British Red Bull KTM rider sets the early pace in the Dakar Rally; reigning champion Marc Coma finishes third.
Red Bull KTM topped the opening stage of the 2015 Dakar Rally, but it was British ace Sam Sunderland and not reigning champion Marc Coma who bagged the Stage 1 win.
Sunderland had a good day that culminated in his posting of the fastest time in the 175-kilometer special test, beating HRC Honda’s Paulo Gonçalves by a slim margin to claim KTM’s first win of the year.
It’s difficult to judge your strategy based on the first day because you still don’t know who’s pulled out all the stops,” Sunderland said. “It’s also important not to go all-in. You’ve got to leave something for the other stages… However, I think I had a good special and that’s always a reason to be happy. The bike didn’t miss a beat, it was very fast, and I probably posted a good time. I’m a contender… for the first day. I hope I’m also a contender at the end, but we’ve only covered 175 kilometers and there’s still a long road before us.”
Sunderland endured terrible luck in his first two Dakar starts with Honda, but he showed his potential when he won the second stage of the 2014 Dakar Rally. He was fast again today during the opening stage from Buenos Aires to Villa Carlos Paz in Argentina, claiming the second Dakar stage win of his career.
Gonçalves, the 2013 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion, is back to assuage the tear-jerking defeat he suffered last year when his factory HRC Honda CRF450 burst into flames during the fifth stage of the 2014 Dakar Rally. With a narrow five-second deficit to Sunderland after the inaugural stage, Gonçalves is determined to do well.
“If I’d known I was running second, just a few seconds behind Sam Sunderland, I would’ve pushed a bit harder to try and win the special,” Goncalves said. “No big deal, I’m very happy. We’ve got a long stage coming tomorrow and we’ll be racing up front. For me, what’s important is to stay on my bike and avoiding the problems that plagued me in previous year. I hope I won’t run into trouble and to finish the race in a decent position. I really want to help Honda win the Dakar. They’ve worked their socks off to put this amazing bike together, and I hope I can give something back to them by doing my bit for a Dakar victory.”
Coma got off to his typically solid start, finishing today’s stage over a minute behind Sunderland, knowing that the race cannot be won on the first day, but it can be lost. Third in today’s stage, Coma knows that he can expect to be challenged by his countryman, the eager Joan Barreda, who finished fourth today on his HRC Honda.
“I felt good,” Coma said. “It was quite an easy, fast stage, a very fast one. Avoiding mistakes was obviously very important. The start is always risky business because you want to push hard and open up gaps. The stage was awesome. Rain over the last few days made certain spots muddy or wet, but nothing too difficult.”
Sherco rider Alain Duclos of France finished in fifth place, two minutes behind the winner but ahead of HRC Honda’s Jeremías Israel and France’s David Casteu. Perhaps the most interesting rookie performance was turned in by motocross rider Matthias Walkner, who clinched a solid eighth place. Equally noteworthy were the performances of Team Yamaha’s Olivier Pain and Red Bull KTM’s Jordi Viladoms, who finished stage one more than 3 minutes and 30 seconds off the rally lead.
2015 Dakar Rally
Stage 1
Buenos Aires-Villa Carlos Paz, Argentina
Results: January 4, 2015
1. Sam Sunderland (GBR)-KTM/1 hour, 18 minutes, 57 seconds
2. Paulo Goncalves (PRT)-Hon/+00:00:05
3. Marc Coma (ESP)-KTM/+00:01:12
4. Joan Barreda (ESP)-Hon/+00:01:41
5. Alain Duclos (FRA)-She/+00:02:08
6. Jeremias Israel (CHL)-Hon/+00:02:16
7. David Casteu (FRA)-KTM/+00:02:36
8. Matthias Walkner (AUT)-KTM/+00:02:42
9. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL)-KTM/+00:02:58
10. Ruben Faria (PRT)-KTM/+00:03:02
2015 Dakar Rally Standings (After 1 of 13 stages)
1. Sam Sunderland (GBR)-KTM/1 hour, 18 minutes, 57 seconds
2. Paulo Goncalves (PRT)-Hon/+00:00:05
3. Marc Coma (ESP)-KTM/+00:01:12
4. Joan Barreda (ESP)-Hon/+00:01:41
5. Alain Duclos (FRA)-She/+00:02:08
6. Jeremias Israel (CHL)-Hon/+00:02:16
7. David Casteu (FRA)-KTM/+00:02:36
8. Matthias Walkner (AUT)-KTM/+00:02:42
9. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL)-KTM/+00:02:58
10. Ruben Faria (PRT)-KTM/+00:03:02
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