Yamaha Factory Rally Team Off to Slow Start in Dakar Rally

Team Yamaha favorites Olivier Pain and Michael Metge currently sit outside the top 10 after the first two stages in the Dakar Rally.

Yamaha Factory Racing Rally Team Yamalube had hoped to get off to a better start than it as in the 2015 Dakar Rally, and while there is still lots of miles to be run, the Blu Cru finds itself outside of the top 10 after the first two stages of the rally. The top-finishing Yamaha today belonged to Spanish rider Juan Pedrero Garcia, who finished 10th.

Michael Metge was the fastest of the Factory Yamahas today, finishing 17th. The Frenchman is currently 18th overall.

“I was looking forward to today’s special and started very motivated,” Metge said. “Straight away I found a good pace and overtook several other riders, at one point getting up to seventh place. Then we got into the fesh-fesh, and things got a little more complicated. No doubt about it, it was a very hard special and the high temperatures didn’t make it any easier. Tonight we will need to make sure we recuperate as much as possible and be ready for tomorrow. According to the organisers it’s not going to be as hard tomorrow but if the temperatures stay this high everybody is going to suffer.”

Reigning Sardinia Rally Champion Alessandro Botturi finished 18th, and he is currently 18th in the overall standings.

“A really tough stage today,” Botturi said. “I was doing okay and then about 40 kilometers from the end I crashed. For maybe five minutes I was pretty disorientated and then I got myself back on the bike and rode very gently to the finish. Fortunately the liaison at the end wasn’t too long as I wasn’t feeling on top form!”

Last year’s third overall finisher in the Dakar Rally, Olivier Pain, finished 19th and is also 19th overall.

“The organizers promised us a hard day today, and they kept their promise!” Pain said. “I struggled to find my rhythm early on in the mountains and then managed to pick up the pace a little around the half way point. Towards the end we had 40 kilometers of ‘Le Touquet,’ except instead of it being freezing cold it was like riding in an oven! Both mentally and physically it was very tough. It was so hot that I opened by jacket to let some air in, something I hardly ever do. I can’t say I’m really delighted with my result but I’m not surprised either. Although the terrain was varied, there was very little navigation, it was more like a Baja. Good for some of the newcomers but not so good for someone like myself who can make the difference with the road book.”

The longest special stage of the rally, today’s course covered 518 kilometres between Villa Carlos Paz and San Juan in Argentina. The terrain was wildly diverse and the temperatures were extremely high, adding to the challenge. The heat was so intense that the race organizers actually neutralized the special at Checkpoint 3 for safety reasons, with those stopping there being allowed to continue tomorrow with a fixed time penalty.

Tomorrow’s shorter stage will take the riders to one of the most scenic regions of Argentina: the canyons. However, the riders won’t have much time to enjoy it as the motorcycle and quad route will also include some gruelling sections.