2016 Dakar (Rest Day): Loeb and Goncalves on top at the halfway point

The 2016 Dakar marked a day of rest today in Salta, north-western Argentina, where Sébastien Loeb (Peugeot/Michelin), Paulo Goncalves (Honda/Michelin) and Pieter Versluis (Man/Michelin) top of the Car, Bike and Truck s leaderboards respectively. None of them have previously won the event. 

The 2016 Dakar’s Rest Day in Salta, at the foot of the Andes, ended a thrilling opening week despite some atrocious weather, including flooding which forced the organisers to cancel Stage 1 and shorten the next two. Saturday’s test was also shortened for the bikers.

Despite the conditions, rookies Loeb and his co-driver Daniel Elena have won three stages so far, notching up the Michelin-equipped Peugeot 2008 DKR’s first Dakar stage victory. At the halfway point, the nine-time world champions top the order, 2m22s clear of Peugeot team-mate Stéphane Peterhansel.

The former biker hasn’t given up hope of adding a 12th overall Dakar success to his name and has won two stages to date to stay ahead of Carlos Sainz (3rd, Peugeot). The Spaniard is less than five minutes adrift of his ex-WRC rival, however, and still in the hunt for a second overall win on the South American rally.

Peugeot-Total’s second attempt at the event since its return to cross-country rallying is going well since its cars monopolise the provisional podium, and only Cyril Despres (14th) has suffered any serious technical problems.

The Mini ALL4 Racings and Toyota Hiluxes – the cars to beat in recent years – have lacked the pace to trouble the French team, with the exception perhaps of last year’s victor Nasser Al-Attiyah (4th, Mini, +17m36s) who has ‘only’ conceded around three minutes a day.

Finland’s Mikko Hirvonen (Mini) – another Dakar rookie – has been going well but is more than half-an-hour off the lead. Even so, he is ahead of Toyota’s Giniel de Villiers (6th, +33m41s), Leeroy Poulter (7th, +40m19s), Yazeed Al-Rajhi (8th, +42m51s) and Vladimir Vasilyev (9th, +53m46s).

Argentina’s Emiliano Spataro rounds out the top 10 (+1h15m45s), while fellow Renault Duster driver Christian Lavieille (32nd) has been slowed by mechanical issues. Dutchman Erik Van Loon (11th, Mini) is clear of X-Raid Mini representatives Nani Roma (12th) and Orlando Terranova (17th) who both got stuck in mud early on.

Ex-WRC privateer Martin Prokop (Toyota) is 18th, former Le Mans winner Romain Dumas (Peugeot) is 20th and Robby Gordon (28th, Hummer) has fallen back almost four hours. Of the 111 cars that started in Buenos Aires, 83 are still running.

On two wheels, there has been some exciting rivalry between Honda and KTM which looks set to continue until the finish in Rosario as the Japanese make attempts to stem 14 years of KTM domination.

Portugal’s Goncalves (Honda CRF 450/Michelin) has only won one stage to date (after Joan Barreda was handed a penalty) but his consistency means he leads at the midpoint, 3m12s clear of Toby Price (KTM 450 Rally/Michelin), winner of three stages.

Third is KTM privateer Stefan Svitko (+9m24s) whose consistency has put him clear of Husqvarna’s best-placed rider Pablo Quintanilla (4th, +18m6s) from Chile and Week 1 revelations Kevin Benavides (5th, Honda, +21m1s) from Argentina and Frenchman Antoine Meo (6-th, KTM, +21m6s) who have both notched up their first Dakar stage victories.

Helder Rodrigues (7th, Yamaha, +24m44s), Gerard Farres-Guell (8th, KTM, +29m57s), Alain Duclos (9th, Sherco, +30m32s) and Juan Pedrero (10th, KTM, +31m45s) round out the top 10 in Salta.

Yamaha factory riders Alessandro Botturi (13th) and Adrien Van Beveren (14th) are chased by Spanish lady Laïa Sanz (15th, KTM), while David Casteu (KTM) and Olivier Pain (KTM) are 21st and 22nd.

Both HRC and Red-Bull KTM Factory have lost potential winners. Barreda (Honda) was fourth before being eliminated by an engine problem and Matthias Walkner (KTM) had a footing on the podium when he fell. Portugal’s Ruben Faria (Husqvarna) also fell. Of the 153 starters on two wheels, 112 are still in the competition.

The Truck battle has seen Dutchmen Pieter Versluis (Man/Michelin) and Gerard de Rooy (Iveco/Michelin, 2nd, +5m31s) dominate so far, but Kamaz/Michelin drivers Airat Mardeev (3rd, +10m48s) and Eduard Nikolaev (4th, +10m54s) aren’t far behind. Early leader Hans Stacey (Man/Michelin) is fifth (+11m28s) and ex-WRC regular Federico Villagra (Iveco) is sixth after a promising first week in his impressive truck.