Van Beveren takes the first timed 48h of the Dakar

The experiment has proved a success, the 48h timed stage with minimal bivouacs in the heart of the Empty Quarter now complete. The top riders finished already early in the morning, thanks also to an earlier than usual start time, which means they’ll now have two full days in which to rest up before tackling week two of the race.

Honda increasingly dominant

A number of Honda riders have shown that they have what it takes to win a Dakar stage, the prologue having gone to Tosha Schareina, followed by José Ignacio Cornejo Florimo (Stage 2 and Stage 4), Pablo Quintanilla (Stage 5) and now Adrien Van Beveren, who has triumphed in the stage known as the 48h. The Frenchman completed the 626km special stage in a little under eight hours, or 7:57’29” to be precise, and was the only rider to do so, with Toby Price – up at the sharp end for the first time this year - closing 4’13” behind with the factory KTM. Overall leader Ricky Brabec placed third, to retain a 51” advantage over Ross Branch and a 9’21” lead over today’s winner Van Beveren.

Fourth place for Daniel Sanders on the GasGas (6’55”), the rider now seventh in the standings, albeit more than 35’ from Brabec. Fifth for Ross Branch (9’40”), who nevertheless continues to hold second place in the general classification. He was followed today by 2023 Rally Raid champion Luciano Benavides with the Husqvarna, the Argentinian having received a 15’ penalty at the end of Stage 5 which puts him out of the running for the 2024 Dakar win. He closed a few minutes ahead of brother Kevin on the KTM, sixth in the general standings behind Toby Price but 28’33” from leader Brabec.

A strong showing by Lucci, retirement for Montanari

After a cautious start that saw him trying to avoid mistakes durnig the initial stages of the Dakar, Paolo Lucci finally got into his groove through the dunes of the Empty Quarter, keeping pace with the frontunners to finish eleventh overall, 41’ from Van Beveren, and second in the Rally2 class, which means he’s back in the running for the podium, with just 3’24” to make up. Stage 6 unfortunately brought retirement for Tommaso Montanari after his Fantic suffered electrical problems. The Italian will continue to ride the last stages but will no longer feature in the general standings, an opportunity that fellow countryman Danilo Petrucci exploited a couple of years ago, going as far as to win a stage. Gioele Meoni also ran a strong stage, showing his prowess in the dunes to close twenty-sixth.