Photo: Flavien Duhamel/Red Bull Content Pool
Toby Price is the winner of the motorcycle category in the 2016 Dakar rally.
There was never any point in the rally where Price didn’t seem capable of winning, although Honda’s Joan Barreda and Paulo Goncalves held the lead over him at various points early in the race. But the leader at the halfway point is rarely the winner, as Price proved once again.
Price took second in Stage 12, behind Helder Rodrigues, who won Yamaha’s only stage win in this year’s rally. Kevin Benavides (Honda) was third, proving once again he has what it takes to become a Dakar contender. Expect bigger things from Benavides next year, particularly if he leaves the Honda satellite team.
In Stage 13, Price was fourth, wisely riding at a conservative pace to avoid binning it. He stayed out of the ditches, and won the race convincingly in only his second try. It looks as if Honda is going to have to work pretty hard to gain that top podium spot now, as Price dominated in the same fashion that former alien frontrunners Cyril Despres and Marc Coma did.
Kevin Benavides was second in Stage 13, and Helder Rodrigues was third. It was a case of too little, too late for Rodrigues. The Yamaha factory rider proved he had the right stuff in the final stages of the race, but it was only after the frontrunning KTMs and Hondas were mostly knocked out. The Yamaha team had suffered from the flu in the early stages, so a virus is partly to blame for their performance this year. But since Cyril Despres’ epic charge from the back of the pack in 2013, when he fought back from a serious navigation error to earn a fourth behind teammate Olivier Pain, no Yamaha has looked like a serious threat to win.
Laia Sanz, who looked like she might threaten the top five this year, never even made a real challenge at a top 10 position. It was a tough race for Sanz, whose conservative moves early on were foiled by shortened stages, then mechanical woes, then illness, when she tried to turn up the heat later in the race. She finished 15th overall.
The Sherco TVS team likewise ended up taking a beating in the final stages. Alain Duclos, usually a top-10 contender, ended up in 42nd overall after performing poorly in the final stages. Florent Vayssade, the team’s junior member behind Duclos and Juan Pedrero (DNF), ended in 27th overall. It’s surely a disappointment for the team, as Duclos had more funding to race this year and spent more time in preparation than usual. The extra work did not result in a better finish, sadly.
But the biggest disappointment this year has to be the Honda factory team’s results. At first, things went smashingly for Big Red, with Paulo Goncalves and Joan Barreda at the front. Then Barreda’s bike blew up, and he left the race, claiming injury. Goncalves soldiered on against all odds, but succumbed to a crash that left him unconscious on the course.
Honda’s best rider, in the end, was rookie Benavides, who wasn’t even on the factory team. You can bet there are hard discussions going on at HRC headquarters about what went wrong this year, and if it’s even worthwhile continuing the embarrassment. Hopefully they don’t pull out, but don’t be shocked if they do.
At least Husqvarna fielded a good effort this year, with Pablo Quintanilla ending third overall in the standings. Quintanilla lays down consistent races, year after year, and one day, he’ll get his shot at the title. He won Stage 13, and expect more in future races from him.
By the way — long-time Dakar fans might remember Stephane Peterhansel from the race’s days in Africa. Peterhansel was a demon in the dirt, winning six motorcycle titles.
Peterhansel was the winner of this year’s car category once more, giving him six car titles to go with his six bike titles. Not even Despres or Coma can claim that kind of long-term dominance.
Dakar Stage 12 results
- Rodrigues (Yamaha)
- Price (KTM) (+)
- Benavides (Honda) (+)
- Svitko (KTM) (+)
- Van Beveren (Yamaha) (+)
- Monleon (KTM) (+)
- Farres (KTM) (+)
- Pain (KTM) (+)
- Cerutti (Husqvarna) (+)
Dakar Stage 13 results
- Quintanilla (Husqvarna) 01:51:27
- Benavides (Honda) 01:53:08 (+00:01:41)
- Rodrigues (Yamaha) 01:54:04 (+00:02:37)
- Price (KTM) 01:55:49 (+0:04:22)
- Svitko (KTM) 01:57:51 (+00:06:24)
- Cervantes (KTM) 02:03:17 (+00:11:50)
- Brabec (Honda) 02:04:10 (+00:12:43)
- Van Beveren (Yamaha) 02:05:36 (+00:14:09)
- Patrao (KTM) 02:06:10 (+00:14:43)
Final standings
- Price (KTM) 48:09:15
- Svitko (KTM) 48:48:56 (+00:39:41) (00:01:00 penalty)
- Quintanilla (Husqvarna) 48:58:03 (+00:48:48)
- Benavides (Honda) 49:04:02 (+00:54:47)
- Rodrigues (Yamaha) 49:04:59 (+00:55:44)
- Meo (KTM) 50:06:02 (+01:56:47)
- Farres (KTM) 50:10:15 (+02:01:00)
- Brabec (Honda) 50:20:42 (+02:11:27)
- Monleon (KTM) 51:37:04 (+03:27:49)
