2024 Dakar Rally “48hr Chrono” stage six results – Adrien Van Beveren sprints to victory in the short second half of the immense sand test ahead of Toby Price and Ricky Brabec third, and new race leader.

2024 Dakar Rally Stage 6 in a nutshell – Shubaytah > Shubaytah , Special: 626km Liaison: 209km

• The complexities of the “48Hr Chrono” stage six of the 2024 Dakar Rally are still being played out as we type this. The lead riders were finished shortly after 8:30am local time after a short, sharp 112 kilometre sprint in the dunes back to the incredibly remote Shubaytah bivouac. There they found their service crews, proper food, a shower, a toilet and for the top guys at least, a motorhome to plonk into after a very hard physical stage.
• The problem for the majority of the entry is they didn’t make such immense progress through the endless dunes yesterday, and therefore have just as much of an epic day today. It’s as well to remember the top guys are on a different planet and therefore, not for the first time in off-road sport, to remember the ‘normal’ riders here are having a much harder time.
• And, mechncial problems need fixing DIY in this game too, no matter who you or your mates are...

 

 

 

 

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• Sadly, although Mason got his Kove going here, it failed again later in the stage and that really is it this time. The last-minute help to even be at the Dakar from Kove has created one of the most memorable rides of his life but it’s all over for this year.
• Out front of the standings, yesterday’s part A fastest rider, Adrien Van Beveren, clicked off just 112km this morning to maintain his stage lead today. AVB claimed his first stage win of the ’24 Dakar, three and a half minutes clear of second and taking the fourth day win for Honda. 
• With a total stage time of just under eight hours, AVB’s quote is interesting because it shows a brain is required in this sport, not just a heavy throttle hand: “Yesterday, I pushed very hard and caught all my main rivals, but I saw that I didn’t have much fuel left, so I slowed down. I think everybody realised the same thing because nobody caught or overtook me either. There is an economy mode on our bikes, so I activated it and then made sure I rode in a fluid way to be careful how much fuel I was using, but I think the technique I learned whilst riding at Le Touquet spoke for itself. Physically, it was very tough, but I was able to fulfil my potential because it’s an area I work very hard on. I like to suffer a little bit, that’s what being a top-level sportsperson is all about.”
• Behind the thoughtful Frenchman, Toby Price knuckled down for today’s sprint, aiming hard for this rest day and sounding like he needed it.
• Third and officially the new rally leader, Ricky Brabec looks to be a strong position entering week two. The HRC rider and former winner says he enjoyed the night camping, making fires and cooking last night plus, about the epic stage, “I know some of the other guys are saying it’s too much but, hey, it’s the Dakar, it’s not easy.”
• Brabec has earned his lead but it is slender, just 51 seconds, ahead of the dogged Ross Branch. The ever-smiling Botswanan is the final Hero rider in the race now after Joan Barreda, who rode like a trooper opening the piste yesterday for seven hours, retired with a mechanical on today’s sprint run.  
• The long, sand stage did not play into the hands of winner of two days this Dakar, Jose Cornejo. Nacho suffered yesterday leading the way, laying down the lines in the sand. Over such a long distance the riders behind ate away at his advantage by 15 minutes.
• Cornejo swaps places with his HRC teammate AVB making big gains in the general classification to move into contention in third. Not for the first time, the Frenchman is coming on strong in the second half of Dakar. How the second week unfolds at the top of the leader board will be fascinating.
• Behind them Toby Price leads the Austrian armada of Kevin Benavides, Daniel Sanders and Luciano Benavides but as he says, “we definitely didn’t want to be this far back”. The two-time winner is 27 minutes off the pace and, like his KTM, GASGAS, Husqvarna teammates, seemingly unable to close the gap.
• Former podium finisher, the immensely experienced Slovakian Stefan Svikto is easily the best-placed privateer, impressively sitting P9 scratch at this halfway stage.
• P10 overall and the Rally 2 class leader is stage six (class) winner Jean Loup Lepan. Hovering all week ready to pounce, Lepan takes advantage of his compatriot Romain Dumontier’s mechanical and fuel problems on stage six to top the class.
• Tobias Ebster, nephew of the mighty KTM legend Heinz Kinigadner, is making mincemeat of the Originals by Motul class with over an hour lead. He and  guys won’t get much of a day off tomorrow mind, they have plenty of bike prep to get on with.
• Jane Daniels finishes her first stint of real dunes having spent over 11 hours on her foot pegs having recovered from a crash the day before which she repaired to complete the stage in 54th place. TBC but we think that puts her inside the top 50 overall.  

Check Jane out (and the rest) in the stage video highlights: 2024 Dakar Rally Stage 6B video highlights – “did you get my crash?”

• The rally moves on mass to its rest day in a bivouac near Riyadh tomorrow. The logistics are nuts these last few days but the riders have it easy with charter planes flying them an hour or so north, while the bikes are transported by road.
• From Riyadh the rally will head back across the cooler and potentially wetter north of Saudi to the Red Sea coast for a finish in “just” a week’s time from now. Phew. Enjoy your day off everyone!

2024 Dakar Rally Stage 6 results:

Provisional overall classification after stage 6 (top 25 for now, we will update in full when available):

Photo Credit: Honda Racing + ASO F. Gooden DPPI + Marcin Kin