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As the 41st running of the Dakar Rally ramps up and competitors get ready to race, check back here at ADVMoto for the latest and greatest news as we receive it from teams. What will a new continent bring to the new decade of Dakar?
CURRENT STANDINGS AFTER STAGE 7
News: 01/13/2020
HERO MOTOSPORTS TEAM RALLY DEEPLY MOURNS THE TRAGIC DEMISE OF PAULO GONCALVES
Hero MotoSports Team Rally is profoundly grieved to report that its Portuguese rider, Paulo Goncalves passed away this morning during the 7th stage of the Dakar Rally 2020.
Paulo, aged 40, passed away from a fall sustained 276 kilometers into today's special. The organizers received an alert at 10:08 and dispatched a medical helicopter that reached the biker at 10:16 and found him unconscious after going into cardiac arrest. Following resuscitation efforts in situ, the competitor was taken by helicopter to Layla Hospital, where he was sadly pronounced dead. 
He has had an illustrious journey in the rally-racing world, including a series of remarkable performances at the world’s most prestigious rallies. He was crowned 2013 FIM Cross Country Rally World Champion. He also held the runners-up position at the Dakar Rally in 2015. 
Mr. Wolfgang Fischer, Head – Hero MotoSports Team Rally said, ‘Words cannot describe our shock and loss at this moment. It isn’t just a team, it is a family for us and we are devastated with the passing away of one of our members, Paulo Goncalves. He joined the Team in April last year and within no time became an integral part of the Hero MotoSports Team family. He will be dearly missed and always be fondly remembered by us. Paulo was a true champion, gentleman, reliable friend to everyone in the racing world and a role model as sportsman and personality. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends.’
STAGE 8 CANCELLED IN TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY OF PAULO GONÇALVES
After the accident yesterday which claimed the life of motorcycle rider Paulo Gonçalves, today’s stage, the eighth of the Dakar Rally 2020, has been cancelled in the motorcycle category out of respect for the mourning of family and friends in the bivouac.
KEVIN BENAVIDES CLAIMS FIRST DAKAR 2020 STAGE WIN ON A BRUTAL DAY
The seventh stage of the Dakar Rally 2020 has concluded in Wadi Al-Dawasir with Kevin Benavides taking the top honours. The entire Monster Energy Honda squad wishes to express its condolences at the loss of Paulo Gonçalves, rider with the team from 2013 to 2019.
The very high number of kilometres on the stage seven agenda meant, for many, a day of open throttle. The second week of racing got underway this morning with riders set to tackle the longest special stage of the entire rally (546 kilometres against the clock), from the country’s great metropolis Riyadh, southbound with destination Wadi Al-Dawasir. The route took in varied terrain types, going from multiple tracks in off-piste plains, requiring maximum concentration, to lengthy stretches of dunes, making up a quarter of the special.
The victory went to Kevin Benavides who headed out today firmly intent on moving on from Friday’s bitter pill. The Argentinean rider was in attack mode from the outset in a bid to clinch the stage, a goal which he achieved, coming home with a 1’23 surplus over brother-in-arms Joan Barreda who also rode a storming stage to confirm how his performance continues to improve. The Spaniard has reduced the gap from the adversaries ahead.
Ricky Brabec, winner of stage six, started out intent on minimizing the burden of having to open the track, a task which he carried out effectively, to post fifth on the day without conceding much time to his immediate pursuers on the leader board.
Chilean rider José Ignacio Cornejo kept the same steady pace as the opening week which has consented him a place among the overall top five. Today’s six place means the rider moves up to third place in the general rankings.
Tomorrow will once again play out on a looping circuit, this time from Wadi Al-Dawasir. The day will include 400 kilometres of special on a total stage of 700 kilometres.
Today the rally showed its harshest side. Portuguese rider Paulo Gonçalves (5/2/1979) passed away while competing in the stage. Paulo was a rider with the team from 2013 to 2019, who, in addition to accruing various triumphs, was garlanded with the runner-up prize in the 2015 Dakar Rally and was the FIM Cross-Country Rallies world champion in 2013. Monster Energy Honda Team would like to offer its most heartfelt condolences to his children, family and friends. Rest in peace.
News: 01/10/2020
RICKY BRABEC ARRIVES AT THE REST DAY LEADER OF THE 2020 DAKAR AFTER CLAIMING A SECOND STAGE WIN. BARREDA AND CORNEJO IN THE TOP FIVE
Ricky Brabec continues his Dakar 2020 crusade with another stage triumph, the second of this edition, consolidating his leadership as the new Dakar – held in Saudi Arabia – arrives at its rest day in the capital Riyadh.
It was all smiles from Ricky Brabec as he rode into Riyadh after the longest pre-rest day special of the 2020 Dakar Rally. The rider will be able to rest and recuperate before heading back out aboard the Honda CRF450 RALLY to defend his overall leadership in the second and final week of the competition. The American Monster Energy Honda Team rider bagged the win in the sixth stage, for a second victory in the event, strengthening his position at the head of the general rankings with a twenty plus-minute advantage over the nearest second place rival.
The stage started from Ha’il bound for Riyadh, with 478 kilometres of special stage against the clock out of a total distance of 830 kilometres, which gave competitors the ideal opportunity to unleash their machines on the open Saudi desert. The final day of the first week of racing saw riders face arduous navigation, off-piste and copious amounts of sand and dunes.
Joan Barreda, likewise, turned out a fine showing in the special, looking more at ease on the bike, on terrain which is increasing to the Spaniard’s liking. Today’s second position on the day reaffirms Barreda’s place among the contenders for a finish among the prize-winners and now occupies fifth place in the overall standings.
Chilean rider José Ignacio Cornejo rode a prudent, steady stage to post sixth. Cornejo, moves up one place on the overall leader board to fourth and will be poised to continue his brilliant run as the Dakar Rally enters its second week.
Kevin Benavides was once again in the chase to win the stage when his motorcycle suffered a mishap, causing him to drop time. He was, nevertheless, able to complete the special, and despite his late arrival at the bivouac, Kevin will be back on the start-line the day after tomorrow. While, the team will work tomorrow, at the bivouac in Riyadh, to ascertain the exact cause of the issue.
MATTHIAS WALKNER CLAIMS THIRD ON STAGE SIX OF 2020 DAKAR RALLY
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Matthias Walkner has mastered the Saudi Arabian dunes to place third fastest on stage six of the 2020 Dakar Rally. Luciano Benavides also put in a strong showing on the arduous special to place fifth. Reigning Dakar champion Toby Price unfortunately lost time after suffering a technical issue.
The organisers set out to test competitors on the final leg of racing before the rest day with a long 830-kilometre stage incorporating a 477-kilometre special ridden entirely in sand. Riders had to conserve their fuel, their machines as well as their energy on what many are calling the toughest stage of the rally so far.
2018 Dakar Champion Matthias Walkner once again put in a superb ride, maintaining a strong pace throughout the long desert stage to ultimately place third fastest, less than three minutes down on the stage winner. In keeping to a solid yet consistent speed, the Austrian was able to move through the field without making any mistakes. Going into Saturday’s rest day, Matthias lies sixth overall in the provisional overall standings.
Matthias Walkner: “It was a very intense stage today – very long and maybe 80 percent full gas the whole way. It was tough both physically and mentally and I’m glad of the rest day tomorrow. My pace was good today, I felt comfortable and didn’t make any mistakes. With the first half of the rally done I think we are in good shape – everyone is really fast this year and it’s going to be close. The goal, as always, is to make it safely to the end, so hopefully I’ll have a good second half to the rally.”
Argentinian Luciano Benavides was the eighth rider to enter the timed special on stage six and as such had the advantage of being able to chase down the riders ahead. Navigating well, while pushing hard, the FIM Junior Cross-Country Rallies World Champion closed in to around three minutes of the leader at the final checkpoint, completing the stage in an excellent fifth place.
Luciano Benavides: “The first part of the stage today was really nice – I enjoyed it a lot. My brother caught me and we were riding together for a good while. It was a tough stage, like every stage so far. It’s really good to finish fifth, which sets me up well for the next half of the rally. I’m pleased with my riding and the bike feels great – I’ve really found a good rhythm this year.”
Day five winner Toby Price had the unenviable task of leading the motorcycle class out into the longest timed special of the rally so far. Despite the disadvantage, Price rode impeccably, carrying good speed over the Saudi sand and navigating well at the front. With the best part of the stage complete, a technical issue forced the Australian to stop. Price lost around 10 minutes and finished 11th fastest on the stage. However, with six days of racing remaining, Price still lies in a provisional third overall and is fully focused on regaining the lead of the rally.
Toby Price: “It’s been a long stage today with long liaisons, definitely one of the toughest so far. Leading out was going really well for most of the day – I was navigating good, my pace was good, but then at about 390 kilometres I had an issue and had no choice but to stop. Luckily another rider was able to help me out and I got going again. I lost some time, which is frustrating but we’re only at the halfway point now and there’s a long way to go.”
KTM Factory Racing's Mario Patrao completed the long stage six in 33rd position. The popular Portuguese rider now sits in 37th overall and looks forward to the second half of the 12-stage event.
With six days of racing complete, Saturday offers a rest day for all competitors at the bivouac in Riyadh. The rally continues on Sunday with the 741-kilometre stage seven to Wadi Al Dawasir.
News: 01/09/2020
TOBY PRICE TOPS DAKAR STAGE FIVE
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Toby Price has won the fifth leg of the Dakar Rally. Putting in a superb performance throughout the special, the Australian now sits second overall in the provisional event standings. Teammates Matthias Walkner and Luciano Benavides completed the stage in fifth and eighth respectively. Red Bull KTM’s Sam Sunderland was unfortunately forced to abandon the race following a fall.
Day five at the 2020 Dakar Rally presented a change in scenery for competitors as they travelled east from Al-‘Ula to Ha’il. The 353-kilometre timed special began with fast, stony tracks similar to the previous day’s stages, before opening out into expansive dunes during the latter half of the route.
Following his sixth-place finish on Wednesday, Toby Price was keen to make the best use of his start position and make up time on the rally front-runners. Pushing hard right from the off, the Australian had moved into the lead by kilometre 152. From there the reigning Dakar champion maintained a strong pace, making the minimum of mistakes, to bring his KTM 450 RALLY home over one-minute ahead of the second-placed rider.
Toby Price: “It was a good day for me today – we’ve seen a big change in scenery with the last half of the stage in the dunes. I got my head down at the start and made some good progress even though it was a bit tricky out there today. I’ve made up some more time on the leaders, which is good and hopefully we’ll have another strong day in the sand tomorrow. I want to wish Sam all the best after his fall today too – hopefully he’s back on the bike again soon.”
Matthias Walkner suffered a difficult stage four yesterday, where a small mistake resulted in several minutes lost. Keen to recover that time, the Austrian racer had to first battle through the dust raised by the riders ahead as he made his way through the field during today’s special. Ultimately placing fifth at the finish, seven minutes down on Price, Matthias will now enjoy an excellent start position and be able to attack Friday’s long 477-kilometre special stage.
Matthias Walkner: “All-in-all it has been a good day for me today. I suffered a little with the dust at first due to starting 27th and had lost a bit of time by the refuelling. After that on the off-piste sections I think I was a little too careful in my navigation and not just pushing the tracks like it seems some of the other riders were. The good thing is I made it to the finish safely without losing too much time. It’s never nice to see your teammate after they have had a crash, it took my focus for a little while, but it seems he is not too bad and that’s always good to hear.”
Similarly, to teammate Walkner, Luciano Benavides endured a late start position on stage five, setting off as the 20th rider to enter the special. The young Argentinian did an excellent job of navigating his way through the pistes and canyons on the opening kilometres of the stage, reaching the halfway point as fourth fastest. A couple of small errors slowed his progress as the riders entered the dunes close to Ha’il, but Benavides was able to maintain his solid pace to ultimately finish as eighth fastest.
Luciano Benavides: “It was an extremely tough day today – we covered a lot of kilometres off-piste and that is always very tiring. I was riding really well up to the refuelling, I think I was around second-fastest. Later on, I saw Sam after his crash and so I decided to ease off a little to make sure I didn’t come off as well. The stage was very fast with a lot of broken dunes and it made it very easy to make a mistake. We still have seven stages left to go, so I thought it was better to finish the stage safely and see how things go tomorrow.”
KTM Factory Racing’s Mario Patrao, put in a strong ride on stage five to finish in 35th position. The Portuguese rider sits 40th in the overall standings.
Mario Patrao: "It was a very long stage today with some rocks and a lot of dust up to checkpoint one. After that, we started getting into real Dakar terrain with lots of sand and dunes. Right now we are at 30 percent of the race and there's still a long way to go. I'll continue to do my best and assist with the team as best as I can. I want to also wish Sam a fast recovery after his crash today."
Reigning FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion Sam Sunderland was forced to abandon the 2020 Dakar Rally following a crash at kilometre 187 on stage five. The British rider was airlifted from the stage with injuries to his back and shoulder and taken for immediate medical checks. Thankfully, Sam is expected to make a full recovery.
Jordi Viladoms – KTM Rally Team Manager: “It’s not been the perfect day for us today, but as we often see at the Dakar we have two sides – Toby has won the stage and is second overall, but unfortunately Sam had a crash and will not continue the race. Thankfully, it seems that Sam’s injuries are not too serious, he has broken some vertebrae and his shoulder, but we are hoping he will spend some time in hospital here before flying back to Europe and starting his recovery. In terms of the rally, the change in terrain should suit us more from now on – we will see lots of fast, off-piste sand tracks and difficult to navigate dunes. We are still in the fight for the overall victory and I am confident all my riders will give their best tomorrow and for the second half of the race.”
Stage six of the rally marks the final day of racing before the rest day. Riders leave Ha’il and head further east toward the Saudi capital of Riyadh. The second-longest stage of the event, competitors cover a total distance of 830 kilometres, which includes a gruelling 477-kilometre special made up primarily of sandy tracks and dunes.
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