3นาทีStage 8 of the 2014 Dakar RallyStage 8 of the 2014 Dakar Rally
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Cyril Despres won his first stage of the 2014 Dakar Rally, coming out on top after the second gruelling marathon stage that took the riders 450km around the giant salt flat of Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, over the Andes and on to Calama, Chile.
It was the perfect tonic for the five-time Dakar champion who has not been enjoying the best of times on his first Dakar with Yamaha Factory Racing.
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Two minutes behind Cyril was Honda’s Joan Barreda and a few seconds later came rally leader Marc Coma. The last marathon stage of the Dakar was arguably the biggest obstacle between the Spaniard and a possible fourth Dakar title. Coma’s lead over second placed Barreda is a commanding 38m 08s after Stage Eight.
With so much distance between the bivouacs and the mechanics, it was make-or-break for the machinery which had to make it through one of the most robust challenges of the Dakar in one piece.
Helder Rodrigues also capitalised on his considerable experience to get through the stage. The Portuguese has been steadily finding his rhythm at this edition and fourth place in today’s stage is another step forward.
Bikes: Overall after stage eight1 Marc Coma, KTM, 32:06:19 2 Joan Barreda, Honda, + 00:38:38 3 Jordi Villadoma, KTM, + 01:27:22
In the Quads, the three-way battle for quad bike supremacy between Ignacio Casale, Sergio Lafuente and Rafal Sonik heated up. With none of the riders willing to give an inch on Stage Eight it was Casale, heading towards his native Chile via 462km of racing, who had managed to move further in front in the overall classification. Casale’s lead over his nearest competitor now stands at 21m 40s.
In the Cars, Nasser Al-Attiyah clocked the best time of the day in a 302km timed special stage. Nasser forged a one-minute lead over team-mate Stephane Peterhansel with the Red Bull SMG Buggy of Carlos Sainz a further minute behind in third. Car race leader Nani Roma came home nine minutes behind Al-Attiyah but stays 23m 46s clear of Peterhansel who sits second overall.
Cars: Overall after stage eight1 Roma/Perin, Mini, 29:46:08 2 Peterhansel/Cottret, Mini, + 00:23:46 3 De Villiers/Von Zitzewitz, Toyota, + 00:48:25
After a late start, the Trucks were last to return to the Calama bivouac after combining a 300km timed special stage with a 522km liaison route that took them over the Andes. Team Kamaz Master scored another stage victory as Andrey Karginov won his second day at this edition of the Dakar.
But Karginov’s win made little impact on the overall lead of Gerard De Rooy who still leads the Russian by 32m 35s. Then comes Kamaz’s Eduard Nikolaev in third place in the truck race, he trails De Rooy by 1h 12m 01s.
Trucks: Overall after stage Eight1 De Rooy/Colsoul/Rodewald, Iveco, 31:20:29 2 Karginov/Mokeev/Devyatkin, KAMAZ, + 00:32:35 3 Nikolaev/Yakovlev/Rybakov, KAMAZ, + 01:12:01
“The Marathon Stage is a very important part of the race. There are a lot of factors to think about. The riders are separated from their team so we must do everything for ourselves. It’s not a time to crash and damage yourself or your bike. You must be careful, ride fast and try to be tactful. In the past we’ve seen riders crash during these stages and damage their bike. With only the tools on their back to repair it, it cost them any chance of finishing on the podium. But you also can’t afford to ride slow. You must find a balance between the two and ride accordingly.”
Dakar Alphabet… T is for Time Card
This document is used to record the start and finish times as well as the time at which each competitor passes through the various checkpoints on every stage.
On This Stage…
1999: Firdaus Kabirov and his Kamaz crew plummet in the standings after receiving a four-hour penalty, a reminder that things can change very quickly at the Dakar.
Dakar Quiz…
Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia is estimated to contain 10 billion tonnes of salt, how much of this is extracted each year?
☐ 25,000 tonnes ☐ 100,000 tonnes ☐ 250,000 tonnes
Yesterday’s answer: Argentine golfer Ángel Cabrera won the 2007 US Open and the 2009 Masters.
Coming Tomorrow…
As the 2014 Dakar Rally settles in Chile the Atacama Desert becomes a major feature of the race. Almost half of tomorrow’s timed special stage will be contested over dunes before finishing with the spectacular steep drop into the bivouac at Iquique that has become a trademark of the race in recent years.