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Added on the 10/01/2020 07:06:59 - Copyright : Auto Moto EN
After Africa and South America, the most recent chapter of Dakar Rally history, in the Middle East, has opened, adorned in the colours of Monster Energy Honda Team and American Ricky Brabec as the leading race protagonists.The vast and unchartered desert of Saudi Arabia has, for a fortnight, proved ideal ground for the Monster Energy Honda Team show of strength in the toughest, most demanding race in the world. Through twelve, the Honda CRF450 RALLY riders stole the show over 5000 kilometres of timed specials, to eventually claim a haul of six stage wins, after leading the race from day three.
With Ricky Brabec heading the overall leader board, many might believe that the Monster Energy Honda Team hold good chances of triumphing in the rally. But take nothing for granted: on the second week of the Dakar Rally we will face to toughest part of the race.It was a highly-positive opening week at the Dakar for the Monster Energy Honda Team. Ricky Brabec occupies top position in the general rankings of the rally which – for the first time in its history – is being held in Saudi Arabia. The American rider, who has won two stages so far in the rally, sits on a twenty-minute advantage over his immediate pursuers. Brabec will now be seeking to contain his adversaries over the forthcoming stages in a bid to be in final contention when the rally concludes in Qiddiyah.
Chilean rider Nacho Cornejo climbed to sixth place in the general rankings of the 2019 Dakar Rally in the ninth and penultimate stage.Day nine of the 2019 Dakar took place in the area around Pisco, once again with a motocross-style mass start with riders setting off in waves of ten. 90% of the route was off-piste with half the special in the dunes and the second half of the 313-kilometre stage battled out over harder terrain.Monster Energy Honda Team’s top rider proved to be Nacho Cornejo. The Chilean got off to a swift, yet cautious start, but was able to push hard in the dunes, producing a performance that ranked among the best times of the day. Nacho’s sixth place on the stage meant the rider moves up to sixth overall.Kevin Benavides came out guns blazing and opened the track for much of the special. A hard-to-locate waypoint caused the first wave of riders to reach the leading group and narrow the times down even further. Benavides eventually posted twelfth, 4’14” behind the stage winner.
Nacho Cornejo narrowly missed out on a maiden stage victory on the tenth and final day of the 2019 Dakar Rally. The runner-up spot in today’s special placed him in a position which greatly improves on last year’s performance.Chilean rider Nacho Cornejo showed his pace yet again, marking the best time during the final special timed stage of the Dakar Rally fought in the Ica dunes close to Paracas. Cornejo, with the second final position, 2’21 behind the special stage winner, concludes his best Dakar performance to date, improving on the tenth overall position achieved in the most recent edition. Today the rider posted seventh place in the general standings this year – a promising result for the young man from Iquique.Kevin Benavides, meanwhile, was sixth on the day, finishing the rally in twelfth overall position due to an extraordinary sanction that the rider picked up which the team is currently disputing.
In spite it being Sunday, there is no rest for the Dakar. Far from it: today witnessed the longest stage so far in the 2019 odyssey at 839 kilometres. The route took competitors from inland to the coast – from the cold and wet heights of Arequipa to warm and windy San Juan de Marcona.Riders rode the first 177 km-liaison section late yesterday evening which took the entourage to the impressive Tanaka dunes on the coast. Today the riders battled out an opening 84km-special, which was followed by an 18km neutralization section before the stage’s main trek – a tough 232km special which returned the bikers back to the bivouac in San Juan de Marcona.Kevin Benavides fought nail and tooth for the stage win and nearly pulled it off, coming home less than two minutes shy of stage winner Quintanilla. However, the Argentine Monster Energy Honda Team climbed the overall leader board from seventh to fourth place, eating one minute into the overall leader’s time.Californian Ricky Brabec dropped a little time today trying to validate an awkward waypoint, which saw him concede the privileged position of overall race leader, although the American remains just four minutes adrift of the top spot.
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