Entering Tuesday’s stage 10 as the provisional overall leader, Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team’s Adrien Van Beveren has been forced to retire from the 2018 Dakar Rally following a crash just a few kilometres before the finish of the timed special. Continuing his positive run towards the finish of the event, Adrien’s teammate Rodney Faggotter enjoyed his best stage performance to date securing a 13th place result.
Stage 10 of the 2018 Dakar Rally will be remembered as one of the most demanding rally stages in recent history. Taking competitors from Salta to Belén, Tuesday’s stage included some very tricky navigation in dry and dusty terrain. Following a well-calculated plan, Van Beveren was enjoying a mistake-free performance, making up more than half an hour on some of his main rivals.
Frustratingly, a crash less than five kilometres before the end of the timed special resulted in the Frenchman being forced to abandon the 2018 Dakar Rally. Now under close supervision in the Belén hospital, more info on the extent of Adrien’s injuries will be released tomorrow.
Making use of his experience, Adrien’s teammate Rodney Faggotter brought his WR450F Rally home in 13th position. Making up some of the time the Aussie lost during the last couple of stages, Rodney is now 20th in the provisional overall standings of the rally.
Yamaha powered Ignacio Casale continues to dominate the overall standings in the Quad class of the 2018 Dakar Rally. Securing a third-place result in stage 10, the Chilean is currently leading the overall standings by a massive one-hour and 41 minutes.
Including a 280km timed special, Wednesday’s stage 11 will be the first part of the rally’s final marathon stage.
Rodney Faggotter – Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team #44
13th Stage 10 / 20th Overall
“What a day this has been. We knew the stage would include some really tricky navigation so from my side I just did the best I could to stay fast and avoid mistakes. These warm temperature might be more to my liking, but the tracks today were dusty and tough. I am happy that this stage is over and I managed to climb a few spots in the overall, but obviously we are all disappointed with Adrien being forced to abandon the race. He had a great run so far and I hope he is back racing with us soon. As for me, I am in good shape right now and I will do my best to take my Yamaha to the finish of this event in Cordóba.”
Alexandre Kowalski – Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team Director
“Today we went from absolute joy to an incredible low. Adrien was perfectly following the plan that we have set together with our sports manager Jordi Arcarons and he was having a great stage. He lost some time in the morning but kept improving as the race went on. He was among the first riders to find the right track in the river where most of the leaders got lost, and together with the eventual stage winner Walkner they were 49 minutes ahead of the rest of the pack. The crash took place less than five kilometres before the finish. This has been an epic journey for Adrien so far and we were all behind him in his efforts. We had a dream race so far and the spirit within the team was great. Unfortunately, the Dakar is such a tough event that all can change in just a few seconds. Following the first medical checks at the hospital, it seems that Adrien has suffered a broken collarbone. He will remain under close supervision and tomorrow we will have more solid info. The race goes on for us and we are all behind Rod in his road towards the finish of this extremely challenging event.”
Dakar Rally 2018 – Stage 10 – Provisional Classification
1. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 04:52:26
2. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL), Husqvarna, 05:04:01, +11:35
3. Gerard Farres (ESP), KTM, 05:08:47, +16:21
4. Oriol Mena (ESP), Hero, 05:13:11, +20:45
5. Jose Cornejo (CHL), Honda, 05:15:40, +23:14
6. Andrew Short (USA), Husqvarna, 05:16:39, +24:13
…
13. Rodney Faggotter (AUS), Yamaha, 05:30:33, +38:07
Dakar Rally 2018 – Provisional Overall Classification [After Stage 10]
1. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 32:21:03
2. Joan Barreda (ESP), Honda, 33:00:45, +39:42
3. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 33:02:26, +41:23
4. Gerard Farres (ESP), KTM, 33:08:49, +47:46
5. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 33:11:21, +50:18
6. Antoine Meo (FRA), KTM, 33:24:38, +01:03:35
…
20. Rodney Faggotter (AUS), Yamaha, 35:12:07, +02:41:10
Race Schedule – Dakar Rally 2018
Stage 1 | Jan 6 | Lima to Pisco | SS: 31km | Total: 272km
Stage 2 | Jan 7 | Pisco to Pisco | SS: 267km | Total: 278km
Stage 3 | Jan 8 | Pisco to San Juan de Marcona | SS: 295km | Total: 501km
Stage 4 | Jan 9 | San Juan de Marcona to San Juan de Marcona | SS: 330km | Total: 444km
Stage 5 | Jan 10 | San Juan de Marcona to Arequipa | SS: 264km | Total: 770km
Stage 6 | Jan 11 | Arequipa to La Paz | SS: 313km | Total: 758km
Rest Day | Jan 12
Stage 7 | Jan 13 | La Paz to Uyuni | SS: 425km | Total: 726km
Stage 8 | Jan 14 | Uyuni to Tupiza | SS: 498km | Total: 584km
Stage 9 | Jan 15 | Tupiza to Salta | SS: 242km | Total: 754km
Stage 10 | Jan 16 | Salta to Belén| SS: 372km | Total: 795km
Stage 11 | Jan 17 | Belén to Fiambalá | SS: 280km | Total: 484km
Stage 12 | Jan 18 | Fiambalá to San Juan | SS: 375km | Total: 722km
Stage 13 | Jan 19 | San Juan to Córdoba | SS: 423km | Total: 904km
Stage 14 | Jan 20 | Córdoba to Córdoba | SS: 119km | Total: 284km
