigliasso took command of the general standings. Aron Domżała won stage 4 in the lightweight vehicle category without threatening the overall leader of his teammate at Can-Am, Francisco “Chaleco” López. Finally, the Dmitry Sotnikov festival continued in the truck category while Czech Martin Macík capitalised on Siarhei Viazovich’s setback to move up to second place, 26 minutes behind the leading Kamaz.
Performance of the day
KTM announced the signing of Daniel Sanders in late September, just before he entered the Andalucía Rally. The Australian went on to start the 43rd Dakar on the right foot with a podium place in the prologue. Fast-forward a few days and even an eleventh-hour crash and a small time loss in the final kilometres could not stop him from posting the third fastest time in today’s 337 km special to Riyadh. It is a remarkable performance for a biker who learned the ropes in the world of enduro and is only taking part in his second rally raid. The KTM rider, sitting 14 minutes behind Xavier De Soultrait in the general standings as the best rookie so far, is inching closer to his maiden stage win. Fellow Aussie Toby Price came in third in his first Dakar in 2015… Six years later, we could be about to witness the rise of a new Australian prodigy uncovered by the team from Mattighofen.
A crushing blow
The Dakar has been a mixed bag for Yazeed Al-Rajhi since the start of the second edition of the Dakar in his country. The Toyota driver, who came in 44th on Tuesday after finishing third in the prologue, suffered a mechanical at km 30 and had to wait for his support crew. Although he eventually managed to resume the journey towards Riyadh after almost three hours, the driver who finished fourth in 2020 will end the day almost 5 hours behind Peterhansel in the general standings, postponing his dreams of a Dakar victory on home turf for at least a year.
Stat of the day: 395 m
At the average speed of 129.63 km/h set by Nasser Al-Attiyah, the winner of the car stage to Riyadh, his 11-second margin over Stéphane Peterhansel is tantamount to 395 m —just under the length of a running track— after 337 kilometres of racing.
The makings of a Classic
The 4×4 Toyota HDJ 80 is a true Dakar classic. The Merino Bros bought one that took part in the 1993 edition. The younger of the two brothers, Julián José, had taken part in the previous five editions on a motorbike, finishing three of them. This time round, he has gone for a more “old-timey” challenge.
Quote of the day
Stéphane Peterhansel: “It’s just one relentless attack after another“
The overall leader is having to dig really deep to defend his lead over Nasser Al-Attiyah.
“We’re not marking one another, it’s just one relentless attack after another, and in the end we finished in the same time! Apart from a small navigation error near the finish, I don’t think I can push much harder. To stay in contention, we need to go all out. So far, so good, as we aren’t making too many mistakes. In the old times, 50% of all contenders would be knocked out of the race by driving mistakes or technical issues, but it’s become far less common, so you just have to hold on.“
esert Queen Laia Sanz completes Stage 4 without any hiccups
Laia Sanz has delivered another super-consistent ride through a fast and physically tough 337-kilometer special to complete stage four of the 2021 Dakar Rally. Gaining confidence as the rally continues, with four positive days of racing onboard her GASGAS RC 450F Rally now under her belt, Laia now looks ahead to a technically demanding stage five and what may well be the toughest challenge of the rally so far.
- Laia safely completes longest stage of the 2021 Dakar Rally
- GASGAS RC 450F faultless after completing four days of racing
- Mixed terrain on stage five expected to be the toughest stage of the event
Laia Sanz:“It was a really fast stage today, which I don’t normally like too much. But I felt ok, pretty good really. Staying safe was my priority today. I just rode my own stage and tried to do the best I could while also being safe and looking after my bike. I did make one small mistake close to the end of the stage but nothing major, so I’m happy. My bike was great, I’m really happy with the set-up we have, I just need some more stages to continue improving my feeling and confidence. Tomorrow will be a tough one again, but I’m looking forward and feeling better and better each day.”
The fast and rocky terrain of stage four required patience and skill despite the higher speeds. Laia’s cautious approach ensured that she remained out of trouble and completed the stage successfully with her GASGAS performing brilliantly. A single navigational error that caught out many riders in the final kilometers of the stage was her only error of the day, with Sanz going on to place 27th. Completing the special just under 20 minutes down on stage winner Joan Barreda is a positive step forwards and extends her gap over the next-placed rider to over 30 minutes.
Another tough day lies ahead for Laia as the special for day five of the 2021 Dakar Rally is expected to be as technically demanding as it is long. The 662-kilometer stage will feature a 456-kilometer timed section that will be made up of a wide variety of terrain including stony tracks and an area of soft dunes. Accurate navigation will be essential.
Results (provisional): Dakar Rally 2021, stage 4
1. Joan Barreda (Honda) 2:46:50
2. Daniel Sanders (KTM) 2:52:59
3. Luciano Benavides (Husqvarna) 2:53:12
27. Laia Sanz (GASGAS) 3:06:38Overall Provisional Classification (after stage 4)
1. Xavier de Soultrait (Husqvarna) 15:00:25
2. Joan Barreda (Honda) 15:00:40
3. Ross Branch (Yamaha) 15:05:49
30. Laia Sanz (GASGAS) 16:19:57 -
CS Santosh out of Dakar; Noah, Ashish keep the Indian flag flying
Wadi Ad Dasar (Saudi Arabia) 6 Jan 2021: Ace Indian Rider #50 CS Santosh of Hero MotoSports Factory Rally Team crashed out of Dakar Rally 2021 in 813-km Stage 4 here on Wednesday, which saw over 8 riders crash out. Santosh fell and hit his head after crossing the third Waypoint, said initial reports, but was also conscious when he was taken to the Riyadh hospital. Initial reports said that the Bengaluru-based rider is out of `danger’ and stable.
Santosh who started in 36th position made good times in the first three waypoints making up places but unfortunately crashed out and and is said to have hit his head. Initial reports said that he was rushed to the hospital and is out of danger. Starting at 10.10 on Wednesday, and gained timeand placesin the first threeway points but crashed out at PK172, the fourth waypoint. He crossed first Waypoint PK43 in a time of 2:36 in 36th place and clocked 5:19 at PK80 to move up six places into 30 and made up another place timing 7:40 in waypoint PK125 to gain another place into 29 before the tragedy arrived as he fell and hit his head.
That leaves the other two Indians #33 Harith Noah, a product of TVS Racing, riding as a privateer here with the support of Sherco Factory team and TVS, in his second Dakar. The German-born Keralite, who is a former multiple Indian Supercross Champion, completed the day with aplomb, nevertheless losing places, in a time of 4 hours, 11minuts and 41seconds, in 68th place in Stage 4 that saw him slip to 36th from overnight 27th place on Tuesday.
Harith Noah began on a slow note today as he began in 27th position at 10:04 am. He clocked 00:02:07 in the first way point to lose three positions into 30th place and regained his 27th clocking 4min: 44sec and 7min 12sec in the next two to be back at 27th. Thereafter, he lost time before crossing the next two waypoints and issues in at the fag end to slid to 55th place and further went down to 68th clocking a timing of 4:11:41 with a 1hour 24minutes and 53seconds difference to the first placed Joan Barreda Bort of Monster Energy Honda Team 2021. After 17hours 27minutes 31seconds of riding on four days and completing four stages, Noah, is placed 36th overall. Noah is supported by TVS, Sherco, Scott India and Camelbak India.
The other Indian Ashish Raorane finished seven places later, in 75th, although in a lesser Marathon class, where he is on his own without any assistance. The Mumbai Mariner, who had to stay late on Tuesday after he had to set right a leak, did a good job to finish the course today and keep in hunt for to achieve his dream of a Dakar debut finish. Ashish clocked 4:30:46 overall and is adrift of the top riders by 1hour 43minutes and 56seconds. Ashish is sponsored by Klim, Slipstream Performance, Dosmoto, Leatt, EBC Brakes, Gaerne, Hellraiser motorwear, Goodwill Enterprises. He is in overall 80th position after four tough days. But he is place 19th of 25 riders in Original Motul Malle class. Malle a French word for Box, reminds us that Ashish can carry only a box which has a tent and other necessary equipment that is allowed as per rules including a set of tyres and has only three service volunteers and has to do all the repairs himself after a tough day. So usually a comraderie is seen between riders who all help each other so that they can complete the rally and live their Dakar Dream. Ashish is also one of the 7 rookies in his class, G2.1 Super Production class and will be carrying the Indian flag in the absence of torch-bearer CS Santosh. Noah is astride a Sherco TVS Rally Factory prepared bike 450RTR Sherco.
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Harith Noah beats Santosh for the 3rd day running in high-altitude dunes
By David Bodapati
Stage 3: Bisha to Wadi Ad-Dawasir, (Saudi
Arabia) 5 Jan 2021: TVS Racing’s product and second-timer Harith Noah
Koitha Veettil of Kerala finished the Dakar Rally 2021 Stage 3 successfully to finish in 27th position for the Day’s Stage 3 ranking, which got him an overall 31st position after 3 days of Dakar as he completed the 629-km in 3hour, 56minutes and 41seconds, just off 23minutes and 18 seconds from the Stage winner RedBull KTM’s Toby Price time of 3:33:23 on Tuesday.Harith Noah said: “Quite happy with how today went. Being able to ride Stage 3, unlike last year (where he crashed out) in itself seems like a step in the right direction. Yet another fast but long stage. Rode in the zone and focused on not making any significant mistakes in navigation and the stone sections. Rode with @camchapcc & @mauriziogerini42 up through the first few waypoints. After 150 km or so, it was just me and myself, until I reached the finish line. Tomorrow is another day, another stage.”
Despite taking a looped stage of high-altitude, with its 403km Timed Special that took place south of the bivouac at Wadi Ad-Dawasir. Harith Noah faced another tough day of navigation and varied terrain, with soft sand dunes once again forming the first half of the special, before opening out into faster, sandy tracks. The German-born Keralite continued his stunning run on the dunes some of which were at a high altitude of over 1000m above sea level on the third day and beat compatriot and HERO MotoSport’s CS Santosh, the pioneer in Indian rally raid endurance and an ambassador of motorsport, who is on his 7th Dakar appearance.
CS Santosh, who put in another consistent performance finishing exactly in the same position as yesterday, 36th in Stage 3, for an overall ranking of 34 after 3 days. He began with a 35th place in the pre-event Prologue and finished 43rd on the first day, then he leap-frogged seven positions to find the sweet spot of his bike to be placed 36th and sustained the same position today with 9 more stages to go. At this stage it is a right strategy as the goal is to finish and not try too hard to gain positions or risk losing momentum. “I started the stage with a lot of motivation today. It was a fast stage and the new bike started feeling really good and safe, so I am really happy with that. I am slowly building my confidence and if I can continue like this for the rest of the stages, I think I will be in a really good position by the time the rally finishes. So, today was a good start in the right direction for me,” said Santosh said on Monday after Stage 2 through a Social Media post. Astride a 450 Rally model Hero bike tuned by Factory Hero team, the Bangalore rider is taking part in the Bike category of G2.1 Super Production class. Santosh is sponsored by Red Bull, Hero, Sidvin, Genetic Nutrition, Scott, Big Rock dirt park, Dos moto design.
Harith Noah, the Sherco Factory team supported rider, who entered as a Privateer, is astride a Sherco Factory 450RTR tuned by Sherco TVS Rally Factory team, also entered in the same class as Santosh in Bikes G2.1 Super Production class. Though TVS has not sponsored him this year, assistance
is provided by Sherco TVS Rally Factory team. Noah is sponsored by TVS, Sherco, Scott India, Camelbak India.What Harith Noah expects for the 2021Dakar? “Well finishing is the number one priority. I just want to ride as well as I can. The plan isn’t to compare myself to others. I know I’ll make mistakes but I’m ready for that,” the golden hair rider said before he left for Dakar. He was placed 43rd in the Prologue on the first day, a short distance initiation in the rally, and began the first stage with a stunning position of 31. The #33 number bike, a 450RTR, did extremely well to retain that slot consistently for three days in the overall ranking after over `15 hours of tough dune riding, with a focus on the finish. He finished Stage 1 in 31st place, Stage 2 in 32nd and delivered a superb run today with a 27th position in Stage 3. With nine more stages, the 27-year old from Shoranur in Kerala, who shifted to cross-country rally raid events in 2018 after becoming 2017 Indian Supercross National champion, is all focussed on the finish. He first won the National Supercross as a privateer in 2011 forcing TVS to recruit him in 2012. Noah who studied in a Kodaikanal boarding school began his motorsports career in 2009 as a 16 year old taking part in Dirt Track events in God’s Own Country. After his shift, he took part in Morocco rally in 2018 and finished 7th in Baja Aragon in 2019. He finished Dakar rally despite retiring in Stage 3 based on a new rule then, which allowed riders to completed the Dakar without ranking, in a special class called `Dakar Experience Category.’
Meanwhile, the third Indian in the fray, Ashish Raorane, albeit in a lower tier Marathon class, clocked 6 hours, 1min, 05seconds to finish 20th in his class among 27 bikers for an overall 84th place after three days and 81st placing in Stage 3 timings. It is a vast improvement in performance from 86 on Monday in both the overall and Stage positions. Ashish is astride a 450RTR KTM with Performance Tuning done by Bigrock Spain and assistance from Original by MOTUL. He is in the G2.2 Marathon class which is also called the Motul class which means that riders who have no assistance. The 39-year old knows that the Dakar is not a walk in the park but want to prove that ordinary bikers too can take part in big-time events. Ashish was inspired by Santosh, who became the first Indian to finish Dakar in 2015. The Mumbai based rider travels with his rider wife and took part in African Eco Race last year to prepare for Dakar this year. He was forced to start his Dakar on November 3 from Mumbai for an event that is starting on Jan 3 to get his bike to Saudi in the Covid times. So we at INDIAinF1 hope that his 3-month struggle will culminate in a debut finish at Dakar, the mecca of cross country rallying and Daddy of all rallies in the world. The toughest of them all!
Ashish Raorane’s dream of making adebut in the Dakar became a reality because of sponsors like Klim, Slipstream Performance, Dosmoto, Leatt, EBC Brakes, Gaerne, Hellraiser motorwear, Goodwill Enterprises. At INDIAinF1 we salute all the sponsors and provide as much publicity as possible in their endeavour to support the sport and the sportspersons.
Ahsish Raorane said: Stage 3 was really good today! I started off really well and was enjoying the dunes! The sand plateaus were extremely beautiful. But, after the dune sections it got rocky and I had a crash. Hurt my thumb a little bit but nothing major really. I was hoping to get some rest today as tomorrow is a really long day, but this oil leak happened so I got busy fixing that. Still have to do the rest of the bike before I sleep!
Provisional Results Stage Three – 2021 Dakar Rally
1. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 3:33:23
2. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 3:36:39 +3:16
3. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 3:37:59 +4:36
INDIAN RIDERS27. Harith Noah Koitha Veettil (privateer supported by TVS Racing, service by Sherco Factory) INDIA ; 450 RTR
31: CS Santosh (Hero MotoSport Team Rally ) 3hour, 56minutes and 41seconds,
Marathon – Original by Motul category
81. Ashish Raorane (Privateer) INDIA 450RTR KTM; 6hours; 1minute, 05sec.
In Marathon class:
20. Ashish Raorane (Privateer) INDIA 450RTR KTM; 6hours; 1minute, 05sec.
Provisional Standings (after stage three) – 2021 Dakar Rally
1. Skyler Howes (USA), KTM, 12:05:48
2. Xavier de Soultrait (FRA), Husqvarna, 12:06:16 +0:28
3. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 12:06:40 +0:52
31. Harith Noah Koitha Veettil (privateer supported by TVS Racing, service by Sherco Factory) INDIA ; 450 RTR ; 13hr; 15.50.34. CS Santosh, (Hero MotoSport ) INDIA 13:42:40.
84. Ashish Raorane (Privateer) INDIA 450RTR KTM; 20hours, 24minutes, 33sec. Bike number #82
Harith Noah on Stage 3 in Dakar Rally on Tuesday. Courtesy Insta @HarithNoah8 Hero MotoSportsTeam Rally CS Santosh riding with caution to preserve and sustain himself in the rocky second part of the Stage 3 on Tuesday in the Dakar Rally 2021. Image by Eric Vargiolu, DPPI -
Toby Price bounces back to win Stage 3: Dakar Rally 2021
+January 5 th 2021 – 18:49 [GMT + 3] STAGE 3 DAKAR in SAUDI!
Bisha to Wadi Ad-Dawasir, (Saudi Arabia) 5 Jan 2021: Totaling 629km, stage three of the 2021 Dakar Rally formed a looped stage with its 403km timed special taking place south of the bivouac at Wadi Ad-Dawasir. Riders faced another tough day of navigation and varied terrain, with soft sand dunes once again forming the first half of the special, before opening out into faster, sandy tracks.
Starting down in 29th was always going to be tough for Toby Price, with the KTM 450 RALLY mounted rider having to catch and pass several rivals ahead in order to make up time. Using his formidable cross-country rally experience, the Australian was able to push hard right from the off, making light work of the tricky-to-navigate dunes near the start of the stage, before subsequently making up even more ground on the faster, desert tracks towards the finish. Clawing back valuable minutes on his competitors and claiming a 13th career Dakar stage win, Toby now sits third in the provisional overall standings, less than one minute down on the current leader.
Toby Price:“Everything went well today – no crashes, the bike has been good, and I was able to find a good rhythm. It’s great to win another stage, but it’s a bit like a yoyo at the moment – it’s difficult to lead a stage out from the front as you can lose a lot of time, and then you have to push hard the next day to make it all up again. Hopefully one day we’ll catch a bit of a break, the navigation won’t be too tough, and I can stretch things out from the front. Right now, every day is crucial, and I think if it carries on like this, with everyone staying fit and their bikes working good, the battle for the win is going to go down to the very last day.”
Pince Khalid Bin Sultan Abdullah Al Faisal , President of the Saudi Arabian Motor Federation and Jutta Kleainschmidt in Stage 3 on Tueday at Dakar Rally. Photo by Eric Vargiolu, DPPI After suffering a technical issue on Monday’s stage two, Matthias Walkner was the 32nd rider to enter today’s timed special. The Austrian put in a great ride, moving into the top three straight away, a position he successfully defended to the finish. Despite a sizeable deficit to the rally leaders in the overall standings, Matthias is focused on maintaining his efforts and pushing hard for stage wins as the event continues.
Altitude has very little effect on the temperature in Saudi Arabia. The riders and crews competed for most of the 403-km special at approximately 1,000 metres above sea level, but the vast plateaux that stretched out to the horizon did not provoke vertigo like the mountains can. However, the wind that continues to gust over the region particularly transformed the dunes dotted about the first part of the route into steep steps that caught out a number of competitors. As it blew over the desert, it also removed any traces that may have pointed to the existence of tracks, sowing the seeds of doubt in the minds of many navigators, including the co-pilot of Carlos Sainz, who went round in circles a little too much on the Wadi to Wadi loop.
Outline
Multiple WRC champ Sebastian Loeb and co-driver Daniel Elena finish Stage 3 in sixth place in their Bahrain Raid Xtreme on Tuesday. Photo by Florent Gooden/ DPPI Today, the masters of the disciplines asserted their talents, such as Toby Price coolly displaying that no two days are alike to claim a second stage success this year. Despite all that, it is one of the emerging talents in the category, American Skyler Howes, who is proving to be the most consistent, taking the lead in the general standings after having completed the last Dakar in 9th position. When seeking references in consistency, look no further than Stéphane Peterhansel and Nasser Al-Attiyah: the two duellists have already opened up a significant gap on their closest pursuer, Mathieu Serradori, who trails them by 26 minutes. Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz lost half an hour today, which amounts to twice the deficit conceded by Sébastien Loeb, who now finds himself 45 minutes behind “Peter”. “Chaleco” López, another Dakar die-hard, increased his lead in the lightweight vehicle category by winning the 15th stage of his double-discipline career. In the truck race, Kamaz driver Dmitry Sotnikov is still the boss, even if Sarhei Viazovich picked up a second stage victory this year with his Maz truck. Lastly, Argentinean Nicolás Cavigliasso reacquainted himself with success and moved to within 6’41’’ of Giovanni Enrico, the rally’s quickest quad so far, by picking up his first stage win of the year.
Performance of the day
Henk Lategan posted the second best time on the special and sprang a surprise in the Saudi desert by putting several of the category’s established protagonists in the shade. Following an initiation in the basics of rallying in South Africa alongside his father Hein, he was also destined to drive. Following a spell on the Monte-Carlo Rally during which he was able to test himself against his idol Sébastien Loeb, the current South African cross-country champion has not taken long to achieve his first stage podium finish on the Dakar. The 26-year-old South African, a team-mate of Giniel de Villiers in the Toyota Gazoo Racing team, is accompanied in his Hilux by Brett Cummings, a former Original by Motul biker, whose navigational skills are likely to have contributed to today’s result. To cap it all, thanks to this performance, Lategan, the leading rookie in the general standings, now occupies 7th place… just behind his hero Loeb!
A crushing blow
Until a competitor crosses the finishing line, anything can happen and today Bernhard Ten Brinke gave an unfortunate illustration of exactly that. Lying in fourth position at the penultimate time check point, the Dutchman had less than 50 km to cover when an accident completely crushed his hopes. After rolling and damaging his Hilux, Ten Brinke initially hoped to gain help from another competitor, before eventually resigning himself to waiting for his assistance team. The hours lost on his return to Wadi will deprive him of any hopes of a final podium place, which he could legitimately have aimed for… had he driven a perfect race!
Stat of the day: 38-37
With his third special stage success of the year, including the prologue loop near Jeddah, Nasser Al-Attiyah now boasts a total of 38 victories. With such a score, he again moves ahead of his rival Carlos Sainz in the Dakar history books, this time for the number of stage wins in the car category, though it remains to be seen whether he will exceed his number of titles. This morning, the Qatari was faced with the tough task of opening the way, but he skilfully avoided the navigational pitfalls. Despite his three victories this year, Al-Attiyah is still a certain distance behind Stéphane Peterhansel who has 47, three less than the record holder in the category, Ari Vatanen (50 stage triumphs).
The makings of a Classic
Not so long ago, Ondřej Klymčiw and Petr Vlček took part in the Dakar on motorbikes and obtained their best respective results in 2017 (12th) and 2020 (38th / 4th in the Original by Motul category). This year, they are sharing the cockpit of a Škoda from the early 1980s, which is proving to be particularly at ease on the sandy tracks of Saudi Arabia.
Quote of the day
Xavier de Soultrait: “We enjoyed it a lot”
The brand new Husqvarna rider posted the 6th best time of the day and is now on the provisional podium in the general standings, 1’28’’ behind Skyler Howes.
“Again, it was a good day. We are quite good friends now, all the top riders, and I rode with some of them. We enjoyed it a lot because this year the Dakar is very nice to ride. The tracks are not dangerous. Sometimes it’s slow, sometimes it’s fast. It’s not boring at all and we can enjoy riding our bikes at the maximum. Again, it was a lot of work this year, because I needed to find a solution to ride again and I am very happy to have this result with this new Husqvarna”.
Provisional Results Stage Three – 2021 Dakar Rally
1. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 3:33:23
2. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 3:36:39 +3:16
3. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 3:37:59 +4:36
4. Skyler Howes (USA), KTM, 3:40:39 +7:16
5. Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM, 3:41:47 +8:24
Other KTM
8. Daniel Sanders (AUS), KTM, 3:44:45 +11:22Provisional Standings (after stage three) – 2021 Dakar Rally
1. Skyler Howes (USA), KTM, 12:05:48
2. Xavier de Soultrait (FRA), Husqvarna, 12:06:16 +0:28
3. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 12:06:40 +0:52
4. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 12:07:21 +1:33
5. Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM, 12:10:15 +4:27
Other KTM
16. Daniel Sanders (AUS), KTM, 12:21:34 +15:46
39. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 14:07:14 +2:01:26 -
Price and Sainz rock the Dakar
Bisha (Saudi Arabia) 3 Jan 2021: The hectic pace of the first real special of the Dakar took a heavier toll on the competitors than its length. The hodgepodge of tracks in the first part of the course required a laser-like focus and got the best of riders such as Ricky Brabec. Next on the menu were tracks littered with rocks waiting to do a number on the tyres of any competitor who strayed from the right path, as Sébastien Loeb can attest following his bitter experience in the south of the country. Before reaching Bisha, the competitors who emerged unscathed from these early hazards caught a breather on the first sandy section of the race, which was much easier on their tyres… and on their nerves.
Outlines: The first stage was a mixed bag for the defending champions. Ricky Brabec shipped 18 minutes to Toby Price after totally losing his bearings in the opening kilometres, while his predecessor as the winner of the race claimed his thirteenth career Dakar stage win. Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz nabbed victory in the car category, which saw outsiders Martin Prokop and Mathieu Serradori finish third and fourth, respectively. Cristina Gutiérrez and her T3 took the spoils in the lightweight vehicle category, signing one of those oh-so-rare female victories in the rally (see Performance of the day). In the truck category, 2020 champion lost over an hour and a half due to a mechanical, but this did not stop Kamaz from taking the reins of the general classification with one of his heirs, Dmitry Sotnikov. Finally, quad rider Alexandre Giroud was the only winner of the prologue who extended his victorious streak today.
Performance of the Day: It seemed impossible. A fortnight ago, Cristina Gutiérrez had given up all hope of starting her third Dakar. However, just two weeks after RedBull Off Road Team USA called her up and put her behind the wheel of an OT3 light prototype, today she took the opening stage in the lightweight vehicle category. Most importantly, by beating former champion Reinaldo Varela, she has become the first female stage winner since German Jutta Kleinschmidt took her last triumph in 2005.
9-time WRC champ punctured: Sébastien Loeb was probably hoping for more in his Dakar comeback. The man from Alsace started the first stage in a good position at the wheel of his BRX after finishing the prologue in tenth place. However, luck was not on his side in the opening stage. A series of three punctures ruined his pace, while a couple of navigational errors pushed him further down the classification. It was a calamitous stage for the French nine-time WRC champion, who is now almost 24 minutes adrift of leader Carlos Sainz in the general classification and has no choice but to go on the attack in the coming days
Riders from 28 nations hog limelight: Bikers of the world, unite! No fewer than eight countries were represented in the leading group of the first stage, including an American, an Argentinian, an Australian, an Austrian, a Brit, a Czech, a Frenchman and a Spaniard. Bikers from Botswana, Chile, Poland and Slovakia also cracked the top 20. All in all, 28 different nationalities featured on the start list of the Dakar motorbike race this year.
