2016 Dakar Rally – Stage 2: Beginning, In Earnest

Racing almost 800km from Villa Carlos Paz to Termas de Río Hondo, Monday marked the first earnest day of racing in the 2016 Dakar Rally, after the timed section of Stage 1 had to be canceled because of the incredibly weather at play in Argentina.

This doesn’t mean Monday was without weather though, as the special section was trimmed from 450km to 354km, because track conditions had deteriorated after Sunday’s thunderstorms.

That slight respite proved to be a boon for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Toby Price, as the Australian took the first Stage win of The Dakar. Price finished just 20 seconds ahead of Husqvarna’s Ruben Faria, lining up a duel that is likely to be a major part of this year’s edition of The Dakar.

While KTM might be without Marc Coma and Cyril Despres, both riders now having retired from two-wheel racing, KTM has a strong showing so far in 2016, with Stefan Svitko of Slovakia rounding out the podium, third in Stage 2, though he carries a one-minute penalty from the day.

“It was a long day in the saddle but for sure it’s started well for us. Today was really easy navigation and we had a few tracks we could see, plus the route was pretty well marked,” explained Price.

“You’ve got to have a perfect race go your way for the two weeks. Realistically it’s day one, so we’ve got a long way to go. We’ve just got to make sure we keep cool, calm and collected. It’s good to get one stage win out of the way, but we’re looking forward to being smooth and consistent the rest of the week and see how we go.”

Second off the line was Husqvarna’s Ruben Faria, who gained a lot of time (and a one-minute penalty), to narrow the gap to Toby Price. “Today I started second behind (Joan) Barreda. I pushed a little bit and I caught him. After that I rode at a good speed. I’ve got a good feeling with the bike and the bike was really good. We’re at the beginning of the race, but I’m feeling good,” said the Portuguese rider.

Things for HRC were less positive, as Honda’s riders started farther back than KTM’s squad, because of their poor results in the prologue session, which determined the running order for the first Stage’s race.

As such, Paulo Goncalves had to deal with a ravaged and rutted muddy course, and could only claw his way back to sixth on Stage 2. Not far behind him was Joan Barreda, who got himself stuck in the mud and lost valuable time.

“This was a serious 350 kilometre stage. I came out really strong and there was a bit of dust in the beginning, but after I got caught up in the mud. Luckily there was Ricky Brabec who helped me out of it,” said Paulo Goncalves. “I didn’t lose too much time and the final position is a good one. The important thing is to be up there near the head of the field, not lose the fight and battle on to the end.”

Stage 3 on Tuesday sees the Dakar racers going from Termas de Río Hondo to San Salvadore de Jujuy. It will be a 663km day on the bikes, with 314km being part of the timed “special” stage, which will consist of tight mountain tracks that might be heavily packed if rain persists.

Top 10 from Stage 2 – Termas Rio Hondo to Rosario – of the 2016 Dakar Rally:

Overall Top 10 of the 2016 Dakar Rally:

Source: Dakar; Photo: HRC, Husqvarna, KTM, & Yamaha Racing