Ricky Brabec put in a blistering performance to take his first stage victory of the 2024 Dakar as the finish line draws closer.
Brabec led home as a second Monster Energy Honda podium sweep with teammates José Ignacio Cornejo and Adrien Van Beveren second and third.
With just three days of rallying remaining, there was going to be no let-up on stage ten with more challenges ahead. The day held a total riding distance of 609 km with a 371 km special that included fast sandy plateaus, some off-piste sections that would test their navigation skills and just to throw in some extra confusion, there would still be tracks on the route from stage one and the prologue which could really disorientate them.
After taking the top three spots yesterday it meant that Adrien Van Beveren would be handed the not-so-easy task of opening stage ten followed by Ricky Brabec and Pablo Quintanilla. In what has proven to be a burden to not have any tracks to follow because so much time can be lost, Van Beveren and Brabec shared the duties after 100 km so that they could give themselves the time bonuses on offer today.
Brabec was completely unfazed by riding at the front as the laid-back American acquired over two minutes in bonuses and now has a cushion of nearly eleven minutes in the overall standings to Ross Branch.
“The day was good although the navigation wasn’t easy,” Brabec explained. “In the first 50 km I was riding into the sun so that was difficult and then once I’d caught Adrien we rode together the whole way. We made some little mistakes here and there, but we came out in a good position for tomorrow and the last day. With two days left we have a little bit of a lead so let’s see what happens tomorrow.”
Participating in his ninth Dakar Rally, José Ignacio Cornejo has put in some great, consistent performances over the past twelve days and today was no exception. It was all about the number two for the Chilean as despite some small navigational errors he ended the stage in second, an astonishing two seconds behind Brabec and is now two minutes and two seconds behind Van Beveren for that final podium position.
“It was a tough stage as I woke up with a sore throat this morning. I just tried to push as much as I could without making any navigation mistakes, I made a couple of small ones but nothing major. The fight for the podium is tight so I’ll keep doing my best until the very end,” Cornejo said.
Adrien Van Beveren found some of the navigation quite complex which caused him to get lost near the end of the stage. Regardless, he soldiered on to finish in third just 20 seconds behind Brabec as he also accrued a healthy four and half minute in bonuses which has seen him cut the deficit overall to second placed Branch. It’s ‘game on’ for the Frenchman who has excelled in this second week of rallying.
“I was expecting another fluid and fast stage but it was far from that,” Van Beveren said. “The navigation was tricky and difficult and I really tried to manage it and not get lost. At any rate, coming in first with Ricky after leading the way for so long is yet another solid performance. It’s starting to take a toll physically, and this could tip the scales, but we’ll see how it goes, there are still two days left and we need to stay focused.”
Following a relatively steady start to stage 10, Daniel Sanders regrouped while refuelling and certainly came out swinging after that. Navigating perfectly through the remaining kilometres on the looping stage, Chucky made up some serious time to complete the special in fourth. And it was definitely tight at the top as after almost four hours of racing, the Victorian completed the stage just 47 seconds behind the stage winner and current leader of the race, Ricky Brabec.
“It was quite a slow start for me today as my body was quite sore from yesterday,” Sanders explained. “When I got to refueling, I had a little motivational talk with myself and that seemed to do the trick. I really focused on my roadbook, and I think I hit a few notes that some of the other guys may have missed. So, I was able to make some decent time up today and bounce back from a tough couple of days with a good result.”
Harith Noah had his best performance in the Dakar by achieving a victory in Rally 2 class and a very fifth place overall on the stage. The India rider who is participating in his fifth Dakar. He is now in second place in the provisional ranking of the Rally2 category at only 4’31” from Romain Dumontier the current leader.
“I can’t believe it! I had almost perfect navigation, and I felt good on the bike,” Noah said. “There was a lot of dust today, and I had to be patient. I got a little lost at the end but overall, I did well. Tomorrow it will be more complicated with more rocks. I have progressed since last year, but that is not my favourite terrain.”
Luciano Benavides has put in another strong performance with an excellent ride to finish in sixth place. The reigning World Champion’s consistent results ensure that he remains in seventh place in the overall standings with two stages left to race.
“It was a good day today. Racing 370 kilometres of rocky canyons with tricky sections was tough but I think I did a good job,” Benavides said. “It could have been very easy to make a mistake today but I am focused on getting to the end. The final stages look hard too, but, every day, I will do my best and learn from each stage as I go. In the overall standings it’s not easy to move up but I’m trying my hardest and we will see what happens over the final two days.”
Toby Price covered much of the 371 kilometres and raced against the clock without issue. Despite losing a little time over the final 50 kilometres to his rivals, the two-time Dakar Champion was able to complete the stage in 10th place. The Australian lies sixth overall.
“It was a decent stage for me today. I made a couple of little mistakes towards the end, but overall, I’m happy with how things went,” Price declared. “The boys out front did a really good job, and it’s definitely a mission to try and keep hold of them. All in all, I’m feeling good – my wrist was suffering a little in the rocks out there today, but yeah, it was a good stage. I caught Pablo (Quintanilla) and was riding with him for a bit, then Ross (Branch) caught up. It was good fun to ride in the group like that. A couple of stages left to go, so we’ll keep pushing and see what happens at the end.”
The penultimate day looms on the horizon as the battle for the podium positions continues as they head east to Yanbu, across rugged terrain from AlUla where the Red Sea will greet the riders at the end of a draining 480 km special stage tomorrow.
