Sam Sunderland leads Dakar Rally into week two
By TMX Archives on 9th Jan 17
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing go into the second week with Sam Sunderland as the overall leader but the first week has brought the team challenges and the exit through injury of reigning champion, Australias Toby Price.
British rider Sam Sunderland won a shortened Stage 5 to be the fifth stage winner since the rally kicked off in Asuncion, Paraguay.
The Dubai-based rider has never been out of the top four overall so far in this edition. This solid and consistent result is a confidence booster for Sunderland. He has already much improved on his two previous starts in the Dakar and after various injuries is mentally and physically very strong.
Sunderland: "It's been a hard time with a lot of crazy things – temperatures of 45 degrees to 5 degrees here in Bolivia and altitude of 4,500 meters.
The navigation has been heavy and very physical riding as well. It's good to arrive here in the lead but at the same time I know it doesn't mean much because we still have a long way to go. I need to stay focused until the end.”
Asked how he has spent the rest day, Sunderland said: "We've been busy organising things for next week and I went to see my friend Toby Price and it was nice to see him in good spirits and on the road to recovery.
For next week I am expecting a lot more rough times to come. We're heading back into Argentina but first we have the marathon stage, which is always interesting. We'll be on our own in the desert, so that will be a bit rough. I think the organizers have in for some rough times with the navigation, the riding, and lots of riverbeds, dunes and camel grass. I'll just be trying to focus each day because this year I really want to see the finish line.
On Monday (January 9) riders turn south to travel from La Paz to Uyuni, the marathon stage of the rally where they bivouac overnight and are denied any access or assistance to and from their teams on the way to Salta (in Argentina) on Tuesday.
They have three long and difficult rides on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday as they head east to Buenos Aires. Saturday is the final day with a short 64 km timed special, but a total distance of 786 km to reach the finish line
