The second half of the second marathon stage, Stage 11 saw a strong performance from the factory Honda riders, and rightly so. After a three-way engine swap by the riders, Salta saw Barreda, Goncalves, and Isreal working until 2am, and suffering time penalties because of their actions.
So while Joan Barreda claimed another stage-victory, with Paulo Goncalves finishing closely behind him, the reality is that Marc Coma’s lead over his HRC rivals has been lengthened to 21 minutes, with only two more stages of racing to go.
“Yesterday we had to change Paulo’s engine with mine, which was fresher, and I had to put Jeremías’ one in. We were working until two in the morning and we only rested for a couple of hours,” explained Barreda. “Everything went well and I was able to win. We have proved that we can win not only stages, but also the whole race. Right now, the main priority is a win for the team.”
If Goncalves is going to challenge Coma, it will have to come during tomorrow’s stage, the longest stage of the 2015 Dakar Rally, at 1024 km, and 298km special. The last stage of the Dakar is notoriously more of a parade, and it is unlikely that HRC will find its moment in those final kilometers.
“We’ve finished off a hard marathon stage, in first and second place. But Mark’s overall position has improved because of the fifteen minute penalty for an engine change [sic]. It’s not possible to claw back twenty minutes racing, but anything could still happen. We’ve just got to keep working and take each day as it comes,” said Goncalves.
For KTM and four-time Dakar Rally winner Marc Coma, it looks like another victory is at hand, but the Spaniard has been through enough Dakars to know that anything can happen, especially when it comes to mechanical failures this late in the race.
“We come from a marathon stage that is always more stressful and always with mechanical work. Our time is good but we still have a difficult day tomorrow and also the last day. I am still not able to see the end to this rally but I am happy with how things are going so far. If you look at how far we have already come, it is an eternity. So far we can say we are still very happy.”
Top 10 from Stage 11 – Salta to Termas Rio Hondo – of the 2015 Dakar Rally:
| Pos. | Rider | Country | Brand | Time | |
| 1 | BARREDA BORT | ESP | HONDA | 03:26:33 | +15:00 |
| 2 | GONCALVES | PRT | HONDA | +01:17 | +16:00 |
| 3 | JAKES | SVK | KTM | +01:35 | - |
| 4 | FARIA | PRT | KTM | +01:43 | - |
| 5 | PRICE | AUS | KTM | +02:17 | - |
| 6 | COMA | ESP | KTM | +02:40 | - |
| 7 | QUINTANILLA | CHL | KTM | +04:13 | - |
| 8 | RODRIGUES | PRT | HONDA | +05:25 | +15:00 |
| 9 | DUCLOS | FRA | SHERCO TVS | +05:26 | - |
| 10 | SVITKO | SVK | KTM | +05:28 | - |
Overall Top 10 of the 2015 Dakar Rally:
| Pos. | Rider | Country | Brand | Time | Penalty |
| 1 | COMA | ESP | KTM | 41:43:03 | - |
| 2 | GONCALVES | PRT | HONDA | +21:12 | +16:00 |
| 3 | PRICE | AUS | KTM | +31:43 | - |
| 4 | QUINTANILLA | CHL | KTM | +33:15 | - |
| 5 | SVITKO | SVK | KTM | +48:07 | - |
| 6 | FARIA | PRT | KTM | +01:40:43 | +40:00 |
| 7 | CASTEU | FRA | KTM | +01:46:51 | - |
| 8 | SANZ PLA-GIRIBERT | ESP | HONDA | +02:13:20 | - |
| 9 | JAKES | SVK | KTM | +02:24:46 | - |
| 10 | PAIN | FRA | YAMAHA | +02:55:17 | - |
Source: Dakar; Photo: HRC
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