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(Motorsport-Total.com) – At halftime, the motorcycle race is fully open. After six stages of the Dakar Rally, seven drivers are ten minutes away and 13 to 20 minutes away. Due to the yo-yo effect, the overall ranking changed every day.
© KTM
Toby Price has already won the Dakar Rally twice Focus
The halftime leader is Toby Price (KTM). Honda duo Kevin Benavides and Ignacio Cornejo are close behind. Yamaha has a red-hot iron on fire with Ross Branch in fourth place. Joan Barreda (Honda), who has won three stages so far, is seventh.
“It wasn’t that bad,” Price said, recalling his first week. “I tried to be conservative and not keep winning and losing the next day. The pace is very high. My wrist hurts a little, but I don’t think about it too much on stage.”
“We are still in the fight, we are still in the race. Anything can happen. We have to do some things better, so it should be fine. I had a little accident, but otherwise the bike is fine.”
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Price’s stage results so far were 1, 28, 1, 22, 3, and 7. Benavides’s pursuer was at positions 2, 24, 2, 14, 1, and 15. This shows the yo-yo effect. In the general classification, Benavides is only 2:16 minutes behind Price.
“I finished very well this week,” said the Argentine. “I’m a solid second and very happy with these days. Now I have to relax on the rest day.” Because in the fifth stage Benavides had hit his nose in a fall.
“I am glad we got to this point. We are now looking forward to what is to come and we are focused on next week. It will definitely be an uphill battle.” All four Honda riders still have a chance to win.
Barreda now with 27 stage wins
With three stage wins, “Bang Bang” Barreda once again propped up his speed. The Spaniard has won 27 stages in his career. They are exactly as many as his compatriot Jordi Arcarons won. Only Stephane Peterhansel and Cyril Despres have more daily wins.
“I don’t know if it’s a good strategy,” asks Barreda. “It was a very difficult day with a lot of navigation. This is new for me. I have seen a lot of navigation in recent years, but now it is completely different.”
© Honda
Joan Barreda has won half of the previous stages Focus
“The first week was a strategic race. Sometimes it is difficult because you are in a position where there is not much you can do. There are still many kilometers left. I am happy because the bike is good, I did not crash and I felt strong.”
Barreda is still waiting for his first Dakar victory. Defending champion Brabec is only 13th at halftime of the rally, but with 20 minutes behind he still has every chance. “We reached the rest day, which was our first goal,” says the American.
“The second objective is to reach the end. We have not recovered all the time we thought we would have. But that’s right. Right now, I just want to finish this Dakar. There are six very tough days left.”
“It’s very difficult to manage the strategy. I don’t think anyone knows. We can only do it day by day and hope things change. As it is now, I can’t say more about it.”
General classification after 6 out of 12 stages (top 10):
01. Toby Price (KTM) – 24: 08.43 Stunden
02. Kevin Benavides (Honda) +2: 16 Minutes
03. Ignacio Cornejo (Honda) +2: 57
04. Ross Branch (Yamaha) +3: 41
05. Xavier de Soultrait (Husqvarna) +3: 41
06. Sam Sunderland (KTM) +4: 23
07. Joan Barreda (Honda) +6: 25
08. Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco) +13: 46
09. Skyler Howes (KTM) +15: 12
10. Pablo Quintanilla (Husqvarna) +15: 13
