Dakar is coming
Prepare yourselves for a post-christmas and New Year dose of dirt bikes…
On 6 January the annual mayhem that is the Dakar blasts off. This year that means 5142 miles 2630 miles of which will be raced flat-out, through Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. But who should we be looking out for…? Well, all four KTM riders is either a Dakar winner or former world champion. 2016 winner Toby Price is back alongside Sam Sunderland, Mathais Walkner and Antoine Meo. And don’t forget factory-backed Laia Sanz, who will aim for a top ten overall finish. The almost too handsome Chilean World Rallies Champion, Pablo Quintanilla, heads Husqvarna’s two-man attack and has the potential to become the first South American to win the Dakar. Every year Honda arrive at the Dakar looking every bit as impressive as any HRC race team ever has, but every year they either crash, or suffer mechanical problems or huge tactical errors. Re-fuelling outside the clearly marked re-fuelling zone and incurring a heavy time penalty in 2017 was the latest in a long line of issues. An impressive five rider line-up including long time overall contender Joan Barreda could make it Honda’s year. Finally. Yamaha have been slowly rebuilding themselves in rally with their French-based, factory supported team. With some proven fast sand racers aboard they surely have the all-important staying power for this event.