#Dakar2015 - IT WAS TOUGH! - STAGE 8 Stage 8, the second Marathon Stage after the night where competitors had to overnight away from their service crew, was TOUGH... It had rained the night before, it was freezing cold and competitors had to service and prepare their bikes/quads themselves for the stage with only the parts and tools they had with them. The stage did not only take its toll on the rest of the field (by the time we compiled this wrap, only 82 bikes and 13 quads were on the results with rider still coming in via the Big Dune at the bivouac at Iquique), but also on the small field of South African competitors still in the game. After lying 12th in the motorcycle category, Riaan van Niekerk (Broadlink KTM) was unfortunately forced to withdraw after he experienced mechanical issues caused by the salt and water on the extremely wet salt pan they started the race on. The remaining bikers made it to the end of the stage - Albert Hintenaus (KTM) was worried about possible water in the oil from the stage before, but he finished 69th overall and moved up five more positions to be 51st on the overall standings. He is still third in the Malle Moto Class. David Reeve (KTM) is still going strong and finished the stage in 53rd place that sees him jumping seven places to the 36th place overall. It was a tough day in the saddle for QUAD rider, Hannes Saaijman. Saaijman lost more than three hours at the beginning of the stage with a ignition solenoid which means he had to play mechanic for three hours before he could start the race. He finished the stage in 13th place and is now provisionally 12th (only lost one place).
Posted on: Tue, 13 Jan 2015 04:51:08 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015