Comprehensive Dakar wrap from Stage 8 (Sunday)

2023 Dakar Rally – Stage 8
Al Duwadimi – Riyadh

Images by Rally Zone

Stage 8 saw riders return to competition after the cancellation of stage 7. On Sunday riders covered 824 km, from Al Duwadimi to Riyadh, of which 346 km was timed special.

The short break in competition had allowed Daniel Sanders to regain some strength and the Victorian was back on point to finish second on the stage.

Toby Price was happy to finish the day in 17th. Price had benefitted from bonus time due to riding up front from the start, but a one-minute penalty off-set some of those gains.

Navigation was proving particularly challenging through the valleys and dunes of Stage 8.

For Sanders, it’s been a wild first week of racing at the Dakar to say the least, starting from, suffering from illness but ending on a highly positive note. Placing second and almost able to ride to his full potential, the Aussie charged through stage eight to deliver what may well be his most important result at the 2023 event, chopping almost 12 minutes out of the current leader’s advantage ranking advantage.

Daniel Sanders – P2

“Damn it was pretty wet out there this morning! For the guys out first it must have been pretty bad, and navigating was tough because of the rain and sand on the goggles. But overall, it’s been a good day. I was fortunate to get a bit of a recovery day yesterday, and I used that time to get some rest and I was able to keep what I ate and drank down, so coming into today things were a lot better. We have another rest day tomorrow, so I think going into next week we’ll be much closer to 100% and I’m excited for week two now that I’m feeling a lot more like myself.”

Catching the two riders ahead of him by around km 150, Toby Price assisted in opening the tricky-to-navigate stage eight and is now looking forward to the rest day and the remaining six stages. Price is fourth outright.

Toby Price – P17

“I’m definitely looking forward to the rest day now – time to relax and get sorted for the second week of racing. I lost a little time today riding up near the front, but my overall position is still decent. In the leading group today we were leaving perfect tracks for the guys behind to follow, so it was inevitable that we would lose some minutes. The rocks were super-slippery, too, which meant it was best just to ease off a little rather than risk a crash. A bit of care now can pay off a lot by the end of the race.”

Ross Branch wins Stage for Hero

Ross Branch’s stunning dash to the finish revitalised the morale of the Hero team, ending the first leg of the Rally on a high note. Even though Hero started well with a podium in the Prologue, and another podium in Stage 2, the week took a tough turn with Joaquim Rodrigues crashing and exiting the race, and quite a few problems for Ross and Buhler in recent stages.

Ross Branch – P1

“It’s amazing to be here! We worked really hard for it. It has been a tough week, and I’m really happy to go into the rest day with a Stage Win. This morning I felt really good, the bike was excellent, and I decided to push as hard as I could. It was a good stage, the navigation was fine, and I thoroughly enjoyed it as I went all out and raced the whole thing! A big thank you to the team for all the amazing effort, and for not giving up on me. It’s a happy day, and hopefully we’ll gather some more wins next week!”

Behind Sanders was KTM-supported Mason Klein, who bounced back from a fuel issue that cost him several minutes earlier in the week to initially post the second-fastest time on today’s stage. However a two-minute penalty incurred for speeding dropped him down to third for the stage and third overall.

Top Monster Energy Honda Team rider was Chilean Pablo Quintanilla in fourth position, followed by Frenchman Adrian Van Beveren in fifth.

Pablo Quintanilla – P4

“We have reached the rest day after another long stage. I felt good along the way and managed to ride at a good speed and rhythm. Conditions were really hard with the cold weather and the long mileage of the stages making its effect on our fatigue. I think now we are in a good position for the second week of the rally. It is a fact that our category has evolved a lot and the rhythm is impressive but I feel strong and determined to push even harder in the days to come and attack.”

Adrien Van Beveren – P5

“This was another good stage. I decided to attack from the start because I knew it was a good moment to recover some time. It was not easy, especially in the first part where there were a lot of stones. Then we moved to faster tracks and I continued at a great pace. The outcome is good and now I am looking forward to the start of the last week of this Dakar Rally. If I could, I would skip the rest day and start tomorrow instead!”

Sebastian Buhler also made it in to the top-10 of Stage 8, finishing in the sixth position, just 8m behind Ross.

Sebastian Buhler – P6

“Today was a fun stage. It was quite a fast stage with some rocks in between, but we did well. I’m happy with the result today, and content with how the first week has gone by. I had some problems in some stages, but towards the end we’ve gathered some good stage results – so I’m happy with how this first leg has ended. Looking forward to the next week.”

Making the very best use of his 10th place start position, Matthias Walkner put in a solid ride to steadily move himself up the timesheets to complete the special as eighth fastest. Despite the early injury to his wrist, the 2018 Dakar Winner continues to deliver stage after stage of strong, consistent rides.

Matthias Walkner – P8

“I gave my all today on what was a super-tough stage. The navigation was tricky, but I think I did a good job there. Where I’m struggling is the speed over the fast rocky tracks – it’s hard to hang on and keep up the pace I’d like. Overall though, I’m happy with my riding. Tomorrow’s rest day will give me a little more time to recover and build my strength, then it’s on to the final six stages and the finish next Sunday.”

Lorenzo Santolino had a great day and finished 9th just 8m49s behind the stage winner, demonstrating he has the potential to finish in the top 10 overall next week.

Lorenzo Santolino – P9

“This was a fast stage, the start was winding with a lot of rocks for the first 60 kilometers, it was foggy and the ground was quite slippery. Then the terrain became sandier, with dune sections between 150 and 200 km. The pace was good, but I preferred to be cautious in the dunes. At the pitstop I saw that Branch was going to catch up with me sooner or later, which he did at km 250 I had trouble following him , I thought I would lose him, but the terrain changed and I managed to get closer again and it was very good for me, at the end it was very dusty, I had to back off and allowed some distance to open up between him and me so as not to fall. There were a few kilometers of dunes and suddenly I came to a drop off that I did not see, I had time to brake, but I jumped very high and I was really lucky, I hurt my finger on the landing. It was dangerous, I hope other riders didn’t jump there. I’m happy with the pace, we finished the week close to the top 10 and tomorrow we’re going to have a real rest day, not like yesterday, where we looked like we were resting but in the end, we did six hours on the bike.”

Fifth into the stage, Kevin Benavides initially lost a little time over the first 50 km or so, where navigation was especially technical. However, remaining focused, the Argentinian then got his head down to push on for the remainder of the special. Fighting his way back to inside the top 10 on time, Kevin completed the stage in 10th.

Kevin Benavides – P10

“The stage went well for me today. I was lucky in that I started a little way back as the stage would have been really tricky to open. We were able to slowly catch the guys ahead and that in turn meant that after refueling there was a big group of us racing through the dunes to the finish. I’m in second place overall and now have the rest day to recharge my batteries, so overall, a good first week.”

11th for the day was Martin Micheck, ahead of Jose Cornejo, Stefan Svitko and Joan Barreda.

José Ignacio Cornejo – P12

“So we have concluded stage 8, it was a mixed stage with many different kinds of terrain. I felt good in my Honda CRF 450 Rally and overall It was a good day. Now that we have reached the rest day it is time to recharge our batteries and get ready for another decisive week. I have some delay but I believe there is still a lot to happen in this Dakar and continue to focus on climbing to the top standings.”

Following on from their outstanding Husqvarna Factory Racing one-two on stage six of the 2023 Dakar Rally, Skyler Howes and Luciano Benavides had the unenviable task of opening the timed special on day eight – a stage the organisers promised to be one of the toughest so far in terms of navigation. The FR 450 Rally mounted duo completed the stage in 19th and 21st respectively, reflecting that challenge, with Howes also picking up a one-minute penalty.

Skyler Howes – P19

“A tough day to open today. We ended up riding in a group of three at the front, and although I think we did a really good job with the navigation, we took a little while to do it. The dirt is really wet, so that leaves a perfectly clear line for anyone following, and of course it makes it far easier to make up time on those ahead. I’d rather lose a few minutes than be going home though, so overall, I’m happy with how the day turned out and I’m still ahead in the overall. It’s rest day now, and that’s always an important milestone to hit. We knew the first half of this year’s event would be tough, and it was! Time to relax a little now before focusing on the final push to the finish next week.”

Luciano Benavides – P21

“Today was a really tricky day. It was always going to be difficult to open a stage like today, especially after the bad weather and with such technical navigation. Today was one of the hardest days to open, but I think did a good job from the front, I took my time and was careful not to make any big mistakes. Unfortunately with the sand like it was, the guys behind were really able to follow the tracks in front of them and make up a lot of time. Physically, I’m feeling really good, the bike has been great all through this first week, too. I’ll get some rest tomorrow and then aim to push next week and hopefully make up some places on the race.”

Rest Day

Monday is time for the well deserved rest day at the Dakar Rally – it will be spent in Saudi Arabia capital Riyadh – so all riders will be transferred to a hotel and be able to recover their energy for another week of action.

Rider Rankings after Dakar Stage 8

With riders reaching the rest day, Skyler Howes now holds the overall Dakar Rally 2023 lead with seven stages completed and one cancelled, in 30h34m16s.

13-seconds behind Howes is Kevin Benavides and Mason Klein, with Aussie Toby Price fourth 1m58s off the lead, after being a Stage 8 front-runner meant being part of the leading group trackling the main challenge of the day.

Pablo Quintanilla and Adrien Van Beveren are fifth and sixth, both just under three-minutes off the overall lead.

Daniel Sanders made a strong return to form after illness for Stage 8 and is now seventh 7m03s off the lead, with Joan Barreda in eighth 18s slower again.

It’s then a larger cap to ninth placed Jose Cornejo, 19m32s off the lead, with tenth placed Matthias Walkner 22m35s off.

Stage 8 Highlights Video

2023 Dakar Rally Stage Results (Provisional)

2023 Dakar Rally Overall After Stage 8 (Provisional)

2023 Dakar Rally Schedule