KTM/Michelin’s Chaleco Lopez won the first Chilean stage of the 2013 Dakar, ahead of Ruben Faria and Cyril Despres. Despite a navigational error, Olivier Pain still tops the provisional order ahead of Cyril Despres.
Leg 6: Arica-Calama (768km)
We’re in the Atacama Desert, in the middle of a lifeless plateau, but we can spot a few service vehicles in the distance. We have come 380km since Arica; driven up and down some exceptionally steep hills with frightening drop-offs; driven along the sides of inhospitable canyons; but we’ve made it to the end of the first part of Thursday’s stage, just minutes before the first bikers arrive.
From here, they have 80 minutes to cover the ensuing 96km asphalt road section to the second part, so they don’t have much time to chat. Their mechanics speedily replace the bikes’ rear wheels, fill up the riders’ camel-back bags and they’re off, back down the Pan American Highway...
“Olivier and I took the wrong track to begin with,” reported David Casteu between two gulps of water and clearly angry with himself.
“I went further along the wrong track than David before deciding to do a U-turn. I must have lost three minutes,” added the Yamaha/Michelin who still tops the leaderboard, despite finishing a lowly 10th on today’s test…
The winner of the 229km stage should have been Paulo Gonçalves. However, around 5km from the Passage Control, he fell badly in a fast portion. Thankfully, his mechanics succeeded in repairing the Portuguese rider’s Husqvarna TE 449 RR and he was able to continue… only to retire during the second part of the stage.
The first Chilean stage was ultimately won by Chaleco Lopez who is always that little bit more motivated when the event arrives in his home country. Ruben Faria was 13th on the road and consequently suffered from dust, so he was unable to win the stage to celebrated his wife’s birthday. He still came second (+2m34s), just ahead of Cyril Despres (+3m48s). The all-KTM/Michelin top four was rounded off by the USA’s Kurt Caselli.
Pain still leads overall, but Despres has eased past Casteu into second place. Ruben Faria is fourth, ahead of Jordi Viladoms and Alessandro Botturi.
Stage 6 classification:
1, Lopez (KTM), 3h36m21s. 2, Faria (KTM), +2m34s. 3, Despres (KTM), +3m48s. 4, Caselli (KTM), +4m48s. 5, Botturi (Husqvarna), +5m35s. Etc.
Provisional standings after Leg 6
1, Pain (Yamaha), 15h35m23s. 2, Despres (KTM) +2m22s. 3, Casteu (Yamaha), +4m48s. 4, Lopez (KTM) +6m6s. 5, Faria (KTM) +8m35s. Etc.
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