Dakar 2017: Stage 1 Results

The Dakar 2017 got off to a flying start for TVS Sherco, as the team's rider Juan Pedrero Garcia finished the 39km times stage at the top of the timesheets.

The 9000 km rally started off with a 454 km opening stage, out of which only 39 *km was timed. The fastest time set by Pedrero was 28 minutes *and 22 seconds. Since it was such a short stage, the riders were bunched up quite closely, with last years winner Toby Price down in 17th, just under a minute and a half behind the stage leader. Most riders approached the first day cautiously, as it is a long way to go to the finish line. But the first stage's rankings would decide the starting position for the second stage.

India's KP Aravind finished the day in 61st while the 3rd rider from TVS Sherco, Adrien Metge, finished in 125th position.

Hero Motosports Team Rally riders CS Santosh finished 47th and Joaquim Rodrigues finished 16th.

Joaquim Rodrigues, Hero -

CS Santosh, Hero -

Sam Sunderland, KTM -*

1. Juan Pedrero Garcia (ESP), Sherco, +28:22 min
3. Ricky Brabec (USA), Honda, +12 sec
3. Paulo Goncalves (POR), Honda, +26
4. Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM, +27
5. Joan Barreda Bort (POR), Honda, +30
16. Joaquim Rodrigues, Hero Motosports Team Rally, Hero Speedbrain, 00:29:42
17. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, +1:23 min
24. Laia Sanz (ESP), KTM, +2:19 min
47. C.S. Santosh, Hero Motosports Team Rally, Hero Speedbrain, 00:32:45
61. Aravind KP, TVS Sherco
125. Adrien Metge, TVS Sherco


Photo Courtesy: TVS Racing Facebook


Photo Courtesy: KTM/ Kin M.


Photo Courtesy: Hero MotoCorp

Dakar 2017: Stage 2: Santosh moves up while Aravind suffers

Joaquim Rodrigues, Hero Motosports Team Rally, Hero Speedbrain,

C.S. Santosh, Hero Motosports Team Rally, Hero Speedbrain,

Toby Price, KTM -

Laia Sanz, KTM -

The third stage that will be run from San Miguel De Tucuman to San Salvador Jujuy will see dramatic changes in temperature and altitude. On the 780-km stage, out which 416 km will be marked by competitive distance, the riders will climb rapidly in the Andes, reaching the maximum height of this Dakar at 5,000 metres during a crossing of a high pass, before finishing the special at 3,000 metres.

Stage 2 Classification:

Re: Dakar 2017: News & Updates

Re: Dakar 2017: News & Updates

Stage 10: Adrien Metge attacks then relaxes

Photo Courtesy: Sherco TVSJoaquim Rodrigues and C.S. Santosh display grit and skill to tackle the toughest day in the Dakar


Photo Courtesy: Hero SpeedbrainRED BULL KTM'S SAM SUNDERLAND & MATTHIAS WALKNER IN THE LEAD AFTER DAKAR STAGE 10



Photo Courtesy: KTM/ Marcin KinLaia SanzStage 10 ClassificationOverall Classification

Re: Dakar 2017: News & Updates

Joaquim Rodrigues once again claims 10th place, C.S Santosh moves into 48th position


Photo Courtesy: Hero SpeedbrainSAM SUNDERLAND & MATTHIAS WALKNER IN 1-2 OVERALL WITH DAKAR FINISH IN THEIR SIGHTS


Stage 11 Results11 PEDRERO GARCIA JUAN (ESP) SHERCO TVS RTR 450 03h30m54s +13m57s
12 METGE ADRIEN (FRA) SHERCO TVS RTR 450 03h32m33s +15m36s
13 RODRIGUES HELDER (PRT) YAMAHA WR450F 03h35m33s +18m36s
14 RODRIGUES JOAQUIM (PRT) HERO SPEEDBRAIN 450 RALLY 03h37m56s +20m59s
15 DUPLESSIS DIEGO MARTIN (ARG) KTM 450 RALLY EXC 03h38m09s +21m12s
16 KLYMCIW ONDREJ (CZE) HUSQVARNA HUSQVARNA FR 450 RALLY 03h39m17s +22m20s
17 SANZ LAIA (ESP) KTM 450 RALLY REPLICA 03h41m36s +24m39s
18 REIS GONCALO (PRT) KTM 450 KTM RALLYE RAID 03h42m49s +25m52s
19 SALVATIERRA JUAN CARLOS (BOL) KTM 450 03h43m09s +26m12s
20 GYENES EMANUEL (ROU) KTM 450 RALLY REPLICA 03h45m34s +28m37s
50 CS SANTOSH (IND) HERO SPEEDBRAIN 450 RALLY 04h28m34s +01h11m37s



OVERALL RESULTS

10 RODRIGUES JOAQUIM (PRT) HERO SPEEDBRAIN 450 RALLY 33h50m17s +02h16m06s
11 SALVATIERRA JUAN CARLOS (BOL) KTM 450 33h55m46s +02h21m35s
12 KLYMCIW ONDREJ (CZE) HUSQVARNA HUSQVARNA FR 450 RALLY 33h56m11s +02h22m00s
13 PEDRERO GARCIA JUAN (ESP) SHERCO TVS RTR 450 34h05m11s +02h31m00s23 METGE ADRIEN (FRA) SHERCO TVS RTR 450 35h50m14s +04h16m03s
48 CS SANTOSH (IND) HERO SPEEDBRAIN 450 RALLY 41h20m37s +09h46m26s

Re: Dakar 2017: News & Updates

Sam Sunderland of KTM won the 2017 Dakar Rally on his KTM. CS Santosh finished in 47th position overall on his Hero Speedbrain motorcycle, while teammate Joaquim Rodrigues finished 10th, an impressive performance for the team's first outing at the Dakar. Sherco TVS also had a strong showing with Juan Garcia Pedrero finishing 13th and Adrien Metge finishing in 23rd position overall.



Sunderland went into the final swift 64 km timed special with 33-minute advantage on his KTM 450 RALLY and the task of holding his nerve and getting the job done. He completed the stage in a comfortable sixth place and sacrificed only a couple of minutes. After almost 9,000 km through Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina, he topped the overall timesheets with a total time of 32:06.22 hours.

It was also an excellent performance by Walkner, who exited in 2016 with a broken leg that kept him out of competition for much of the past season. He was under slightly more pressure on the run to the finish as he had two riders, Gerard Farres Guell and Adrien Van Beveren, the eventual stage winner, in hot pursuit. Walkner finished fourth in the stage and was 33 seconds off the leading time, which was enough to preserve his position.Sunderland and Walkner stepped up and delivered for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team after teammate and 2016 winner, Toby Price of Australia, went out in the fourth stage after crashing and breaking his leg in four places. After surgery in La Paz, the Australian desert champion has now returned to Australia with the aim of being back on his KTM 450 RALLY machine in four months.

Sunderland:
Walkner:
Photo Courtesy: KTM/ Marcin Kin

KTM first won the Dakar Rally in 2001 and has topped the podium every subsequent year, with the exception of 2008 when the race was canceled on the eve of departure because of terrorist threats in North Africa. It regrouped for the 2008 edition, held in for the first time in South America, where it has developed a huge following and is an annual sporting highlight. The sport is also attracting a new generation of South American rally-raid talent.

Alex DoringerDoringer also paid tribute to Sanz, saying:
The remarkable spirit of the Dakar was perfectly captured in two incidents. Speaking from his hospital bed in La Paz after a massive crash in the fourth stage, Price said his biggest regret was letting down his team. Then, on Thursday, Slovakian KTM rider Stefan SvitkoDream Dakar debut for Hero Motosports: Joaquim Rodrigues claims 10th place, C.S. Santosh finishes in 47.








Mr. Pawan Munjal, Chairman, MD & CEO Hero MotoCorp: This was the debut season of Hero Motosports Ream Rally at Dakar 2017. We had full faith in our riders C.S. Santosh and Joaquim Rodrigues and they demonstrated excellent skill, endurance and temperament with their superlative performance. This is indeed a significant milestone in the global journey of Brand Hero.

Dr. Markus Braunsperger, Chief Technology Officer, Hero MotoCorp: Frankly knowing the team, their team spirit and knowing how professional they are, I believed that they would make it across the finish line. What this team has achieved is much more than what I had expected. It was a huge team effort with great understanding, a good bike and good bunch of professionals working together with the freedom to operate. I am really proud of all of them. For us at Hero MotoCorp a new experience has started and awareness about Brand Hero has increased exponentially on a global level.

Mr. Wolfgang Fischer, Managing Director, Speedbrain GmbH:

Joaquim Rodrigues, Portugal (Comp No 27):
C.S. Santosh, India (Comp No. 42):


Results:
1 SUNDERLAND SAM (GBR) KTM 450 RALLY REPLICA 32h06m22s
2 WALKNER MATTHIAS (AUT) KTM 450 RALLY REPLICA 32h38m22s +32m00s
3 FARRES GUELL GERARD (ESP) KTM 450 RALLY 32h42m02s +35m40s10 RODRIGUES JOAQUIM (PRT) HERO SPEEDBRAIN 450 RALLY 34h25m59s +02h19m37s
11 SALVATIERRA JUAN CARLOS (BOL) KTM 450 34h29m15s +02h22m53s
12 KLYMCIW ONDREJ (CZE) HUSQVARNA HUSQVARNA FR 450 RALLY 34h29m52s +02h23m30s
13 PEDRERO GARCIA JUAN (ESP) SHERCO TVS RTR 450 34h39m08s +02h32m46s
14 METGE MICHAEL (FRA) HONDA CRF450RALLY 02h11m30s 34h44m54s +02h38m32s
15 DUPLESSIS DIEGO MARTIN (ARG) KTM 450 RALLY EXC 35h07m26s +03h01m04s
16 SANZ LAIA (ESP) KTM 450 RALLY REPLICA 35h08m16s +03h01m54s22 METGE ADRIEN (FRA) SHERCO TVS RTR 450 36h25m31s +04h19m09s
47 CS SANTOSH (IND) HERO SPEEDBRAIN 450 RALLY 42h01m16s +09h54m54s