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ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA’S QUINTANILLA THIRD OVERALL IN DAKAR RALLY

IMPRESSIVE FINAL STAGE WIN FOR CHILEAN RIDER AFTER 9,000 KM JOURNEY

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Pablo Quintanilla of Chile wrapped up his 2016 Dakar Rally on Saturday on a high note with a victory in the final stage 13 that also secured him third overall in this long and difficult rally raid. Quintanilla competed the final stage in one hour 15.27 to finish in the overall rankings behind Toby Price of Australia and Slovakia’s Stefan Svitko.

Pablo Quintanilla: “The last stage was extremely hard. There was a lot of tension and nerves before the start. The entire race came down to this one stage. I started fast and, thanks to today and the team's work we defended our third place. I'm delighted. It was such a tough Dakar that we had to fight for the podium the last day, which is usually an opportunity to kick back and relax. For me, the last stage was the toughest, the most nerve-wracking one in the entire rally. I was hurt before the rally, but professional work helps you overcome that. The investment paid off today.”

Riders covered more than 9,000km in this year’s edition that took them on a broad sweep through Argentina and Bolivia. Quintanilla was never out of the top ten in any stage, and made the top five in five of the 13 stages. His third place in his fourth time out in this annual rally raid was also his best yet Dakar finish - and his first riding as a Rockstar Energy Husqvarna factory rider.

It as also an excellent result for Husqvarna-supported Jacopo Cerutti of Italy, who came into the entry list via a good result in the Dakar Challenge series. Cerutti said before the race that his goal was to finish, and not in last position. The young Italian far exceeded that modest goal. He showed constant improvement as the rally progressed, doing particularly well in the final four stages. Cerutti was 15th overall at the finish in Rosario. The Italian comes from enduro sports and had a confidence building tenth place finish in the Morocco Rally in October ahead of his first Dakar ride.

The final stage took riders from villa Carlos Paz to Rosario but the end result came quite quickly because the timed special was at the beginning of Stage 13, after which riders had to continue the rest of the 699km distance to the ceremonial finish.

The Dakar 2016 was confronted with many difficulties. In the planning stage both Chile and Peru withdrew from the competition because they rightly anticipated possible severe weather disruptions from the El Nino weather effect. This left Argentina and Bolivia on the program, but even these countries felt the negative force of the recurring weather phenomenon. Thunderstorms and floods plagued the rally, particularly the first week, and intense temperatures in the second week resulted in several stages being shortened. In Bolivia riders competed at altitudes of up to 4,500 m and while the first half of the rally was very fast, stages got increasingly complicated, with much more navigation in the second week.

Final Stage 13 Results
Villa Carlos Paz – Rosario
Total distance 699km; timed special 180km

ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA’S QUINTANILLA OVERALL THIRD IN DAKAR PENULTIMATE STAGE

CHILEAN RIDER REMAINS IN CONTENTION AS RALLY HEADS FOR THE FINISH AT ROSARIO

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna factory rider Pablo Quintanilla on Friday delivered another competent stage in the 2016 Dakar Rally to stay in contention for a podium place when the rally finishes on Saturday in Rosario, Argentina.

Quintanilla finished sixth in stage 12, the longest in this year’s rally and one that was physically and mentally demanding. He reached the line just over 15 minutes behind stage winner Helder Rodrigues while overall leader Toby Price finished second. But while Quintanilla is currently third overall behind Price and Slovakia’s Stefan Svitko, there are three riders currently in contention for overall third, all within four minutes of each other in accrued time.

Friday was another very tough day. Riders first had a long liaison before launching into a 481km of timed section that took them through narrow tracks and over hard, rocky terrain that was punishing on riders and machines, and particularly hard on tyres. Rain and swollen rivers were also thrown into the mix in this the penultimate day of the 9,000km competition.

Quintanilla: “It was a difficult stage, really long and I pushed from the beginning to the refuelling. It was also raining and very muddy and I had a crash so I slowed down and was careful to the end, also with the tyres. It was very slippery. It was difficult to get the grip and to keep the bike upright. Tomorrow we have another hard day and I will try to push until the last kilometre.”

Despite the difficult conditions on Friday, Husqvarna-supported Jacopo Cerutti of Italy wrapped up the stage in tenth place, a best yet result in this, his first Dakar Rally. He goes into the final stage in 12th overall and can be more than satisfied with his performance. Cerutti won the right to enter the Dakar Rally by delivering a strong finish in the 2015 Sardegna Rally Race, which was classified as a Dakar Challenge event.

Riders are finally coming to the end of the long and arduous sweep through Argentina and Bolivia and one that has thrown many obstacles in their way, but organizers, who promised that the second week would be a difficult one, still have planned a difficult final day. From Villa Carlos Paz to Rosario there is still almost 700km to reach the finish, including a timed section of 180km under the clock as they travel from Villa Carlos Paz to Rosario. Riders will start on Saturday in reverse order as they head for the finish line.

STAGE 12 (penultimate stage)
San Juan – Villa Carlos Paz
Total distance 931km, timed special 481km

ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA’S QUINTANILLA THIRD IN DAKAR STAGE 11

CHILEAN RIDER STILL IN PODIUM CONTENTION AS RALLY GOES INTO PENULTIMATE STAGE

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna factory rider Pablo Quintanilla of Chile continued his bid for a possible podium in the 2016 Dakar Rally on Thursday, delivering another strong ride for third position in the eleventh stage of the competition. Quintanilla is currently fourth in the standings and a strong rivalry has developed between him and French rider Antoine Meo, the two likely candidates for the podium third at the finish on Saturday in Rosario.

Thursday’s stage took riders from La Rioja to San Juan over a grueling 712km, including 431km of timed special. It was another day of extreme conditions and high temperatures, causing race official to stop the stage at the second checkpoint (at about 243km in the special). Only 14 riders reached the regular finish. Officials later confirmed that the leaders’ times had been verified; however there may be adjustments for the rest of the field. The decision was made because of the extreme heat and the fact that a large number of riders had got into difficulties, they confirmed.

Quintanilla finished behind Meo and overall leader Toby Price in the stage, saying: “It was a really tough day, the longest stage and very hot. In the beginning I tried to push really hard until the refueling, but then I had a little problem with the rear brake and I had to slow down a bit. There were a lot of stones in the last 30km and we had no grip in the rear tyre because it was really fast and a very hard surface. I’m very happy to finish today because it was a difficult day, but I think we did well.”

Speaking about the developing rivalry between him and Meo, Quintanilla added: “Antoine is a really good rider and he’s really fast on the bike. It’s a nice fight with a good rider and a friend. Let’s see what happens in the next two stages.”

It was another good ride by Husqvarna-supported Jacopo Cerutti of Italy, who despite the extreme conditions was one of the finishers. He was provisionally ranked at 13th in the stage and finished 34 minutes 24 behind the stage winner. He is presently ranked at 12th overall with a deficit of 46.49, however this may change when organizers decide how times and positions are to be adjusted.

On Friday competitors have another 931km to cover, including 481km of timed special and they will travel through semi mountainous terrain. The penultimate overnight stop will be in Villa Carlos Paz.

Dakar Rally Stage 11
La Rioja - San Juan – total distance 712km, timed special 431km

ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA QUINTANILLA OVERALL 4TH AFTER MARATHON STAGES

CHILEAN RIDER OVERCOMES CHALLENGE OF DAMAGED TYRE TO COMPLETE DIFFICULT TWO STAGES WITHOUT TEAM ASSISTANCE

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna factory rider Pablo Quintanilla underlined his riding skills and tenacity on the second day of the second marathon stage of the 2016 Dakar Rally to nurse his bike safely to the finish with a damaged rear tyre. Despite the problem, Quintanilla still managed to finish sixth in the stage and hold position at fourth overall during what were some of the hardest riding conditions of the competition so far.

Riders are not allowed any team support over the two-day marathon stages and must manage repairs and maintenance themselves. The two days of hard, off-piste riding and at times, extreme heat made this a difficult balance. The first day of the marathon also saw just 12 riders, including Quintanilla, complete the set distance, while for the bulk of the field the stage was called off because of extreme heat at the second control point. In effect this meant that the riders who completed the whole distance rode some 100 km more on Tuesday.

Reflecting on his marathon experience, Quintanilla said: “Yesterday was a really tough day. The heat was incredible. I tried to do good navigation and not to make many mistakes and I think we had a really good stage. Today was different. I started in a good position to push and recover some time but I realised I had a problem with the rear tires. I tried to slow it down, and to keep calm and I lost some time at the end of the stage. There was a big hole in the tyre, so it was really dangerous. I knew it might mean the end of the rally if I hit a stone, so I tried to be calm and close off the gas a little bit.”

Quintanilla’s patience paid dividends even though he ended the stage just short of ten minutes behind the day’s winner Stefan Svitko of Slovakia. While Australia’s Toby Price now has a substantial overall lead with three days left to ride, Quintanilla is still in a group of five riders who all have a good chance of contesting the remaining two podium places.

Meanwhile Husqvarna-supported rider Jacopo Cerutti continues to deliver impressive results and on Wednesday moved into 13th position overall after an impressive 13th place finish in the stage. It was his best day so far in his debut Dakar ride.

On Thursday riders travel from La Rioja to San Juan over another 712km, which will include 431km. Although coming to the end of an incredibly strenuous 9,000km ride, they will need strength and maximum concentration to tackle more challenging terrain and navigation.

Dakar Rally Stage 10
Total distance 561km, timed special cut to 244km following thunderstorms
Second half of second marathon stage

ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA’S PABLO QUINTANILLA FINISHES FOURTH IN DAKAR STAGE NINE

QUINTANILLA HOLDING THIRD OVERALL POSITION WITH FOUR STAGES REMAINING

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider Pablo Quintanilla on Tuesday delivered another strong performance in stage nine of the 2016 Dakar Rally to finish fourth. He is currently in third place overall with just four stages to go to the finish in Argentina’s Rosario.

Tuesday’s stage, again won by Australia’s Toby Price, was the first half of a second marathon stage where riders overnight in an isolated bivouac. They also have no contact with their teams and receive no technical assistance. It was also a stage with some controversy as some riders had already completed the regulation distance before the stage was shortened.

Speaking after the stage, Quintanilla underlined the general feeling of the riders that it had been a very tough day. “For sure, today was a really hard stage. From the beginning there was a lot of navigation and a lot of off-piste with dunes and vegetation. I was trying to ride regularly, trying to push with confidence and not take many risks. It's important to take care of the bike and take care of the body by avoiding crashes. We still have some stages in front of us and we have to try and be regular. I feel really good, I have confidence and I'm really happy with the bike and with the team. The team did an awesome job.”

It was another strong finish for Husqvarna-supported Jacopo Cerutti of Italy who was 20th in the stage. With continued consistent riding, the Italian now has the possibility of finishing his debut Dakar Rally in the top 20. Dutch Husqvarna rider Robert van Pelt of the Netherlands was 21st in the stage but sadly it was the end of the ride for Czech Husqvarna rider Ondrej Klymciw. He crashed in the first half of the timed special and had to retire. Over the past days, Klymciw had been riding with a sprained ankle from a crash in the first week.

The stage, the shortest in this year’s rally, was not only tough off-piste riding with plenty of rocks and low scrub, but riders also had to contend with extreme heat and difficult navigation. It was a significant contrast to the fast but relatively straightforward stages in the first week of competition, but organisers had promised that conditions would get harder as the race progressed.

On Wednesday riders must tackle the notorious Fiambalá dunes in a stage that could be decisive in this year’s edition. What awaits them is a total distance of 561km from the overnight bivouac near Belén to La Rioja, including a timed special of 278km. On Wednesday evening they will again have the support of their teams.

Please note: As some riders completed the whole distance in stage nine, but it was later shortened, discussions about the times are taking place with the organisers and they may be adjusted later.”

Stage Results
Stage 9: Belén – Belén
Original timed special of 285km shortened at CP2, Organizers citing extreme heat

ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA’S QUINTANILLA STRONG FINISH TO DAKAR FIRST WEEK

CHILEAN RIDER WRAPS UP OPENING WEEK IN OVERALL FOURTH; DAKAR REST DAY IN SALTA, ARGENTINA

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Pablo Quintanilla wrapped up his first week of the 2016 Dakar Rally with a promising fifth place in stage seven and is now overall fourth as the rally reaches its rest day in Salta, Argentina.

Saturday’s stage seven was again made difficult as the El Niño effect again delivered heavy rain and regional flooding in the last part of the timed special, brought to a halt by organizers some 57km short of the original distance. With riders and teams experiencing difficulties in the long ride back to Salta, and with some riders’ times to be adjusted for providing support to an injured competitor on Saturday, final results and standings were not available until the early hours of Sunday morning.

Quintanilla was one of the riders who stopped to offer assistance to KTM’s Matthias Walkner after he crashed at the 15km mark and who had his final time adjusted accordingly. He later commented: "Today was hard. At the start of the special I came across Matthias [Walkner], who'd just fallen. I stayed with him until the helicopter came. It's tough to ease back into your pace after that, he's like a friend to me... The special was varied, with fast parts and mountainous sectors.’"

Speaking about his first week, Quintanilla commented: “My week was quite difficult because it was hard to find my rhythm on the mountainous terrain of the start to the rally. However, the priority was getting to the rest day without any mishaps, without any injuries and in the top 10. We did it, so I'm happy in this sense. Now is time to catch a breather before a tough second week with lots of navigation. It's a new phase. We know we can win or lose big time. We'll have to keep a cool head, focus on the road book and read it properly."

Sadly injuries in the previous stages to teammates Ruben Faria and Pela Renet have left Quintanilla as the only member of the factory trio. Faria briefly rejoined the team in Salta on the rest day before flying home to Portugal, saying he was not really sure what made him crash in stage six. “I’ll have to look at my bike and the road book to know what happened. I was disappointed because this year I was feeling very well and strong. . When I crashed I wasn’t pushing so much but the Dakar is like this,” he said.

Spanish Husqvarna rider Txomin Arana continues to impress and closes out his first week in 11th overall in this competitive field. Czech privateer and Husqvarna rider Ondrej Klymciw was at overall 24th, a heroic effort as he is riding with a sprained ankle. Husqvarna-supported Italian Jacopo Cerutti is also holding up well on his debut Dakar ride and is in 27th place. Dutch Husqvarna rider Robert van Pelt Jnr. Rounds off the top 30 in the overall list.

Riders and teams on Sunday serviced bikes and equipment, took stock of the first stage and made plans and formulated tactics for the second stage. Many riders are expecting the rally to be much more difficult and more tactical in the second half as they head back to the finish in Rosario on January 16.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna team manager Daniel Trauner: “It was a difficult week with two crashes with Pela (Renet) and Ruben (Faria) but both are well and will recover soon. Of course it’s a big disappointment, especially with Ruben who was performing really well in the last stages, and who had the opportunity to be in the top five in Rosario. We are really happy with Quintanilla. He has performed well and we hope he can keep his level of riding in stages 8,9 and 10. Then we’ll see who has stayed on top and who will drop down. I hope Quintanilla will have 2-3 good days when he can attack and that he can be on the podium in Rosario.”

Dakar Rally
Stage 7: Uyuni – Salta
Total distance 793km: timed special 353km (cut short because of storms)
Revised results as a result of overnight adjustments in times and penalties

ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA’S QUINTANILLA SIXTH IN DAKAR STAGE 6

CHILEAN RIDER TRAILS OVERALL LEADER BY 7 MINUTES 52 SECONDS AFTER LONGEST STAGE SO FAR

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna factory rider Pablo Quintanilla on Friday finished sixth in the stage six of the Dakar Rally after an exhausting 723km ride that included 542km of timed special. The Chilean rider is now fifth in the overall standings, seven minutes 52 seconds off the pace of stage winner Toby Price of Australia.

“It as a really tough stage,” Quintanilla confirmed at the finish line. “ It was a really long day on the bike and it was very difficult to focus all the time because of the altitude. But it was important to finish the stage well, and now its time to focus on the last day before the rest day on Sunday. As we know the second week is going to be the toughest of the Dakar, so lets see how we do in the next stage.”

Finishing right behind Quintanilla was Husqvarna rider Txomin Arana of Spain who finished only seven seconds behind Quintanilla. Arana, competing in his third Dakar Rally is now 11th in the overall standings.

It was also another competent ride in difficult conditions for Husqvarna-supported rider Jacopo Cerutti of Italy, riding in his debut Dakar Rally. He finished 32nd, 28 minutes 38 behind the stage leader and is currently 28th overall.

Unfortunately it was the end of the rally for Quintanilla’s factory teammate Ruben Faria of Portugal who crashed about half way through the timed special and had to retire. Faria sustained a fractured arm and some other minor injuries that were being treated in Uyuni. He is expected to be able to return to Europe on Sunday.

The stage was a long loop from and to Uyuni in Bolivia, however because of regional rain it was not possible for the competitors to cross the renowned Salar d’Uyuni, the world’s biggest saltpans as planned. Instead they traced their way along the western side of this famous landmark. Riders also had to deal with altitudes of between 3500m and 4000m, and with a constant change of pace and alternating sandy and rocky terrain.

On Saturday, the last stage before the one rest day, riders will leave Bolivia and re-enter Argentina. Their destination, after what will be another exhausting ride from Uyuni to Salta, will only be reached at the end of another 793km stage with a 353km timed special. Sunday’s rest day will also be in Salta.

Dakar Rally Stage 6: Uyuni – Uyuni Total distance 723km: timed special542km

ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA RIDERS WELL PLACED IN DAKAR STAGE 5

QUINTANILLA FINISHES SIXTH, FARIA ELEVENTH - TOP 10 FOR BOTH IN OVERALL STANDINGS

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna factory riders Pablo Quintanilla and Ruben Faria on Thursday safely completed Stage Five of the Dakar Rally, the second half of the marathon stage. Riders in this 9,000 km-long contest also crossed the border from Argentina into Bolivia.

Quintanilla delivered a strong ride to finish sixth in the stage and is now ninth overall. Faria, who was third on Wednesday, finished eighth. He is now eleventh overall. Factory teammate Pela Renet withdrew from the rally after a crash in the first half of the marathon stage and will return home to France. Thankfully, medical scans and checks revealed he had suffered no broken bones.

The stage was a milestone in Dakar statistics as riders had to climb to an altitude of 4,600 meters near the end of Thursday’s 328 km timed special, the highest point ever in this tough offroad competition. The day’s ride, over a total of 642km also introduced riders to more difficult navigation, especially in the final part of the timed special.

Speaking after the marathon stage where riders were not allowed to work on their bikes for two days, Quintanilla said: “Today was tough with a very long liaison section in the morning and with the altitude. Later we were in the mountains and I felt good, but I just had some problems with the rear brake at 200km so I had to slow down a bit. But it was a positive day and I had no big problems in this marathon stage – none with the bike and no crashes.” Referring to his teammate Faria, he said: “I am earning from the experienced guy!”

Faria said the first part of the marathon yesterday was good. “It was a really fast track and I did very well and finished third. Today we woke up at 3.00 a.m. and we first had a big, tough liaison. I didn’t have the speed today; I didn’t have the feeling. I’m almost nine minutes behind the first guy, but that’s how it is. I’m happy to arrive here in Uyuni. The race is not finished and I hope I can be fast over the rest.”

Husqvarna-supported rider Jacopo Cerutti of Italy is also putting in some solid results in his first Dakar Rally. He finished 31st in the fifth stage and is now 27th in the general rankings.

Friday’s Stage 6 is a loop around Uyuni, but it is also the longest timed special of this year’s edition. There is a total distance of 723km, including 542km under the clock. Altitude may also create problems as the ride is between 3,500 and 4,200 meters and organizers have promised a constant change of pace and terrain.

There are two more stages before the rest day on Sunday.

ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA’S RUBEN FARIA THIRD IN DAKAR STAGE 4

VERY STRONG COMEBACK FOR THE PORTUGUESE RIDER

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Ruben Faria proved he is a Dakar rider of resilience and experience on Wednesday when he made a strong recovery to finish second in Stage 4. Faria was just two minutes 35 behind stage winner and fellow Portuguese Paolo Goncalves. Both riders advanced two positions in the results after the original leader Joan Barreda picked up a 5-minute speeding penalty.

With this result Faria has put a difficult day in Stage 3 behind him and is now fifth in the overall standings. He is seven minutes 21 off the leading time but there is a long way to go in this 9,000km journey.

Factory teammate Pablo Quintanilla of Chile was tenth in the stage and is currently eighth overall. He will be working hard to trim the 9.05 gap to the leaders in the coming days.

Quintanilla: “We rode a lot in the Dakar manner if you consider the amount of kilometers, although only on trails and little navigation. My idea was to leave Argentina without making mistakes and I did succeed. I hope that as we enter Bolivia we find more offroad because that is my real strength and I can put on the pressure.”

Unfortunately the stage came to an abrupt end for the team rookie Pela Renet. He started very strongly and rode between fourth and ninth position almost to the end of the special. But he then crashed at the 400km mark, just 29km from the finish and has had to withdraw from the competition.”

Wednesday was the first half of a marathon stage where riders were not allowed to touch their bikes from the time they entered the bivouac. The stage, which took competitors in a loop around Jujuy, also represented another long ride – a total distance of 629km. It was also at an average altitude of 3500 meters over a mix of sandy and rocky terrain.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Team Manager Daniel Trauner: “We’re really satisfied with Ruben Faria, who does a brilliant job and was second in this stage. Hopefully he will continue like this for the rest of the marathon stage. Also Pablo, who is not really used to riding the fast tracks, is satisfied with his position. He’s very motivated and confident for the stage tomorrow. He also told us he was able to save the tyre. Unfortunately Pela (Renet) crashed today. He has had scans and checks and there is no broken bones.”

On Thursday riders must look after bikes and tyres through Stage 5, but there is an additional challenge. The rally enters Bolivia and during the timed special they will climb to 4,600m altitude. Organizers have also promised that navigation is about to get more difficult so riders will have to concentrate on their road books on the way from Jujuy to Uyuni, a distance of 642km, with a timed special of 327km.

ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA’S QUINTANILLA FACTORY TEAM’S FASTEST IN DAKAR STAGE 3

QUINTANILLA AND FARIA NOW 5-6 IN GENERAL RANKINGS

The 2016 Dakar Rally continued in Argentina on Tuesday with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Pablo Quintanilla as the factory team’s fastest rider in a shortened stage three. Quintanilla crossed the line in sixth place but was just over a minute behind stage winner Joan Barreda and Spain.

Quintanilla and teammate Ruben Faria of Portugal are well positioned in fifth and sixth place in the general standings where the top ten riders are only separated by five minutes. Tuesday’s stage took riders from Termas de Río Hondo to San Salvadore de Jujuy over a total distance of 663km. Originally it was to have a timed special of 314km but with track conditions still difficult as a result of heavy rain, it was reduced to just under 200km.

Quintanilla: “Today was better for me because we made some changes to the suspension overnight and I felt good. The stage was also better than yesterday, but the same kind of terrain and only basic navigation.”

It was a more complicated story for Faria who said he made a mistake at the refuelling stop and 80 km before the end of the timed special he noticed his front tank was empty. Having to rely on what was left in his second tank, he had to take it easy to finish the stage. “I rode at 50kmh for the last 80 km and I lost about 5-6 minutes,” he said. Although he is now four minutes off the leading time in the overall standings, Faria is one of the most experienced Dakar riders and will have the opportunity to make it up. Wednesday takes the competition into much more difficult territory with more navigational challenges and an average altitude of 3500 m.

Pela Renet, the third of the trio of Husqvarna factory riders and new to rally raid is increasingly comfortable with the competition format and the Husqvarna FR 450 Rally machine. He was just 4 minutes 36 away from the stage winner’s time and continues to move up the order.

The Frenchman is taking a day-by-day approach and trying to avoid any serious mistakes. He finished 22nd in the stage, just over four minutes behind the leader and is now 39th in the general standings. “It was better than yesterday,” he said. “I started more towards the front this morning so it was a bit easier with the dust. I was able to make up a few more places for a better starting position tomorrow. I don’t want to make any stupid mistakes and crash. I am taking my time to learn and I don’t want to go too fast.”

Husqvarna-supported rider Jacopo Cerutti of Italy is 19.34 behind the leader in the overall standings. He is contesting his first Dakar after winning the right to enter following a good result in the 2015 Sardegna Rally Race, A Dakar Challenge event.

Wednesday is a long 629km loop around San Salvadore de Jujuy and weather permitting they will contest a special of 429km. As this is the first part of a marathon stage, riders are not permitted any mechanical assistance from their teams, so caution will be required to care for their machinery and their tyres.

ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA’S FARIA A CLOSE SECOND IN DAKAR STAGE 2

DAKAR 2016 GETS UNDERWAY ON MONDAY AFTER BAD WEATHER RULED OUT STAGE 1.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna factory rider Ruben Faria put in an impressive ride in Stage 2 of the Dakar Rally on Monday to narrowly miss the stage victory by just 20 seconds. Faria, who shared fastest time honours in Saturday’s prologue, has established himself as a rider to watch in this 39th edition of the famed offroad event. He was a leading rider throughout the 354km timed special and was only narrowly defeated by stage winner Toby Price in the last section.

Ruben Faria: “Today I started second behind (Joan) Barreda. I pushed a little bit and I caught him. After that I rode at a good speed. I've got a good feeling with the bike and the bike was really good. We're at the beginning of the race, but I'm feeling good.” Taking into account Faria’s impressive ride in the prologue, he is only two seconds behind Price in the overall standings.

Faria’s factory teammate Pablo Quintanilla of Chile secured his top-10 finish in the stage and is only 4 minutes 32 off the winning pace. “It was a fast stage with a lot of vegetation,” Quintanilla said. “I didn’t feel too good at the beginning of the stage so I was conscious of not taking any risks. I think it was a good start to the race. Some parts had quite a lot of mud after yesterday’s rain but the rest was okay.”

Husqvarna-supported rider Jacopo Cerutti of Italy also had a good day, finishing 31st to be just under 16 minutes short of the leading time. Pela Renet, the third member of the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Team made up good ground and trails by 22 minutes 29. He and Cerutti are contesting their first Dakar Rally.

Organizers decided to cut the original distance of the timed special by about 100km after torrential rain forced the cancelation of the opening stage and created difficulties with track conditions. Competitors still had a total distance of almost 800km (with a 354km timed special) to ride from Villa Carlos Paz to Termas de Río Hondo.

On Tuesday riders have another long day over a distance of 663km with a timed special of 314km from Termas de Río Hondo to San Salvadore de Jujuy. They will need to focus while tackling mountain tracks, which organizers say may be tricky if the soil is made heavy by more rain.