It’s mission accomplished for the Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team, who saw team rider Rodney Faggotter finish the final stage on Saturday without any issues. With it he ended his 2018 Dakar Rally adventure with a positive 16th place in the event’s final overall standings.
Following two weeks of intense racing across the dunes of Peru, the high mountains of Bolivia and the vast fields of Argentina, Rodney Faggotter has brought his WR450F Rally machine to the big finish of the 2018 Dakar Rally.
This 14th and final stage of the Dakar Rally on Saturday saw competitors set off in reversed order. With the special stage featuring enduro-styled tracks with lots of stones, it was yet another tough day on the saddle for all racers. Wrapping up the day in 19th place, Rodney cemented a well-deserved 16th position in the rally’s final standings.
Yamaha’s domination in the Quad class of the race was demonstrated by the fact that the seven riders in the final overall standings were all aboard Yamaha machinery. Winner of Saturday’s final stage, Chile’s Ignacio Casale is the winner of the 2018 Dakar Rally’s Quad class.
In the SXS category, Yamaha supported Camelia Liparoti realised her goal of bringing her YXZ1000R side by side machine to the finish of the rally. In doing so, she also secured fifth place in the SXS class’ final standings.
Rodney Faggotter – Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team #44
19th Stage 14 – 16th Overall
“The race is over and I’m happy I crossed the finish line. Today we raced a shorter stage and it all went pretty well for me. The starting order this morning was reversed so we had to pay extra attention when passing riders in front. I am happy with my top 20 result for the day and with my 16th position in the final overall standings. It’s been a long two weeks of racing and I’m happy to be here at the finish line. This has been a demanding Dakar so to reach the finish is a feat in itself. I really had a great time racing with the team here in
Alexandre Kowalski – Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team Director
“We’ve made it to the finish of a really tough Dakar and this is a good reward for all of our hard work. Despite this being the final stage of the race, it wasn’t easy at all. There were some fast tracks full of hidden stones, and we were happy Rod brought his Yamaha home without making any mistakes. Overall, he’s had a strong run in this year’s rally and we were all happy to see him cross the finish line. This has been an emotional adventure for us. Despite losing Franco and then Xavier and Adrien, we all stayed behind Rod in his attempt to finish the rally. I am personally really proud of the work done by all members of our team this year. The first week was like a dream coming true for us. Most importantly, we showed this year that we have a bike that is highly competitive and fully capable to win the Dakar. We’ve improved a lot and we are were all happy to be here racing for Yamaha.”
Dakar Rally 2018 – Stage 14 – Provisional Classification
1. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 01:26:41
2. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 01:27:35, +00:54
3. Antoine Meo (FRA), KTM, 01:29:30, +02:49
4. Dani Oliveras (ESP), KTM, 01:30:06, +03:25
5. Johnny Aubert (FRA), Gas Gas, 01:31:00, +04:19
6. Oriol Mena (ESP), Hero, 01:31:42, +05:01
…
19. Rodney Faggotter (AUS), Yamaha, 01:38:59, +12:18Dakar Rally 2018 – Overall Classification
1. Matthias Walkner (AUS), KTM, 43:06:01
2. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Yamaha, 43:22:54, +16:53
3. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 43:29:02, +23:01
4. Antoine Meo (FRA), KTM, 43:53:29, +47:28
5. Gerard Farres (ESP), KTM, 44:07:05, +01:01:04
6. Johnny Aubert (FRA), Gas Gas, 44:59:54, +01:53:53
…
16. Rodney Faggotter (AUS), Yamaha, 47:04:17, +03:58:16
