Dakar2013 - Leg 9: Despres strikes a blow

Cyril Despres (KTM/Michelin) has made strong progress in the overall classification of the 2013 Dakar Rally today (Monday), by winning the ninth stage as rivals David Casteu, Olivier Pain and Chaleco Lopez all lost time. Ruben Faria has moved to the top of the leaderboard.

Leg 9: San Miguel de Tucuman - Cordoba (852km)

Between San Miguel de Tucuman and the heights of Cordoba, Ruta 157 is essentially a long straight line stretching some 500km across plains characterised by farming and cattle breeding. At Km280 (Recreo), where competitors paused after completing the first part of the stage, the tension was palpable...

It was during that first section that leader David Casteu almost certainly lost all hope of victory by colliding with a cow. Suffering a shoulder injury in the impact and subsequently treated by the medical team at Recreo, the Nice-based rider bravely pressed on despite the discomfort. His team-mate Olivier Pain also fell, though thankfully less seriously, 370km into the stage, thereafter complaining of back ache. Another faller was fellow erstwhile rally leader, Chile’s Chaleco Lopez.

Meanwhile, four-time Dakar winner Cyril Despres truly threw down the gauntlet to his adversaries today by prevailing to the tune of more than four minutes over Joan Barreda: "I need to thank both my physical trainer for helping me to develop solid legs and Michelin for supplying me with Bib Mousse-equipped Desert Race tyres. Without their help, I wouldn't have won this stage," declared the KTM rider after a magnificent 5h41m36s effort. "I had made a special note of this stage from the start, and I pushed hard from start to finish…”

Despres has consequently advanced in the overall standings to now lie second behind his team-mate and new leader Ruben Faria, who remarked: "It was a long and difficult stage, with 90 per cent of the tracks running through the forest and countless turns. My mission is to help Cyril win his fifth Dakar Rally, and I have every intention of doing just that…”

Behind Barreda, Alessandro Botturi was third-fastest, making it two Husqvarna/Michelins in the day's top three: "That reminded me of my time in Enduro," smiled the Italian at the stage end. Meantime, Portugal's Helder Rodriguez (fourth-quickest today) still has his sights set on a podium finish in Santiago.

Stage 9 classification:

1. Despres (KTM), 5h41min36s – 2. Barreda (Husqvarna), +4min03s – 3. Botturi (Husqvarna), +5min14s – 4. Faria (KTM) + +7min47s 5. Rodriguez (Honda), +8min47s...

Provisional standings after Leg 9:

1. Faria (KTM), 25:57:12 - 2. Despres (KTM) +5min23s - 3. Lopez (KTM) +9min03s - 4. Jakes (KTM) +16min56s - 5. Botturi (Husqvarna) +22min58