Anything can happen at Dakar, and even at this late point in the race, an upset is always just around the corner.
Today, Joan Barreda Bort was the victim. He developed problems with his Honda’s steering head, and dropped from a strong second place position all the way to seventh. His competition took advantage of the stumble; Jordi Viladoms moved up to second, and Olivier Pain (third in the stage) to third overall. Cyril Despres, who won the stage, is now in fourth overall. Marc Coma (second in the stage) is still in first.
While Barreda Bort had a very remote chance of catching Coma, it’ll be tough for Viladoms, as he’s almost two hours back. However, it seems Despres has a good chance at catching up to Pain for third, as he’s only four minutes back, and consistently finishing in the top three. It’ll all come down to Stage 13 at this point …
