The Spaniard leaves the Dakar rally by helicopter – tough day for Honda
Fortunately, it’s not a medical team involved. Joan Barreda failed to get his motorcycle out of the basin where it was stuck. Barreda was one of the favorites and started today’s stage from the first position.
KTM, the all-time favorite team of Dakar also had a lot of problems in the third stage, between San Juan de Marcona and Arequipa, where the riders had to race over some sand dunes situated at a 2,000 m altitude. Sam Sunderland conceded 8′26″, but even he got off lightly compared with Toby Price (+14′16″) and Matthias Walkner (23′15″). Matthias Walker made some mistakes and strayed over four kilometers from the last track.
Today’s stage was claimed by Xavier de Soultrat (Yamaha), just ahead of Pablo Quintanilla. However, Quintanilla keeps the overall lead.
Dakar 2019 3rd Stage Results
Dakar 2019 General Ranking after the 3rd Stage
The 4th stage of Dakar 2019 will take place between Arequipa and Moquengua.