Wow! We got super busy with the Edmonton Bike Show, and then some with a bit of a bash with all the crew and Show friends on Saturday night, so there was no time to catch up on what was going on with the bikes at the Dakar Rally. I've been following that rally raid for the last 2 weeks and posting regularly on what occurs in such a gruelling race. Mechanical mishaps, wipeouts, fires and fatigue make for some crazy drama and this year was no exception.
So, Sanjay and I finished off the show yesterday evening and packed up to make the 3 hour trip home, getting in late and then wanting to catch up on the family news after being away for 4 days! First thing this morning though, I checked for the final results, with Stage 13 being completed and the winners declared.
No real surprise that Marc Coma, riding KTM, won his 4th Dakar and gave the bike makers their 13th title in a row! Pretty impressive, that's for sure. And, taking 2nd place was KTM again, ridden by Viladoms. In fact KTM took 5 of the top ten positions, so kudos to them and their team for superb riding and an excellent product.
Yamaha took 3rd place, with Pain doing the work but perhaps the bigger surprise was 5 time Dakar champ Cyril Despres clawing his way back from 11th all the way to 4th after a disastrous mechanical failure cost him lost time and a time penalty for an engine change.
It was an interesting race for sure and I am already looking forward to checking out next year's rally.
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| Tough sledding in the sand |
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| The car portion of the race was dramatic too |
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| The drivers are all right but the car is a write-off |
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| More sand action |
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| Despres made a valiant attempt to get back on the podium |
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| A bit of fun in the water |
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| Victory is near! |
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| Yeehaw! |
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| Viladoms and Coma |
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| The Championship Circle |
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