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Author: David Bodapati
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Maverick to ride two more years with Yamaha Factory Racing team: MotoGP
Maverick Vinales resigns with Movistar Yamaha Factory team for two years till 2019. A Movistar Yamaha image Madrid, 24 Jan 2018: Yamaha Motor Company Limited extended the contract of Maverick Viñales with the Yamaha Factory Racing Team for another two years. The official anouncement of the re-signing came today during the 2018 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team presentation, held in Casa Del Lector, Matadero (Madrid, Spain).
The 23-year-old Viñales finished his first year with Movistar Yamaha MotoGP in third place in the MotoGP Championship standings. With three brilliant race wins and a total of seven strong podium finishes in 2017, Yamaha is confident in their partnership with the 23-year-old Spaniard and looks forward to being a serious title-contender in 2018 and the following two seasons.
Lin Jarvis, Managing Director, Yamaha Motor Racing said: “I am very happy we have reached an agreement for Maverick to continue as a factory rider for Yamaha. The announcement that he will be staying with the team for two further years after 2018 is a fantastic way to start the new season: it shows clear commitment by both parties and affirms a reciprocal confidence that together we can achieve our mutual goal of becoming MotoGP World Champions.”
“Maverick has been a real asset to the team as soon as he came in. He‘s full of motivation and never loses sight of his goals. The 2017 season wasn‘t easy, yet he has already delivered Yamaha three race wins and secured the manufacturer its 500th Grand Prix win in his first year with us. Furthermore, he took third in the championship standings after switching manufacturers, which is also an impressive achievement,” he added.
“Maverick is still very young, so we see a great future for him in Grand Prix racing, and we are very excited to challenge alongside with him during the upcoming three seasons of MotoGP,” he concluded.
Maverick Vinales, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider said: “I am really happy that Yamaha and I have extended our contract by two more years. It‘s great for me and the team that we were able to make this announcement this early on, because it gives us a sense of calm: we know that I will continue riding my M1 for the coming three seasons, so now we can just focus on the actual racing. I‘m very satisfied with this decision. I have a lot of belief in the team and in Yamaha and I‘m happy that they feel the same way. I want to thank Yamaha for their vote of confidence, and also the fans, who are always supporting us. We will continue to work hard. We will be pushing to the maximum at all the Grands Prix and I look forward to three more incredible season together,” said the MotoGP star.
Maverick Viñales, born in Figueres (Spain) on 12th January 1995, made his World Championship debut in 2011 in the 125cc Class. His racing career highlights include the overall victory in the Moto3 World Championship in 2013 as well as 3 ‘Rookie of the Year’ awards in 2011 (125cc), 2014 (Moto2) and 2015 (MotoGP), and securing Yamaha their 500th Grand Prix win in Le Mans, France, last year.
Age: 23
Height: 1.71m
Weight: 64kg
Grand Prix Wins: 20
Grand Prix Podiums: 51
Grand Prix Contested in Total: 121
Grand Prix Pole Positions: 16
World Championship Titles: 1
MotoGP
2017 – 3rd, Race Wins 3
2016 – 4th, Race Wins 1
2015 –12th, Race Wins 0
Moto2
2014 – 3rd, Race Wins 4
Moto3
2013 – 1st, Race Wins 3
2012 – 3rd, Race Wins 5
125cc
2011 – 3rd, Race Wins 4
For his full biography see: www.yamahamotogp.com/maverick-vinaleseom/Movistar Yamaha Racing team press release
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A summary of WRC rule changes for 2018
Throughout the course of last year, the World Motor Sports Council approved a number of changes to the Sporting Regulations for the 2018 FIA World Rally Championship. The main amendments are as follows:
Private teams or individual drivers will be permitted to enter 2017 specification World Rally Cars on WRC events, without the obligation to be entered by a manufacturer. P1 status will be given to all drivers entered with 2017 WRC Cars. Such entries will, however, remain subject to the approval of the FIA Rally Department.
Dedicated testing regulations for P1 drivers entered with a 2017 WRC Car but who are not nominated to score points for a manufacturer have been introduced. These drivers are not permitted to test outside Europe, bringing them into line with the restrictions placed on the other P1 teams.
If a driver is shown in the Power Stage classification but is not classified in the Final Classification, the Stewards will decide whether the next competitor should be moved up in the Power Stage classification for the attribution of Power Stage points.
DMACK, Michelin and Pirelli are the official tyre suppliers for 2018. Pirelli is the official partner of the FIA Junior WRC Championship and for competitors registered solely in the FIA WRC 3 Championship, there is no imposed tyre supplier.
Tyres used during the shakedown will not count in the overall quantity for the rally. For WRC Cars, the four tyres used during the shakedown must be from the same compound, as defined by the tyre suppliers.
The FIA WRC 2 Championship will continue to be contested over seven events, with the best six scores counting towards the title. However there will no longer be mandatory rallies.
Drivers entered with R5 cars who are not registered in the FIA WRC 2 Championship, or who have not been entered by a registered WRC 2 Team during the year, may use any tyre brand, including those not nominated by the FIA for the WRC.
There will be no WRC Trophy title, although 2016 World Rally Cars remain eligible in the Championship events.
eom/FIA release
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TVS road-racing champs to hone the riding skills of Apache owners
National champions in their respective classes Aiswarya Pissay (left), Jagan Kumar (4th from left) listen as Pradeep (right, TVS Motorsports) explains to the Apache riders in Bangalore recently. A TVS image Apache riding skills training (ACE) participants in Bengaluru recently. A TVS Racing image Bangalore, 23 Jan 2018: TVS Motor Company kickstarted the Apache Racing Experience (ARE) 2018, for the owners of the TVS Apache series recently. The TVS Apache series first-round saw racing enthusiasts experience the full range of Apache motorcycles on the Meco Kartopia race track recently.
After a detailed theory session on track riding by National champions Jagan Kumar, Harry Sylvester, KY Ahmed, Kannan Subramaniam and Aishwarya Pissay, they were taught technique and riding skills on the race track. Track riding techniques, braking and cornering were taught before timed laps for each category of Apache RTR 160, 180 and 200 were recorded to declare the winners.
Apache Racing Experience is a platform for TVS Apache owners will be held across 24 cities in 2018-19, ARE will culminate at MMRT in Chennai. The final round will see winners across the cities compete in their respective categories – Apache RTR 160, 180 and 200 – to become the ARE Winner (category wise). TVS Racing will support the activity with necessary gear and ensure that the riders undergo professional training at the race track astride TVS Racing motorcycles, prior to the final race.
eom/posted by david bodapati/bng/TVS release
Caption: National champions in their respective classes Aiswarya Pissay (left), Jagan Kumar (4th from left) listen as Pradeep (right, TVS Motorsports) explains to the Apache riders in Bangalore recently. A TVS image
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M-Sport Ford World Rally Team ready for Season Opener in Monte Carlo
CARDS ON THE TABLE
FOR SEASON OPENER IN MONTE-CARLO
M-Sport Ford World Rally Team are ready to put their cards on the table for the 2018 FIA World Rally Championship. Taking to the wheel of the EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta WRC at the traditional season opener, Sébastien Ogier, Elfyn Evans and Bryan Bouffier are prepared to fight for one of rallying’s most sought-after accolades – a Rallye Monte-Carlo victory.
The team completed two comprehensive test sessions in anticipation – a development test at the end of last year followed by a more targeted set-up session last week. A thrilling competition awaits, and the Cumbrian squad are determined to put their best foot forward with the first roll of the dice.
RALLYE MONTE-CARLO
AN ICONIC CHALLENGE
There’s nothing quite like a victory at Rallye Monte-Carlo. It’s something every driver wants to achieve and something everyone will be pushing for this week.
As an iconic fixture in the FIA World Rally Championship, the Monegasque event represents the ultimate challenge – changeable mountain weather bringing unpredictable conditions that can see the crews encounter snow, ice and dry asphalt in a single stage.
Tyre choices can often prove pivotal and the crews will have to decipher the best combination – and often the best compromise. It is, in essence, the definitive test of strategy.
Facing the challenge head on, M-Sport Ford will have no fewer than 22 team members solely responsible for reporting the conditions. From the weather crews to famous names such as Simon Jean Joseph, Phil Mills and Jarmo Lehtinen to name but a few in the gravel crews, every effort is made to stay a step ahead.
This year the challenge will be intensified as the rally gets underway with one of the sport’s most daunting stages – Sisteron, in reverse, in the dark.
As heart-rates rise on the start line, a challenging stage will launch a thrilling start to the 2018 season.
MALCOLM WILSON
THE MAN BEHIND THE TEAM
Following the most successful season in M-Sport’s history, Team Principal Malcolm Wilson OBE is determined to see the team continue in the same vein this year. The team are resolute on defending their FIA World Rally Championship titles but remain acutely aware that the competition will be stronger than ever.
Team Principal, Malcolm Wilson OBE, said:
“Last year saw us enjoy our most successful season in motorsport and that’s something that we want to see continue in 2018. The hard work has not stopped and everyone has been working around the clock to ensure that we start our title defence on a high.
“We have completed two comprehensive test sessions and the feeling amongst the team is more determined than ever. It might not be possible to make huge gains within the regulations, but we have been working with our partners to enhance what was already an extremely strong package.
“Every team is capable of securing the ultimate prize this year and I am expecting the competition to be closer than ever. It’s so difficult to predict who will even come out on top this week, and that in itself is fantastic for the sport.
“In Sébastien, Elfyn and Bryan we have three very competent and intelligent drivers who are all more than capable of securing a Monte-Carlo victory. That has to be our aim so let’s see what happens. Like every rally fan, I am very much looking forward to the start of this exciting new season.”
OGIER AND INGRASSIA
THE FIVE-TIME WORLD CHAMPIONS
Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia head into 2018 as the crew to beat – the reigning World Champions and the reigning Rallye Monte-Carlo victors. The Monegasque event may be notoriously difficult to predict, but few would bet against the Frenchmen.
Having contested the rally on six previous occasions, they have five victories to their name – as part of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge in 2009 and unbeaten in the WRC since 2014.
Previous starts: 8
Previous WRC starts: 6
Best result: 1st (2017, 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2009)
Best WRC result: 1st (2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014)Sébastien Ogier said:
“We start the new season with an event that is always a real highlight for me – Rallye Monte-Carlo. As my home event, I always want to give my best and challenge for the top results.
“We started something great here last year and want to try and build on that in 2018. We will need to work hard as the competition will be very tough. Every team has a winning car and a winning driver so everyone is a threat and we need to be ready right from the start.
“It’s such a challenging start to the season – the ultimate test with extreme conditions that can see us go from dry Tarmac to pure ice and snow in the space of a single stage. It’s certainly not easy, but that’s what makes a good result here so rewarding.
“We’ll start this year with what could be the biggest challenge of the entire rally – Sisteron, in reverse, in the dark. It doesn’t get much tougher than that, but that’s Monte. It’s always a challenge and that will be the case from the very first stage this year.”
EVANS AND BARRITT
THE LATEST WINNING PARTNERSHIP
After securing their maiden victory on home soil at last year’s Dayinsure Wales Rally GB, Elfyn Evans and Daniel Barritt are hungry for more and could well be the dark horse for a championship challenge in 2018.
Having contested Rallye Monte-Carlo on four previous occasions, the pairing have collated good knowledge and often shown promising speed through the challenging terrain – just 0.5 seconds shy of a stage win on the third stage of their joint world rally car debut in 2014 and posting a string of three fastest stage times more recently in 2017.
Previous starts: 4
Best result: 6th (2017)Elfyn Evans said:
“Rallye Monte-Carlo is one of those events that every driver looks forward to. I’ve always said that it offers some of the best Tarmac roads in the world, but at this time of year the conditions make it a true challenge and the ultimate test of strategy. To do well, you really do need to get absolutely everything right.
“We’ve just completed two days of testing in mixed conditions. The road was constantly evolving which is great when it comes to getting a flavour for everything we’ve come to expect on a rally like this, but it can also be a bit of a double-edged sword at times – making it difficult to judge which direction to go in terms of set-up.
“Overall, I would say that we had two pretty good tests and that we are feeling fairly well prepared. Monte can always be a bit of a lottery and it can go either way, but we’re definitely ready to get the season started. We want to start the year on a high, so we’ll give it our best and see what happens.”
BOUFFIER AND DEGOUT
THE EXPERIENCE AND THE KNOWLEDGE
Joining the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team for Rallye Monte-Carlo, Bryan Bouffier’s extensive knowledge could prove invaluable. As a previous winner of the prestigious event, the Frenchman knows what it takes to succeed and has more experience than most when it comes to reading the changeable conditions.
This will however be his first time behind the wheel of a new-generation world rally car. To prepare for his latest debut, Bouffier took to the co-drivers’ seat alongside Sébastien Ogier during last week’s test. Taking note of the World Champion’s advice, he and co-driver Jérôme Degout then completed a full day of testing so as to be best prepared for the challenges ahead.
Previous starts: 8
Previous WRC starts: 6
Best result: 1st (2011)
Best WRC result: 2nd (2014)Bryan Bouffier said:
“Since learning that I would be driving the Ford Fiesta WRC, Rallye Monte-Carlo could not come soon enough! It’s one of my favourite events and having the opportunity to do it in one of these new generation world rally cars – the championship-winning car – is a dream come true.
“I have a lot of experience at Rallye Monte-Carlo which helps when it comes to reading the road and adapting the pace to suit the conditions, but this event is never easy. It’s one of the toughest events on the calendar and to do well you need to drive a clever rally by making the right calls on the tyres and finding the right balance between pushing hard and being more cautious.
“As one of the ‘French’ events, I feel at home at Rallye Monte-Carlo and am really looking forward to it. First and foremost, we want to have fun. We’ll start in a relaxed frame of mind and if we could help the team by scoring some good points for the manufacturers’ championship it would be amazing.”
ELSEWHERE
IN THE TEAM
Éric Camilli and Teemu Suninen will both take to the wheel of the EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta R5 as part of the FIA World Rally Championship’s premier support series – WRC 2. Here’s what they had to say ahead of Rallye Monte-Carlo.
Éric Camilli said:
“Rallye Monte-Carlo is my home event and one that I always look forward to. This will be my fourth time here and I hope that experience will help. Anything can happen on the Monte, but that added knowledge should help when it comes to reading the road and knowing when to push and when to be more cautious.
“The competition will be really tough, but I hope that we can pull everything together for a strong result. This rally is very unforgiving so we will need to work hard and make all the right choices. We will need to be clever and give it our very best.”
Teemu Suninen said:
“This is only my second attempt at Rallye Monte-Carlo so I don’t have a vast amount of experience on these roads. My main aim is to drive well even if the conditions are very challenging – which they usually are on this rally! The WRC 2 category will be very competitive, but we will give it our best and aim to learn as much as we can.
“I feel really happy at M-Sport with my excellent team mates. They are all very experienced and there is no better driver to learn from than Sébastien Ogier. Everyone is very open when it comes to help and advice, so it is the best place for me to be and improve my driving.”
eom/M-Sport press release posted by David Bodapati
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CS Santosh finishes 34th for a best Dakar record; Hero MotoSports Team on a high
Cordoba (Argentina), 20 Jan 2018: It was a glorious triumph for Hero MotoSports Team Rally as the only Indian, CS Santosh, who delivered his best Dakar ever after an energy-sapping, marathon 14-day gruelling journey in three countries. Hero was particularly proud with Oriol Mena finishing in the top-10 in a dream debut. Santosh, the only survivor of the two Indians, achieved his best Dakar in three finishes. Aravind KP of Sherco TVS team crashed out in the early stages.
The Dakar Rally 2018 came to a grand end after as the competitors crossed the finishing line, the emotions rolled high amidst the cheer from the teams and the crowd alike. For Hero MotoSports Team Rally, it was a particularly special day as they delivered their best ever Dakar performance, which is even more commendable given that it is only their second Dakar.
Indian MotoSports superstar CS Santosh became the first and the only Indian rider to have finished the Dakar thrice, an honour that is going to make him and all the Indian fans very proud. Not only did he finish it, but he did it in style by delivering his best Dakar performance ever, finishing at 34th position this year.
His performance was particularly commendable given the higher competition level and the stages being toughest this year. This performance of the Hero MotoSports Team Rally has again proved that with right focus and team, one can deliver top class performance.
Oriol Mena impressed one and all to deliver an excellent 7th position finish in his debut Dakar. Delivering consistent top 10 stages towards the end of the rally while everyone was getting tired, shows the kind of skills and stamina he had and also his ability to learn the game fast. He was also adjudged as the best rookie rider of the rally for his special performance.
Hero MotoSports Team Rally is fast gaining a reputation for bringing in top class debutants in the rally with every year. If it was the 12th place finish of Joaquim Rodrigues last year, this year it was Oriol Mena’s turn to even better the results of last year for the team.
It can be surely said that the team has transformed itself from being rookies of the last year to the Heroes of 2018. Wolfgang Fischer, Team Manager: “Finishing this Dakar at Cordoba is really the toughest experience in our Dakar years so far. Starting with the accident of Joaquim Rodrigues, getting into the tough stages at Peru, seeing all our guys overcoming difficulties with bravery, Mena improving with every stage and learning the Dakar mode fast, seeing CS and Mena making their way through the finish, is just a privilege. Santosh getting his best-ever result in which was the toughest Dakar is an achievement we are really proud of.
“For Oriol Mena, it was a big accomplishment to finish in the top 10. He kept going up the rankings while maintaining his position in top 10 in the last few stages gives a lot of confidence for the team’s future. My compliments to the team who worked really hard not allowing any technical issues. We send our best regards to JRod for a fast recovery. We missed him very much in the team and we are counting on him to come back racing soon. Finally our thanks and regards to everyone back in India, and our fans. It’s just a fantastic feeling at the moment.”
Oriol Mena (Comp No: 61): “I am really happy with my results. I enjoyed the last stage a lot and it felt as if these 120 kms were longer than my life. I am at the finish line and also won in the rookie class so it’s a real good result and what can I say, dreams do come true.”
C.S Santosh (Comp No: 49): “It was as tough Dakar this year for sure, every day you had to bow down to the stages. I had lots of ups and downs, some high points in the beginning, then some lows as well. I think it was everything that you would envision a Dakar to be. Lot of stages we offpiste but much difficult from before. I am happy to make it to the finish line of another Dakar. My best Dakar so far so I am really happy to be going home with that.”
Provisional Stage 14 Classifications: 1. Kevin Benavides Monster Energy Honda Honda 01hr 26m 41s 2. Toby Price Redbull KTM Racing KTM +54s 3. Antoine Meo RedBull KTM Racing KTM +02m 49s 6. Oriol Mena Hero MotoSports Team Rally Hero MotoSports +05m 01s 32. C.S. Santosh Hero MotoSports Team Rally Hero MotoSports +18m 40s.
Overall Provisional Classifications after Stage 14: 1. Matthias Walkner Redbull KTM Racing KTM 43h 06m 01s 2. Kevin Benavides Monster Energy Honda Honda +16m 53s 3. Toby Price Redbull KTM Racing KTM +23m 01s 7. Oriol Mena Hero MotoSports Team Rally Hero MotoSports +02h 22m 52s 34. C.S. Santosh Hero MotoSports Team Rally Hero MotoSports +11h 29m 31s.
eom/Hero MotoSports press release
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K1000 preview: KMSC all-set to conduct 43rd edition; INRC final round on Sunday
K1000 KMSC logo. Courtesy KMSC facebook account Standings courtesy promoters RRPM, Kolkota (twitter) David Bodapati
Bengaluru, 20 Jan 2018: King of Indian Motorsports, Gaurav Gill of Team Mahindra Adventure and his co-driver Musa Sherif will once again be the favourites to win the Indian National Rally championship final leg, the popular K1000 (Karnataka 1000) which began its 43rd edition with the recce on Saturday morning at a terrain about 70kms from here.
The K1000 rally, a regular part of the Indian National Rally Championship is being organised by Karnataka Motor Sports Club (KMSC) one of the oldest active clubs in India. Except for a year or two, K1000 was continuously held for over forty years. It is also a founder member of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (fmsci). The INRC is being promoted by Kolkota-based Ramakrishna Race Performance Managment (RRPM) headed by a veteran rally ace, who was on of the winners of K1000 in its early years. Along with Amittrajit Ghosh, they are the only father-son who have taken part in INRC rallies.
The number of entries for the popular K1000 this year is a luke-warm 28 which is one of the lowest in the recent years.
Fresh from their victory in the fifth round at Arunachal Pradesh, the top duo who are leading the INRC class will be followed by young gun Dean Mascarenhas and Shruptha Padival of Mangalore and another seeded pair of Amittrajit Ghosh and Ashwin Naik, who finished in that order in the overall standings of Rally of Arunachal. However, Dean and Shruptha are leading their class INRC3.
Experienced stalwarts Rahul Kantharaj and Vivek Bhat who won the INRC2 class will be gunning for a closing bang to win the championship but their job will not be easy with stiff competition coming from the likes of Younus Ilyas and Karna Kadur. The strong pair of talented Kadur and Nikhil Pai had an unfortunate DNF (did not finish) in Arunachal Pradesh, but the youngster will also be a strong favourite to win his class INRC2 besides the leading pair. Kadur slipped on the table standings after that DNF.
In the INRC overall rankings for the season, Delhi’s Gaurav Gill is leading with 75 points with Dean Mascarenhas on 63 in second and Rahul Kantharaj on 47. Karna Kadur is only four points behind at 43 while Amittrajit Ghosh slipped to 5th place with 40 points. Musa Sherif and Shruptha Padival lead the co-driver rankings with 85 and 63 points respectively. Mahindra Adventure tops with 125 points in the team championship with ARKA motorsports in second place at 90.
In the INRC2, Rahul Kantharaj (79), Younus Ilyas (58) and Karna Kadur (50) are leading the table in the Drivers’ championship with Vivek Bhat topping the co-drivers’ with 79 points over Harish KN (58) and Nikhil V Pai (50) in that order. ARKA is leading team standings in this class over Snap Racing.
In the INRC3, Dean Mascarenhas with a century is leading the Driver’s Championship and has already clinched the title in the class but is found wanting in terms of sponsors to show his talent on a better platform. Darius N Shroff, Punyabrata Barma are on 51 and 46 respectively to fight for second and third positions. Likewise, Dean’s navigator Shruptha won the co-drivers title in this class. Nitin Jacob and Mrinmoy Saha will fight for the second position.
Chettinad Sporting had won the team title in this class beating the only other team entry Snap Racing. They garnered 117 points.
Stage Distance
The total distance of the Rally will be 97.26 km. The Special Stage distance will be 69.15 km while the liaison distance will be 28.11km. The two stages Alpha and Beta will be run thrice. Alpha is 14.95 km long while Beta covers a distance of only 8.10km. The first car starts at Alpha 1 at 9 am on Sunday. The one-day rally will not have a spectator-friendly Super Special Stage this year.
“It has been another exciting season of Indian rallying. I want to thank MRF Tyres, Mahindra Adventure, CARTAir, Isuzu, Arunachal Tourism, York, Arya and Century Club for their support” Arindam Ghosh, RRPM’s Director, the promoters of the MRF FMSCI INRC, said on the eve of the rally. “Gill has dominated despite missing out on one round. He has won the other three rounds but he must bring it to the finish here to win the championship”, he added.
Supplementary Regulations on INRCindia site
The MRF 43rd K1000 Rally is round 6 of the MRF FMSCI INDIAN NATIONAL RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP (INRC) 2017 will run in compliance with the International Sporting Code of the FIA (and its appendices), the General Prescriptions of The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), the relevant Regulations concerning IRC championship or cup, the Supplementary Regulations and bulletins issued by the FMSCI can be found at www.inrcindia.com,
The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) is the ASN of FIA in India. This rally is inscribed on the FIA Calendar under Asia Zone. Asia Zone competitors may take part in this rally and accrue points.
There will be two Mahindra XUVs in fray with Gill and Ghosh behind the wheels of the Team Mahindra Adventure factory team. There will be six Mitsubishi Cedias competing for the honours in different classes but all of them will be privateers. The Kodagu team of Gagan Karumbaiah and co-driver Amrith Thimmaiah will be the lone entry in the fmsci 4w Cup in a Maruti Gypsy.
eom/David Bodapati
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Toby Price wins Stage 13; CS Santosh 33rd, Walkner still in overall lead: Penultimate stage Dakar 2018
Dakar Rally 2018 – Stage 13 Toby Price has won the penultimate stage of the 2018 Dakar Rally. His victory ensures he maintains his third-place position in the provisional overall standings, just over five minutes behind the runner-up. Third on today’s stage, Antoine Meo moves up to fourth overall. Matthias Walkner, who rode to a safe fourth place today, retains his lead in the overall rankings. The lone Indian campaign spearheaded by Chunchunguppe S Santosh (CS Santosh) continued to flourish for Hero MotoSports Rally team as he finished the penultimate stage in a well-fought 33rd position. The other Indian of Sherco TVS team has pulled out after a nasty fall in the earlier stages. J Pedrero Garcia of Sherco TVS has taken a commendable fifth place in the stage while the other Indian team member of Hero O Mena gatecrashed into the top ten with an admirable performance finishing the stage successfully in 8th position.
Adil Darukhanawala, Automotive author & historian, Editor-in-Chief for Fast Bikes India & editor-at-large Evo India, commented about O Mena on twitter: “What a fine run from
@hero_motosports Oriol Mena! He is now ranked 10th overall n could have been higher still but for stopping to help Honda’s Kevin Benavides. With 4 more days to go he could climb even higher up the leaderboard!” But after Stage 13, Mena is in overall 8th position with a total time of 43H 57′ 11”. Juan Pedrero Garcia of Sherco TVS Rally Factory team is in 11th overall position with a time of 44H 14′ 25″.The longest of the rally, stage 13 proved a real test for the competitors. Comprising 483km of liaison with a two-part 424km timed special, the day required supreme endurance from the riders in order to get to the finish both quickly and safely. With the route including a difficult mixture of terrain, riders had to decide whether to push or play it safe.One rider who had little choice but to push was Toby Price. After losing time on stage 10 through a navigation error, Price had to take every opportunity he could to make up time on the leaders. With today’s win, Price closes in on second-placed Kevin Benavides, but still trails his team-mate and leader of the rally Matthias Walkner by over 27 minutes with one stage remaining. Toby Price: “That was a great stage, I was leading from the front and it was really good fun. The tracks were fast, and rough in places so I pushed on as much as I could in those sections. Navigation wasn’t too difficult today, I made a couple of mistakes along the way but nothing huge. There were a lot of speed zones so you had to be careful not to overdo it there, but I did what I set out to do and won the stage. It would have been nice to take a little bit more time off Kevin (Benavides) in front, but there’s still one day left. If you’d told me six weeks ago I’d be here fighting for the podium I would have laughed at you. I’m really happy with how things have gone so far and I’ll see what I can do tomorrow.”
After leading the stage early on, Antoine Meo was in a close battle for the runner-up position for the rest of the stage. Finally crossing the line in third place, Meo was pleased with his result. The Frenchman now moves up to fourth in the provisional standings, 50 minutes down on the leader.
Antoine Meo: “Today’s stage was good fun. I tried everything I could to catch Toby, but he was on the gas today. The last part of the stage was really fast and I eased off a little because a mistake there could have been very scary. I’m happy with how the day went, the result moves me up to fourth in the standings and that is what I was aiming for today. Now we just have one more day to ride so I’ll do my best and hopefully get a good, safe finish.”
Matthias Walkner continues to ride in the style that has placed him in a commanding lead at the top of the standings – fast, consistent and with the minimum of mistakes. Walkner’s performance throughout the rally has been superb. Taking his time and concentrating on navigation, his fourth-place result from today sees the Austrian go into tomorrow’s final stage with a 22-minute lead over second placed Benavides. The former MX3 World Champion is now within sight of his first Dakar win.
Matthias Walkner: “That was a really long day today. The guys at the front are pushing really hard and I’m feeling a little nervous so my aim is just to take things steady and get to the line safely. It was a really fast stage and just a small mistake could cause a big crash. I have got a 20-minute gap over the guys behind but even that amount of time can disappear easily if you get lost or have a problem with the bike. Tomorrow we still have 120km to race and anything can happen. I’ll start thinking about the win when I eventually cross the finish line tomorrow.”
Setting off 18th this morning, Laia Sanz immediately fought her way up to 13th place at the first waypoint. Laia carried that position right to the end of the 424km special and by doing so also improved her ranking in the overall to 12th. With just one stage left to ride, Laia is head and shoulders above the rest of the female competitors and will be trying her best to claim a top-10 position overall.
Laia Sanz: “I had a good day today. The start of the stage was really tough, the sand was extremely soft and there were a lot of whoops – I found that really hard on my body, especially after having a couple of crashes recently. The second half of the day was a lot better, it was very fast but easier to push so I kept to a good safe pace and made it to the finish without any mistakes. Tomorrow I will try to stay safe and hopefully enjoy the final stage of the rally.”
Tomorrow’s stage 14 marks the end of the 2018 Dakar Rally. Although short at only 286km in total, the stage will still prove difficult for competitors. With a technical timed special crossing approximately 30 rivers on route, the stage could still turn in a few surprises for the top runners. Riders will have to focus right till the finish line if they are to successfully complete this 40th edition of the rally.
Provisional Results Stage 13 – 2018 Dakar Rally
1. Toby Price (AUT), KTM, 4:48:33
2. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 4:50:36 +2:03
3. Antoine Meo (FRA), KTM, 4:51:17 +2:44
4. Matthias Walkner (AUT), 5:00:05 +11:32
5. Juan Pedrero Garcia (ESP), Sherco, 5:03:45 +15:12
Other KTM
7. Armand Monleon (ESP), KTM, 5:10:04 +21:31
10. Gerard Farres (ESP), KTM, 5:12:07 +23:34
13. Laia Sanz (ESP), KTM, 5:16:12 +27:39Provisional Standings after Stage 13 – 2018 Dakar Rally
1. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 41:33:42
2. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 41:56:13 +22:31
3. Toby Price (AUT), KTM, 42:01:27 +27:45
4. Antoine Meo (FRA), KTM, 42:23:59 +50:17
5. Gerard Farres (ESP), KTM, 42:35:01 +1:01:19
Other KTM
9. Daniel Oliveras Carreras (ESP), KTM, 44:13:15 +2:39:33
12. Laia Sanz (ESP), KTM, 44:24:19 +2:50:37 -
Walkner maintains his 2018 Dakar lead: A KTM view
Walkner in action in Stage 12. A Redbull image Dakar Rally 2018 – Stage 12
After a cancelled stage 12, Matthias Walkner maintains his 2018 Dakar Rally lead with an advantage of more than 30-minutes over his nearest competitor. Team-mates Toby Price and Antoine Meo are hot on his heels in third and fifth respectively. KTM Factory Racing’s Laia Sanz is holding onto a very strong 13th in the provisional rankings. The 12th stage of the 2018 Dakar Rally was canceled due to safety concerns raised by the riders at the end of stage 11. In a similar situation to the canceled stage nine, motorcycle and quad riders made their way untimed from Fiambalá to San Juan. The stage was scheduled to have the bikes follow the cars and trucks into the timed special. This, combined with the terrain and how it would be affected by the vehicles in front, was deemed too dangerous and the organisers heeded to the riders’ wishes and canceled the stage.With one day less to ride, Matthias Walkner took a step closer to claiming his first ever overall Dakar victory. The Austrian, fit and ready for the stages ahead is feeling confident with only two more days to go. Sitting at the top of the leaderboard, 32-minutes up on his nearest rival Kevin Benavides, Walkner still needs to perform well on the remaining two stages to secure a winning result. Matthias Walkner: “My feeling going into the final couple of stages of the rally is quite good. Tomorrow will be tough and very long, there is a lot of off-piste at the beginning of the stage and then some really fast tracks towards the end. My start position is good so I’m hoping for a solid day tomorrow, I’ll do my best and see where that gets me.
“It was good fun yesterday riding with the cars. I tried to catch Peterhansel as soon as I could and managed to see him at about 70km into the stage. I succeeded to get in front but then he passed me again so we ended up traveling together for most of the stage. It helped me a lot because navigation on the stage was tough and I wanted to really minimise any mistakes so following a car was sensible. It was an honour to ride with ‘Mr Dakar’ himself, too.”
Toby Price won the previous day’s stage 11, the opening leg of the second marathon stage. Price put in a dominating performance to take the win by a minute-and-a-half over the runner-up and gain over 10-minutes on his team-mate and standings leader, Walkner.
Toby Price: “Yesterday’s stage went really well, it’s nice to get my first win at this year’s event. It helps a little for the time lost the previous day, too. We started off behind some cars and trucks, which adds a little excitement. It was a 280km special and I tried to push for the whole way – it paid off because I was fastest to every waypoint. I’m sitting third, which doesn’t sound too bad, but I’m still down quite a lot of time on Matthias. With the cancellation of today’s stage, it means even less of a chance to try and catch up. Tomorrow, stage 13 is the longest of the event though and anything can happen on this rally as we have already seen. All I can do is keep pushing and aim for a good finish on Saturday.”
Also enjoying stage 11, right up to a large crash 10km from the finish, Antoine Meo still managed to move further up the overall rankings to fifth. Like Price, Meo is running out of time if he wants to improve that position further, but there are well over 500km of special stages left to race and Meo will be trying to make the most of every one.
Antoine Meo: “Yesterday went really well for me, I pushed hard right from the beginning and was making up good time. Unfortunately, I crashed a little way from the finish. It was quite a big crash but luckily I came out of it in one piece and the bike was not too badly damaged. I am a little disappointed that today’s stage was cancelled, it makes it harder for me to make up time on the guys in front. At the same time, it was looking quite dangerous out there and I think the organisers made the right decision. I’ll go into tomorrow’s stage 13 looking to push as hard as I can and hopefully get another good result.”
Laia Sanz suffered her second big crash of the rally yesterday. Picking herself up, the Spaniard made it to the finish in a commendable 18th place. Her performance moved he further up the standings – the multiple world champion now sits in an excellent 13th overall.
Laia Sanz: “It was a really hard day for me yesterday. I started in the second group behind cars and truck and personally I think it was too dangerous. I was stuck in the dust of a truck in front and it was too difficult to overtake it safely. Towards the end of the stage I was so exhausted and ended up having another crash. Luckily, I wasn’t injured and made it to the bivouac ok, but today I am feeling a little sore. I am glad the stage today was cancelled, it has given me a chance to rest and prepare myself for the last two days.”
Jordi Viladoms – KTM Rally Sport Manager: “The plan today was to initially ride the stage after the cars and trucks, which is a little bit dangerous for the riders. The organisers listened to the concerns raised and made the right decision to cancel the special. The terrain of stage 12 would have proved difficult anyway, but after the larger vehicles had gone through it would have been too treacherous for the bikes. We are glad that rider safety was put above everything else. With two more stages to race, we are very happy with how things are going – obviously Matthias is in a very good position, but both Toby and Antoine can still catch the guys in front of them so we’ll see what happens over the next couple of days.”
Tomorrow’s stage 13 of the 2018 Dakar Rally from San Juan to the city of Córdoba is the longest of the event. A 483km liaison combined with a 424km timed special will really test the endurance of the riders. Starting in the sand dunes surrounding San Juan, the route will take competitors through an area of fesh-fesh and conclude on the fast WRC-style tracks on the way into Córdoba. Navigation will again be important, but overall physical fitness in the Argentinian heat will be key.
Provisional Standings after cancelled Stage 12 – 2018 Dakar Rally
1. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 36:33:37
2. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 37:05:37 +32:00
3. Toby Price (AUT), KTM, 37:12:54 +39:17
4. Gerard Farres (ESP), KTM, 37:22:54 +49:17
5. Antoine Meo (FRA), KTM, 37:32:42 +59:05
Other KTM
13. Laia Sanz (ESP), KTM, 39:08:07 +2:34:30eom/A KTM release
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Matthias Walkner tops drama-filled Stage-10; Santosh 44th: Dakar Rally 2018
Dakar Rally 2018 – Stage 10 Matthias Walkner has won a drama-filled stage 10 of the 2018 Dakar Rally. Toby Price and Antoine Meo both started well, but then lost time during the latter half of the stage to eventually finish 19th and 26th respectively. The lone Indian left in the fray, CS Santosh of Hero MotoSports Rally team, is placed at 44th place overall, after he went down and recovered dramatically.
KTM Factory Racing’s Laia Sanz put in another good ride to finish 11th, but unfortunately her team-mate Luciano Benavides was forced to retire from the rally after crashing.
Following a cancelled stage nine, the first day of racing in Argentina was a difficult one for all competitors. A 424km liaison brought riders to the beginning of today’s timed special – a 373km long route that twisted its way through the dunes and riverbeds of the Catamarca region before finding its destination at the city of Belén.As it happened, it wasn’t the intense heat that proved most difficult for the competitors but the navigation. Matthias Walkner was running third at the start of the second leg of the timed special, six-minutes behind the leader. Taking extreme care to find each waypoint, Walkner navigated his way successfully to the finish and was surprised to find himself the first rider home. The Austrian now leads the provisional overall standings by a sizable 39 minutes and 42 seconds. Matthias Walkner: “What a day. That was such a tough stage, not only because of the heat but because of the navigation, too. I knew today how important it would be to bide my time and concentrate on finding each waypoint successfully. Better to spend a few seconds getting things right than pushing on, wasting a lot more time after getting lost. When the tracks from the guys in front disappeared, I got a little worried that I had made a mistake, but I carried on and trusted myself. It was a big relief when I saw the waypoint validated and I reached the finish. It’s always good to take a stage win, but never nice when one of your opponents crashes out. I hope Adrien (Van Beveren) is ok. We have a hard stage tomorrow so I’ll go about it in the same way and try not to make any mistakes.”
Toby Price and Antoine Meo, were in the leading group of three at the mid-way service. Unfortunately, as is often the case when following other riders, navigation becomes more difficult and mistakes are easier to make. Forced to turn around and retrace their steps, Price and Meo eventually re-joined the correct route and made it to the finish.
Antoine Meo: “The first part of the stage went really well for me today, I was opening the road but my pace was good and I was happy with how things were going. After refuelling I was following Benavides and riding in his dust. We ended up making a mistake with one of the final waypoints and ended up way off course. The helicopter guided us back to the route, but we lost so much time. It’s disappointing, but we got to the finish in one piece which is the most important thing. I’ll keep on pushing for the remaining stages because anything can happen at the Dakar as we have seen today.”
Toby Price: “I’m so disappointed with the result today. It was hot out there and I didn’t have much fluid so that made things even harder. We were running really well right up until the end but obviously made a mistake with the navigation on the final waypoint. It seems a lot of the other riders made a very similar mistake, but I guess that’s the way it goes. I lost a huge amount of time and that is going to be hard to get back, but I’ll keep pushing on and see what the next few stages bring us.”
An early crash slowed Laia Sanz’ pace at the beginning of today’s stage. Despite her navigation equipment being damaged, she rode on, taking more care to make each waypoint successfully and minimise the risk of any further mistakes. Her diligence paid off and Laia completed the final part of the timed special without incident, finishing in a very strong 11th place.
Laia Sanz: “My day started off pretty bad – I had a crash early on and damaged my trip computer. From then on it was very difficult to navigate and find the waypoints. I had to really ease off on my pace in order to not have an accident. On the second leg of the stage my navigation was really good and so in the end it wasn’t such a bad day after all. I placed 11th at the finish which puts me in a really good start position for tomorrow.”
Laia’s KTM Factory Racing team-mate, Luciano Benavides was forced to retire from the rally today after a crash on the first part of the timed stage. The Argentinian, injuring his back in the incident, was airlifted to hospital for further checks.
Tomorrow’s (Wednesday’s) Stage 11 of the 2018 Dakar Rally is the infamous Super Fiambalá – often regarded as the toughest and most exhausting of the event. It is not overly long, the timed special only measures 280km, but the temperature in the dunes around the town of Fiambalá makes the stage extremely tough on mind and body. That, combined with the extra-soft sand of the area, provides a real challenge for the competitors.
Provisional Results Stage 10 – 2018 Dakar Rally
1. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 4:52:26
2. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL), Husqvarna, 5:04:01 +11:35
3. Gerard Farres (ESP), KTM, 5:08:47 +16:21
4. Oriel Mena (ESP), Hero, 5:13:11 +20:45
5. José Ignacio Cornejo (CHL), Honda, 5:15:40 +23:14
Other KTM
8. Daniel Oliveras Carreras (ESP), KTM, 5:17:51 +25:25
11. Laia Sanz (ESP), KTM, 5:29:01 +36:35
19. Toby Price (AUT), KTM, 5:41:43 +49:17
26. Antoine Meo (FRA), KTM, 5:52:39 +1:00:13Provisional Standings after Stage 10 – 2018 Dakar Rally
1. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 32:21:03
2. Joan Barreda (ESP), Honda, 33:00:45 +39:42
3. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 33:02:26 +41:23
4. Gerard Farres (ESP), KTM, 33:08:49 +47:46
5. Toby Price (AUT), KTM, 33:11:21 +50:18
Other KTM
6. Antoine Meo (FRA), KTM, 33:24:38 +1:03:35
8. Stefan Svitko (SVK), KTM, 33:46:12 +1:25:09
15. Laia Sanz (ESP), KTM, 34:22:29 +2:01:26eom/KTM press release
