Walkner new Dakar leader after dramatic 10th stage
Yamaha's Van Beveren out as navigation troubles hit Price on Tuesday.
Image: Supplied.
Red Bull KTM’s Matthias Walkner has stretched a significant lead in the 2018 Dakar Rally, winning stage 10 on a day that previous leader Adrien Van Beveren was forced out and a selection of front-runners – including Toby Price – lost major time in the latter stages.
The first day of racing in Argentina was a difficult one for all competitors. A 424km liaison brought riders to the beginning of the timed special – a 373km long route that twisted its way through the Catamarca region before arriving at the city of Belen.
As it happened, it wasn’t the intense heat that proved most difficult for the competitors, but the navigation. 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, he navigated his way successfully to the finish and was surprised to find himself the first rider home.
The Austrian topped the stage by 11m35s over Pablo Quintanilla (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) and KTM-mounted Gerard Farres, now heading the provisional overall standings by a sizeable 39m42s from Monster Energy Honda teammates Joan Barreda and Kevin Benavides.
Following a crash shortly before the end of the stage, Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team’s Van Beveren has been forced to abandon the rally. He attempted to complete the stage, but was unable to continue and was air-lifted for a medical check.
Price was in the leading group of three at the mid-way service, however unfortunately navigation becomes more difficult and mistakes are easier to make in a group at speed. Forced to turn around and retrace their steps, Price eventually re-joined the correct route and made it to the finish in a lowly 19th position, losing 49 minutes in the process. He’s now fifth overall, 50m18s behind Walkner.
It was a relatively positive stage for top-finishing Aussie Rodney Faggotter on his Yamalube Yamaha, claiming 13th and he’s now 20th overall. Scott Britnell (Grit Adventures KTM) was 56th in stage and sits 66th on combined times with four days remaining.
Wednesday’s 11th stage of the 2018 Dakar Rally is the infamous ‘Super Fiambala’, often regarded as the toughest and most exhausting of the event. It is not overly long and the timed special only measures 280km, but the temperature in the dunes around the town of Fiambala makes the stage extremely tough, along with the extra-soft sand of the area.
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