KTM in control – Dakar

The 2017 Dakar Rally on Thursday continued to surprise, and to exact revenge on the remaining field of 101 motorcycles in another stage that proved to be difficult for almost every rider. Despite losing time at the beginning of the timed special, Red Bull KTM factory rider Sam Sunderland held onto the overall lead at the end of the day, now in front of his teammate Matthias Walkner in second, even if both finished down the order in the stage results.

The British rider fought hard on the KTM 450 RALLY to make up his lost time, but the fact that Pablo Quintanilla, Sam Sunderland’s closest rival retired due to illness in the afternoon, allowed him to finish the day with an advantage of 30 minutes in the standings. Second is now his Austrian teammate Matthias Walkner with Spanish KTM rider Gerard Farres Guell in third place, 38:43 minutes off the leading time.

Stage winner was Spain’s Joan Barreda with Stefan Svitko of Slovakia (KTM) second and Argentinian rider Franco Caimi in third place.

The day’s results also reflected the level of difficulty of Thursday’s ride during which competitors had to recover their race rhythm after an enforced break on Wednesday. Stage 9 was cancelled after an avalanche on Tuesday cut the liaison road and leaving many riders and support and logistics vehicles stranded. They were still racing to catch up to the body of the rally at the overnight stop after the 10th stage, which took riders from Chilecito to San Juan. After the 449 km timed special of a total of 751 km, Sunderland finished in 12th 17:06 minutes off the lead. Walkner fared somewhat better. He was 10th in the stage, 12:53 off the fastest time.

Sunderland: “I started out thinking I’ve got a bit of a lead so I just wanted to take it easy and stick to my road book and try to start with a good rhythm. Then after about 40 km it was very confusing in some of the riverbeds. I went into the wrong valley and I got a bit stressed but I managed to correct pretty fast. Then I made another mistake. It was really hard. The road book said to follow the river but there were so many rivers all going in different ways. It’s quite hard to stay positive, especially when you make a mistake. But when I arrived at the refueling I saw there were only a couple of bikes there, so I didn’t actually lose much time.”

Walkner: “Actually it was not such a good day but it was very difficult for everyone with the navigation. I tried to give my best and I just got lost once, but it was a big mistake. Now there are just two days left and I will keep pushing and try not to do anything stupid because the situation is now quite good.”

While almost all the lead riders had difficulty with the stage, KTM factory rider Laia Sanz, the reigning World Champion in Women’s Enduro rode consistently well to finish 14th to trail by 21:39 minutes. She is now overall 18th and is within striking distance of her goal of a top 15 finish.

Sanz: “I really enjoyed the first part of the special because it was a lot of navigation. I made some small mistakes but nothing serious. I took it easy when I saw how difficult the navigation was because I didn’t want to get lost like I did in the first week. I was ninth in the first part but the second part was not my favorite kind of stage with Motocross and lots of bumps. I also ran out of water and it was very hot so I just relaxed and tried to reach the finish. I think the beginning of tomorrow’s test will also be very hard but I hope to have another good day.”

As promised by race direction, the first part of the stage had its share of challenges with a long ‘trials’ section, and this clearly proved difficult for many riders. After near freezing temperatures at Altitude in Bolivia, riders now also have to contend with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius.

Friday, the penultimate stage takes the rally from San Juan to Rio Cuarto over a distance of 754 km of which 288 km is timed special, the first 50 km will be in the San Juan dunes. The rally finishes in Buenos Aires on Saturday.

Results Stage 10 Dakar 2017
Chilecito – San Juan: 449 km timed, 751 km total
1. Joan Barreda (ESP), Honda, 5:49:45 h
2. Stefan Svitko (SVK), KTM, +24 sec
3. Franco Caimi (ARG), Honda, +3:48 min
4. Pela Renet (FRA), Husqvarna, +4:21
5. Helder Rodrigues (POR), Yamaha, +5:45
Other KTM
6. Ivan Cervantes (ESP), KTM, +7:15
10. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, +12:53
12. Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM, +17:08
14. Laia Sanz (ESP), KTM, +21:39

Standings Dakar 2017 after 10 of 12 stages
1. Sunderland, 28:07:59 h
2. Walkner, +30:01 min (5 min penalty)
3. Gerard Farres Guell (ESP), KTM, +38:43
4. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Yamaha, +41:57
5. Barreda, +53:47 (1:01 h penalty)
Other KTM
10. Svitko, +1:48:45 h (1 h penalty)

Metge Penalty Gives Barreda Win

Barreda gets stage 10 win following Metge penalty

Joan Barreda obtained his third stage victory this year following a time penalty received by Michael Metge, but this change in the situation still leaves Sam Sunderland untroubled and more than ever leader of the bike category. 

• Barreda won stage 10 based on teammate Metge’s penalty
• Sunderland maintains the overall lead comfortably
• Sunderland’s nearest rival Quintanilla retires
• Farres is now third overall
• Caimi best rookie in 9th
• Laia Sanz 18th overall
• The timed special was 449km

With 449 km of special stage between Chilecito and San Juan as well as only two stages to make the difference in the general standings, the tension ramped up another notch on stage 10. The trial-like start to the stage really tested the physical capabilities of the competitors, at least as much as the hot weather, which made its return to the race after the cool temperatures at higher altitude. 

The end of the day was marked by much quicker tracks, but just as tricky navigation, which led to dramatic turns of events in the general standings.

On his fourth Dakar, and after having demonstrated some fine moments since the start in Asunción, Michael Metge thought he had picked up his first stage victory, by a whisker in front of his team leader Joan Barreda. 

However, in the end, the stage victory finally went to the Spaniard due to his team-mate missing a way-point and incurring a penalty. 

The French duo of Adrien Van Beveren and Xavier de Soultrait suffered big time losses in the general standings. 

Franco Caimi is one of the revelations of the Dakar 2017. In his very first participation, the Argentinean has already carded a fifth placed finish on the fifth stage. However, on stage 10 he went one better with fourth position at the finishing line. He’s now top ten in the general standings, despite of a one-hour penalty, without which he would be on the provisional podium.

Pablo Quintanilla was counting on the tenth stage in order to put pressure on Sam Sunderland. Second in the general standings, the Dakar 2017 has so far been the rally which saw his riding mature and the one that may have brought victory for the Chilean. 

However, a catastrophic start to the stage during which the Husqvarna rider sought the correct direction for more than an hour, then a heavy fall on the second part of the special put an end to his dreams. Disorientated after a head injury, Quintanilla was finally forced to drop out of the rally for a third time.

2017 Valleys Extreme Hard Enduro Race

Valleys Xtreme Enduro 2017 || Hard Enduro Wales. David Knight|Graham Jarvis|Matthew Jones

Metge Wins Dakar Stage Ten

Frenchman Michael Metge won stage 10 of the 2017 Dakar Rally on Thursday.

The Honda rider covered the 449 kilometre timed special between Chilecito and San Juan in Argentina in five hours and 48 minutes.

Spain’s Joan Barreda was second following the day’s test.

Also riding a Honda – he crossed over at 55 seconds.

Slovakia’s Stefan Svitko rounded out the stage ten podium on his KTM.

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Svitko was one minute and 19 seconds behind the day’s winner.

Britain’s Sam Sunderland retained his position at the summit of the overall motorbike standings.

The KTM rider now holds a 30 minute lead over Austrian Matthias Walkner after Pablo Quintanilla suffered a crash was taken to hospital.

Breakthrough 33 : The Braxton McGee Story | Episode 2

In Episode 2, Braxton McGee gets to work with his pre-season training in preparation for his move from amateur to the GNCC XC2 pro class.

“Breakthrough 33: The Braxton McGee Story” is a multi-part series where FLY Racing attempts to answer the question: What does it take to make the move from the amateur to pro ranks in GNCC racing? How much hard work, dedication, and teamwork is required for an emerging offroad racer and his family to make the transition from amateur to the XC2 pro class in the 2017 GNCC series?

Barreda Wins Stage 8, Sunderland Still Leads Dakar

With one hour and 10 minutes to make up on Sam Sunderland in the general standings, Joan Barreda went on the attack claiming the stage win into Salta.

• Barreda took his 15th Dakar stage win
• KTM’s Walkner and Sunderland were 2-3
• Sherco’s Pedrero rode well for fifth.
• Sunderland comfortably maintains the overall lead
• Stage 9 has been cancelled
• It’s the 2nd stage of 2017 to get the chop

Dakar left the high plains and headed towards Argentina along a route initially comprising off-piste and crossing of fords combined with negotiating dunes. However, the competitors were once again victims of the weather and the rain of the previous days caused rivers to swell and flood, forcing the organisers to change the route with a neutralised section at the end of the Bolivian part of the special.

With nothing to lose in the general standings, Barreda is on the attack. This is a state of mind that he especially likes and one that allowed him to pick up his second special stage victory in 2017 with a considerable lead over the official KTM bikes ridden by Matthias Walkner and Sam Sunderland, who again increased his lead in the general standings. 

“The stage up to the first checkpoint was a bit about tactics because that was to decide the starting order for Stage 9, so to be fourth at that point was okay,” told Walkner. “Then I tried to make up some time over the last 250 km and it was good enough for second place. 

“It was very cold and it rained and there was a lot of fog in the early morning. We could only see about 10-15 meters. There was also a lot of flooding and in some places deep mud.” 

Sunderland leads Husqvarna’s Pablo Quintanilla by almost 21 minutes with Yamaha’s Adrien Van Beveren third.

Barreda’s team-mate Michael Metge had another enjoyable romp behind the bars, posting fourth spot amid the chaos.

Ricky Brabec had it tough today, having to open the track after yesterday’s win. The American was overtaken by Paulo Gonçalves and followed his team-mates trail to conclude the special without any serious loss of time.

Attacking the second part of the marathon stage, Yamaha’s Xavier de Soultrait was the highest placed Yamaha rider. Involved in some great battles, the Frenchman wrapped up the stage in ninth to retain his impressive sixth place in the provisional overall standings.

Walter Nosiglia is enjoying himself on his first Dakar. The Bolivian rookie continues to make progress behind the handlebars of his non-official Honda, finishing the day's stage in a fine fourteenth place, only 15 minutes behind Joan Barreda, who stood out from the pack. It is a performance that is promising for the end of the second week.

Toomas Triisa still maintains the Malle Moto lead over Lyndon Poskitt and Julian Kozac.

With 110 bikes starting Stage 8, 108 finished.

Stage 9 has been cancelled due to adverse weather conditions:

While the leading group of riders competed the stage, many riders, support teams and vehicles were stranded and eventually Dakar vehicles, competitors, assistance and logistics were diverted over a much longer route and some were not due to reach Salta in time for the start of Stage 9.

The plan is now to regroup the Dakar caravan in time to start the nineth stage on Thursday from Chilecito to San Juan.

Photos: DPPI/E.Vargiolu, Marcelo Maragni/Flavien Duhamel/Red Bull Content Pool

DAKAR 2017 Stage 8 Monster Energy Honda Team

Dakar Stage 8 Preview

Stage 8 - Dakar Explore - Dakar 2017 by Dakar

New Zealand MX

Cooper Wants to Win the Greatest Show on Turf

Tuesday, 10 January 2017, 9:22 am
Press Release: Bikesport NZ

Cooper Wants to Win the Greatest Show on Turf

JANUARY 10, 2017: The past couple of years have been classic Aussie versus Kiwi battles, but Bay of Plenty's Cody Cooper is determined to reclaim the top spot and win his third NZ Grand Prix motocross title this season.

The man from Mount Maunganui is the current national MX1 motocross champion and he arrives in the Manawatu on the weekend of January 28-29 as the firm favourite to win what is regarded as the biggest stand-alone event on the Kiwi racing calendar – the Honda-sponsored New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville.

He has won there twice before – the first time in 2007 and then seven years later in 2014 – and he would like nothing better than to win once more and become a rare three-time winner of the iconic Woodville event when he lines up at this season's 56th annual running.

But that is easier said than done and Cooper was denied that honour last year for a second consecutive season, deprived both times by Australian visitors.

Cooper was stopped in 2015 by Australian Kirk Gibbs and in 2016 it was another Australian, New South Welshman Dean Ferris, who rose up to claim the main trophy on debut at Woodville.

Cooper had lived up to his star billing when he again won the MX1 class at Woodville last year, but it was a case of Cooper winning the battles but losing the war, with Ferris leading from start to finish in the gruelling Invitation Feature Race and becoming the 28th different main event winner at Woodville since the inaugural running in 1961.

Cooper won the MX1 class last year with a 1-2-2 score-card, finishing the day four points ahead of Ferris, and Otago's just-turned 20-year-old Courtney Duncan stunned the testosterone-fuelled MX2 (250cc) class to snatch that class win with an outstanding 1-3-2 score-line, while Feilding's Tony Cvitanovich did enough in finishing 4-4-3 to be crowned 125cc class champion at Woodville last year.

Not only did 15-year-old Cvitanovich win the 125cc class, but he was also rewarded with the Roddy Shirriffs Memorial Trophy as the highest-placed senior 125cc class rider under the age of 22.

The winner of the spectacular river race class was Palmerston North's James Galpin.

The founder of the iconic event 56 years ago, Palmerston North's Tim Gibbes, has expressed enthusiasm that the Woodville motocross would live on forever.

"I'm not surprised that it's still a major event. I remember back in the beginnings when we had 5000 tickets printed but the call came back from the entrance gate at one o'clock in the afternoon that they'd sold out. The crowds just kept coming," said the now 83-year-old former world championship rider.

"I'm very proud of this event but it's not all about me ... there has been a lot of work done by a lot of people over the years to make this a continuing success," said Gibbes, who had also twice won his own Woodville event in the past (in 1962 and 1964).

"When this first became an international event, nobody in New Zealand knew what motocross was."

They certainly know all about it now and Cooper will again have some huge heavy-hitters lining up against him this year.

Kirk Gibbs will not be back this year, but Ferris will again be crossing the Tasman and, with his recent Australian MX1 championship win, he should be expected to feature.

Kiwi internationals such as Waitakere's Hamish Harwood, Mangakino's Kayne Lamont, Taupo's Brad Groombridge, Rotorua's John Phillips, Rangiora's Micah McGoldrick, Waitakere's Ethan Martens, Hamilton's Josiah Natzke, Mount Maunganui's Rhys Carter and Queenstown's Scott Columb, to name just a few, also have good reason to fancy their chances.

Racing over the two days at Woodville caters for minis, juniors, women, veterans and seniors, with the novelty river race on Sunday always a crowd-pleaser.

HRC, Roczen, Seely...New Year

Team Honda HRC is excited to drop episode one of its new REDefined video series, featuring Ken Roczen and Cole Seely. In this episode, we follow the progress of the Honda Red Riders and their crew as they prepare for the highly anticipated 2017 AMA Supercross series.