Stage 8 proved to be a big day for the 2015 Dakar Rally, as the riders had to compete on machines that they alone could only work on the day before, as Monday was the riding portion of yesterday’s start to the first marathon stage.
This added challenge by the race organizers likely decided the outcome of this year’s rally, as it left HRC’s Joan Barreda to work on his broken Honda CRF450 Rally without the aid of his mechanics. Losing a monumental amount of time on Stage 8, after suffering electrical issues — Barreda saw an unfitting end to his well fought Dakar Rally.
Those issues can surely be attributed to the wet weather and the Uyuni salt lake that the competitors had to cross, which made for a slurry of salt water and mud. Ultimately the stage would be cut short at the 378 km marker, because of weather, with little complaint from the competitors.
“In the end it’s been collateral damage, and a disgrace what they’ve made us do today; to race in a sea. It was out of place. All the work on all the projects that we’ve done has gone down the pan,” said a disappointed Barreda. “To make a decision like that just wasn’t right. Today you couldn’t see a thing; visibility was zero. We were floating around on top of the water. They ordered us to start and this is what happened; my Dakar is over.’
Of course, other riders looked on the day favorably. Marc Coma took control in the overall rankings, though he leads HRC’s Paulo Goncalves with a narrow 9-minute margin.
Top female competitor Laia Sanz also had a great day racing, as she became the highest finishing female on a Dakar Rally stage, finishing Stage 8 fifth and only two-minutes back from stage-winner Pablo Quintanilla.
“For me, it’s been a really great day, but this morning I would have preferred not to set off. The conditions were not for racing and my hands practically froze. The altitude, the cold and the lack of visibility,” said Laia Sanz. “The bikes took such a beating from the water and the salt. It was really dangerous, but we decided that we had to go for it, and we ended up starting the special.”
“I got up among the front-runners from the start. I managed to warm up a bit in the refuelling and I was able to set a good pace,” Sanz added. “It was a pity that Price and Quintanilla were so fast and were able to get past me, but it wasn’t worth risking everything just to improve on the position.”
“It’s a great result, and I’m really happy to have achieved it especially on such a hard day as this one. This morning it was hellish,” she summarized.
Getting help from his teammates Ruben Faria and Jordi Viladoms on his blocked radiator, Marc Coma rode to a comfortable 9th place finish on Stage 8.
Considering the conditions and the results of his Honda rivals, the Spaniard was mostly just happy to finish the stage the way he did, knowing full-well that Lady Luck could go the other way on him.
“Conditions were very complicated, for me over the limit,” admitted KTM’s Marc Coma. “To ride over the salt and the water was like a kind of cement on the bike and there was a lot of stress to try to take care of the engine of the bike and everything.
“To arrive here today is like a victory,” he added conversely. “I am happy we are leading now but we still have five days in front of us. We have a long way to go and every day there is something different. We just have to take it kilometer by kilometer.”
Top 10 from Stage 8 – Uyuni to Iquique – of the 2015 Dakar Rally:
| Pos. | Rider | Country | Brand | Time |
| 1 | QUINTANILLA | CHL | KTM | 02:56:19 |
| 2 | PEDRERO GARCIA | ESP | YAMAHA | +00:11 |
| 3 | SVITKO | SVK | KTM | +00:12 |
| 4 | PRICE | AUS | KTM | +00:41 |
| 5 | SANZ PLA-GIRIBERT | ESP | HONDA | +02:36 |
| 6 | DE SOULTRAIT | FRA | YAMAHA | +06:36 |
| 7 | DUCLOS | FRA | SHERCO TVS | +06:42 |
| 8 | VOGELS | NLD | KTM | +07:34 |
| 9 | COMA | ESP | KTM | +07:37 |
| 10 | FARIA | PRT | KTM | +07:44 |
Overall Top 10 of the 2015 Dakar Rally:
| Pos. | Rider | Country | Brand | Time | Penalty |
| 1 | COMA | ESP | KTM | 28:51:12 | - |
| 2 | GONCALVES | PRT | HONDA | +09:11 | - |
| 3 | QUINTANILLA | CHL | KTM | +11:11 | - |
| 4 | PRICE | AUS | KTM | +15:56 | - |
| 5 | SVITKO | SVK | KTM | +26:30 | - |
| 6 | FARIA | PRT | KTM | +34:34 | - |
| 7 | DUCLOS | FRA | SHERCO TVS | +58:08 | +15:00 |
| 8 | CASTEU | FRA | KTM | +01:10:48 | - |
| 9 | SANZ PLA-GIRIBERT | ESP | HONDA | +01:18:51 | - |
| 10 | JAKES | SVK | KTM | +01:47:47 | - |
Source: Dakar; Photo: KTM
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