Dakar update!
By TMX Archives on 7th Jan 15
Dubai-based Briton Sam Sunderland won the second stage of the Dakar Rally last year before retiring the following day with engine issues, but the switch to the KTM factory team appears to have paid dividends for Sunderland on this occasion.
The 450 KTM rider was the class of the entire motorcycle field through the opening stage of the 2015 Dakar Rally between Buenos Aires and Villa Carlos Paz in Argentina last Sunday and headed into the longer second special between Villa Carlos Paz and San Juan with a five-second lead over factory Honda CRF450 rider Paulo Goncalves of Portugal.
"It's difficult to judge your strategy based on the first day, because you still don't now who's pulled out all the stops,” admitted Sunderland.
"It's also important not to go all in. You've got to leave something for the other stages. Saying that, I had a good special and that was a reason to be happy.”
Marc Coma enjoyed a trouble free run through the stage from the front of the field and reached the flying finish in third overall to ensure that he shadowed Sunderland and Goncalves through the longer second timed test to San Juan on Monday.
Honda's Joan Barreda Bort is one of the pre-race favourites after leading for a time in 2014 and he opened his challenge for honours with the fourth quickest time.
Austrian rider Matthias Walkner, a three-time world MX1 and MX3 champion, finished the opener in an excellent eighth overall on his first event with the KTM factory team.
British riders David Reeve and Christopher Cork reached Villa Carlos Paz in 58th and 150th overall.
Buenos Aires – Villa Carlos Paz
American rider Tony Gera was not cleared to start the race and this meant 161 bikes were followed by 45 quads, 137 cars and 63 trucks into the short opening stage between Buenos Aires and Villa Carlos Paz after the official start formalities outside the Casa Rosada in central Buenos Aires the previous evening.
The route was slightly different in places for the bikes and the cars, although both stages started near Baradero and finished close to San Nicolas de Los Arrocos, near Rosario.
FOR FULL REPORT SEE TMX JANUARY 8 (ISSUE 1953)
for fu
