2016 Dakar Rally – Stage 6: A Battle of Attrition

With the marathon stage behind them, the riders took to the long loop around Uyuni today. Stage 6 of the 2016 Dakar Rally brought in more navigational challenges, not to mention a staggering 540km time special.

With over 700km on the day, and a peak altitude of 15,000 feet, this is where the Dakar Rally starts earning its reputation as being the most grueling motorsport on the planet.

The first to show weakness on the day was Joan Barreda, whose Honda CRF450 Rally suffered some sort of mechanical problem, and had to be towed to the finish line by HRC teammate Paolo Ceci. Barreda lost four hours because of the technical setback, which effectively ends his Dakar.

Though HRC is touting the current overall lead of Paulo Gonçalves, the Portugese rider’s third-place finish for the day means that he has only a 35-second advantage over the band of KTM riders that are chasing him.

Leading that pack is Toby Price, who has won three stages so far, and is starting to position himself as the KTM rider to beat. With factory racer Matthias Walkner, and privateer Stefan Svitko not far behind, KTM’s grasp on The Dakar is certainly getting stronger.

“It was a good day, a long day on the bike but we got through the stage really well. We slowed down at the times we had to navigate, and that’s the first time I’ve led from start to finish. We’re sitting in a good position and it’s a good fight,” said Toby Price.

“[The altitude] takes a bit of power out of the bike (because of the thinner air) but it’s the same with everyone’s, also with the cars. But for me, I’m doing well with the altitude, and the body’s holding up well. Also the bike. We’re looking after it pretty well and we’re keen, so I’m looking forward to the second week.”

As it was for Honda, today was a mixed bag for the Husqvarna boys as well. Pablo Quintanilla rode a strong stage, and finished the stage sixth fastest. The Chilean rider is now fifth overall, and still within striking distance to the front riders.

Unfortunately though, Stage 6 was the end of the rally for Ruben Faria, who crashed about halfway through the special section and had to retire. Faria sustained a fractured arm and some other minor injuries. He is being treated in Bolivia, and is expected to return to Europe on Sunday.

“It as a really tough stage,” Quintanilla said. “It was a really long day on the bike and it was very difficult to focus all the time because of the altitude. But it was important to finish the stage well, and now its time to focus on the last day before the rest day on Sunday. As we know the second week is going to be the toughest of the Dakar, so lets see how we do in the next stage.”

Yamaha Racing too seems finally to be finding its feet, with Hélder Rodrigues coming in 5th on the stage and teammate Alessandro Botturi tenth. This shift in fortunes puts Rodrigues into a respectable 6th place position overall.

“I pushed a little bit more today: it is my goal to stay with the leaders before the second part of the rally next week, which will be difficult and decisive. The result is good but I feel that I can do even better and I will try to do so tomorrow,” said Rodrigues.

“I am very happy with the new WR450F Rally, as I arrived to the finish line everyday with no problems. The whole Yamaha crew works a lot to help me perform in the best conditions, the mechanics work hard and I get a lot of support. It is really pleasant to be back on the Dakar Rally with a team such as Yamaha.”

Yamalube Yamaha Junior Rally Team’s Adrien Van Beveren even made his presence felt, finishing 9th on the grueling loop.

Stage 7 is going to be another long day for the rider, with a total of 793km and 353km on the special. The riders will leave Bolivia, and return to Argentina, finishing the day in Salta. They will face a number of river crossings, which have become more difficult because of the amount of rain that has been falling.

Once done with Stage 7, the riders will have all of Sunday off to recuperate. At that point, they will have ridden more than 9,000km – that’s 5,600 miles.

Overall Top 10 of the 2016 Dakar Rally:

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