Reaching the end of the two-day marathon stage in Tupiza, Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team's Adrien Van Beveren has managed to retain his lead in the rally's provisional overall standings.
With tomorrow’s special stage cancelled due to bad weather, the WR450F Rally powered rider now has five more stages to complete before the end of the 2018 Dakar Rally.
Sticking to his well-calculated plan of attack, Van Beveren rode a smart stage eight of the rally. Assigned with the demanding task of opening the tracks on several occasions during the timed special, the Frenchman brought his Yamaha home in seventh position on Sunday. Meeting his team in Tupiza for the first time after two days, Adrien will now have the chance to regroup and get ready for the remainder of the rally.
“It is great that we keep the lead at the end of this extremely difficult marathon stage,” said Van Beveren. “The rain, the mud and the high altitude made things really hard for us these last two days. It was really exhausting physically but I managed to get two good stage results. Yesterday I was second and then today I pushed hard and managed to stay close to the leading group.
“For big parts of the special stages yesterday and today I found myself opening the tracks. I am feeling great so far on my bike and I also have a great feeling with my navigation. I can be fast while also avoiding navigational mistakes and that is crucial for the coming stages as well. I feel that I’ve put the pieces of the puzzle together and now I know what I need to do during the coming stages.”
A strong asset for the Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team, Rodney Faggotter remains well in contention for the top 20 in the provisional overall. Making use of his mechanical skills to assist his teammates in the marathon bivouac in Uyuni, the Aussie was back on his WR450F Rally machine on Sunday enjoying another steady stage performance. Finishing 26th on stage eight, Rod is currently 22nd in the provisional overall.
“This marathon stage was a test for all of us. I’m tired but happy I brought my bike home,” said Faggotter. “Yesterday I lost time trying to help Franco get his bike out of the mud. Both these last two days have been really long and tiring. I’m glad to be here in Tupiza and my bike is running great so far. I’ve had a couple of small crashes but nothing major. My body is tired tonight but we have time to relax and recover some energy. Things are going pretty well for me this year. Unfortunately, we lost Franco yesterday and Xavier today. My thoughts are with Xavier now, as he tries to recover from his injuries.”
Stage eight brought some mixed fortunes for the Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team. With Van Beveren retaining the lead in the provisional overall, the team also disappointingly saw Xavier de Soultrait suffer a crash that forced him out of the South American event.
Yamaha continue to dominate the Quad class of the 2018 Dakar Rally. With Ignacio Casale now enjoying a whooping one-hour 45 minutes lead in the provisional overall, there are eight Yamaha riders inside the top 10.
Dakar Rally organisers have taken the decision to cancel Monday’s timed special for fear of thunderstorms and flooding. Instead competitors will ride in groups all the way to the Salta bivouac, with the race resuming again on Tuesday morning.
Dakar Rally 2018 – Stage 8 – Provisional Classification
1. Antoine Meo (FRA), KTM, 05:24:01
2. Ricky Brabec (USA), Honda, 05:25:09, +01:08
3. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 05:26:46, +02:45
4. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 05:29:53, +05:52
5. Stefan Svitko (SVK), KTM, 05:30:47, +06:46
6. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 05:31:01, +07:00
7. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Yamaha, 05:32:45, +08:44
…
23. Alessandro Botturi (ITA), Yamaha, 05:51:34, +27:33
26. Rodney Faggotter (AUS), Yamaha, 05:55:38, +31:57
Dakar Rally 2018 – Provisional Overall Classification [After Stage 8]
1. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Yamaha, 27:22:03
2. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 27:22:25, +00:22
3. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 27:28:37, +06:34
4. Toby Price (AUT), KTM, 27:29:38, +07:35
5. Joan Barreda (ESP), Honda, 27:30:04, +08:01
6. Antoine Meo (FRA), KTM, 27:31:59, +09:56
…
22. Rodney Faggotter (AUS), Yamaha, 29:41:34, +02:19:31
24. Alessandro Botturi (ITA), Yamaha, 29:49:13, +02:27:10