2016 Dakar Rally – Stage 3: Hat Trick?

Stage 3 of the 2016 Dakar Rally saw another modified route, as the competitors worked around the weather in Argentina. This means that the timed special section was reduced to roughly 200km.

With the shorter route, the navigational challenges were virtually non-existent for the motorcycle competitors, though plenty of radar speed traps were on the course, which caught a few riders out.

The day was most fruitful for Honda, as the fastest three riders through the timed section were all HRC riders, with Joan Barreda leading the pack.

Unfortunately for Barreda though, the Spanish rider got another one-minute penalty, which officially knocked him back to fifth for the day, robbing Honda of its scorecard domination.

“Today was a great day after yesterday, when I had to open the track, but today we started from behind which gave us a good position to attack from,” said Barreda.

“We were very focused throughout the stage, which had very little navigation but plenty of radars that you had to be careful of. I kept a great pace throughout the 200 km and I’ve got the leadership back.”

For Husqvarna, the day was fruitful as well, with Ruben Faria and Pablo Quintanilla fifth and sixth overall. For Stage 3, it was Quintanilla who was quickest from the pair, with Faria making a mistake during his refueling and nearly running out of fuel on the stage.

“Today was better for me because we made some changes to the suspension overnight and I felt good. The stage was also better than yesterday, but the same kind of terrain and only basic navigation,” said Quintanilla.

Giving the Honda riders a run for their money were the KTMs of Antoine Meo and Stefan Svitko, which finished the course in fourth and fifth, but were bumped up a place after Barreda’s penalty dropped him down to fifth place for the day.

This result puts Stefan Svitko as the current overall leader in the 2016 Dakar Rally, though the entire Top 10 is only separated by a paltry six minutes. With a lot of racing still ahead, it’s anyone’s race going forward.

“After that I pushed harder and it was good for me,” said Antoine Meo. “I didn’t want to start first tomorrow because I’m not ready to open a hard stage so fourth place is not too bad. Also it will be a difficult stage. I will try to learn more about the rally and also to understand the marathon stage. I need to use the tire better and stay safe.”

As for the Blue riders, Yamaha’s factory riders are plagued by injury and illness. Hélder Rodrigues is showing a nasty flu, with a strong fever and weakness affecting his performance.

Meanwhile, Alessandro Botturi had to contend with a wrist injury he sustained from a crash on Monday. Hopefully the Italian can get patched up before Wednesday’s long day.

“It was a tough day for me, as my right wrist is painful since yesterday when I fell down in the second stage,” said Botturi. “I had to go beyond myself today to get to the finish. I wanted to push harder on the track but I did not have my full abilities to do better. My chrono is still good and that is very positive. I will rest tonight and sleep well, so I’ll be ready for tomorrow’s marathon stage.”

Stage 4 involves a loop from Jujuy and back, which then rolls into the Dakar Rally’s first marathon stage, where only competitors can service and work on their machines (before entering parc fermé).

This not only tests the mechanical aspects of the racing machinery, but also puts extra pressure on the racers, who will get much less rest for the day and night.

Top 10 from Stage 3 – Termas Rio Hondo to Jujuy – of the 2016 Dakar Rally:

Overall Top 10 of the 2016 Dakar Rally:

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