Im quite happy about my performance and also to be patient all the way.. The Dakar Rally began on December 31, 2022. The demographics, so many kids coming out here with their families. Skyler Howes (USA), Husqvarna Factory Racing, 44:32:24. Every victory for us and for the team and for my father, what he has been able to build over the years, it is exciting for all of us, Greg Penske admitted. Botswanan Branch used all his experience gained from his training in the Kalahari Desert, which covers much of Botswana, and parts of Namibia and South Africa, to lead home another dune specialist, Adrien Van Beveren, who bounced back after yesterdays crash with American Dakar sophomore, Skyler Howes. It was amazing when you think about all of the things that happened. We had a lot of noise from people because we were taking Belle Isle, a place where a lot of constituents in Detroit have weddings and things like that, Penske said. Obviously, the goal is to win, and its frustrating to miss out by such a narrow margin. Weve come so far, but look, Kevins done a great job. Its going to be competitive. 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. Hughes: First FE podium "not too far" as McLaren targets race pace gains, Why Hyderabad E-Prix is only a first step in India's motorsport emergence, Why Hyderabad E-Prix is only a first step in India's motorsport emergence The Kalahari Ferrari, Ross Branch (Hero) took his second stage win in three during the 10th stage of the 2023 Dakar Rally as the riders completed the first of four days in the dune-filled Empty Quarter. [3][4] The famous Dakar Rally will again be the opening event while both the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and Rallye du Maroc return as longstanding events. Im already thinking about next year. Its nice to win the prologue today, but its not gonna guarantee nothing. I feel amazing, to take my first stage win at the Dakar means a lot to me, Benavides said. We use cookies and browser activity to improve your experience and personalize both the content and advertising you see. We can look at where we had pinch points. "For the second week we totally changed the pace. When I saw that Walkner had crashed, it affected my focus a little bit. Dakar expects a total of 365 vehicles across all categories to line up for the start of the event. Sainz had looked . It started off really good, Klein said on Instagram. Botswanan Ross Branch, in his first Dakar appearance for the Hero Motorsports Rally Team, took third on the Prologue Stage, nine seconds behind Price. Shell, in its first race to win with renewable fuel and it happened to be their car. Weve had ups and downs, but we just stayed consistent, did our thing and look at us. Its Americana. Gonzalez Ferioli, G. But Penske immediately switched his focus to this weekends Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix. It was nice to see everyone staying and they wanted to see a great finish. There are several American contenders in the field. To be this close together You can always look back and say Aw, man, maybe I couldve saved this here and here, but were at the finish safely, and Im on the podium.. [GMT +3], P. We made it, but its really frustrating. Its game on for the 2023 Dakar Rally as Toby Price leads Red Bull Factory Racing teammate Kevin Benavides by just 12 seconds after 43 hours of racing. I didnt think about the position or the result I just gave my 100 percent over the whole stage and tried to enjoy the day. Petr Vlcek, a Czech-born rider who lives in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, finished eighth in the Original by Motul (59th overall in the bike category). When Penske saw his driver, Josef Newgarden, cross the start/finish line as the winner, he thrust his left fist in the air in an enthusiastic fashion and celebrated with his closest associates. The 21-year-old Dakar sophomore caught up to leaders Sanders and Howes and eventually passed the pair to lead into the refueling stop. Ive had a front row seat for that and Im very excited to be a part of it., Follow Bruce Martin on Twitter at @BruceMartin_500, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Flipboard (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), avoiding the trouble that plagued his Team Audi rivals, Ricky Brabec opens with victory; Carlos Sainz keeps Audi on top, Mason Klein continues U.S. surge in bikes, Brabec is eliminated by crash as inclement weather shortens stage, Mason Klein, Skyler Howes overcome adversity, Skyler Howes moves into overall lead in bikes, Disastrous day for Audi as crashes eliminate contenders, Mason Klein, Skyler Howes keep U.S. riders at front, Carlos Sainz forced to abandon event after another crash, Sebastien Loeb wins third consecutive stage, Skyler Jones, Austin Jones in overall leads, American rider takes a gratifying road to overall lead, American T3 drivers stay on charge for Red Bull, U.S. drivers and riders in the 2023 Dakar Rally, to this weekends Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix. Mitch Guthrie, Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team, 79:54:01. I cant think about next year now, but Ill be back., Back to back victories! After you have been on your face for three of four years qualifying here, its nice to be up again, Penske said. U.S. notable: 23. The 21-year-old was on another level as although he received a two-minute penalty he still finished 01m08s ahead of German Sebastian Buhler (Hero). It was the first time Penske, the car owner, won the Indy 500 since Penske, the track owner, officially took over the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Jan. 6, 2020. Dec 1, 2022, 5:12 AM The entire rally-raid will take place in Saudi Arabia for a fourth year in succession, with attempts to expand it to other countries in the Gulf having come to a nought.. I fought hard. Its a crazy place. New for 2023 are the Mexico-based Sonora Rally and Argentina's Desafio Ruta 40; replacing rounds originally held in Kazakhstan and Spain. Nasser Al-Attiyah digs deep in a tough Dakar Rally to take the lead and it's all change in the bike class. David Pearson, Kyle McCoy, Paul Neff and James Pearson also rode in Original by Motul this year. Think about qualifying being 14 inches over 10 miles. Jan 5, 2023, 4:36 AM. Probably the best competition weve ever had to race against. NBC Sports will present daily coverage of the 2023 Dakar Rally on Peacock starting Jan. 1 at 6:30 p.m. Howes had a shocker by his 2023 standards on the factory Husqvarna, the Utah man taking 20th, 16m06s down on Branch. I just focused on every kilometer from the first to the last. For Howes, the result was a culmination of years of graft to get into a factory team. And our partners. Kevin said he only had to turn back for one waypoint. Thats a pretty close margin. Mason Kleins Dakar continues to unravel as the Californian finished 42nd on stage today, struggling with neck pain following his crash with Adrien Van Beveren on Stage 9. Theyve worked so hard. Those are the things we have to do and that will only make it a better experience and to grow it. Howes thus stopped to check on the conditions of both riders before resuming, being awarded back the time which sees him lead the race for the first time in his career. The NTT IndyCar Series race is the first time this event has been contested on the streets of downtown Detroit since 1991 and is a massive undertaking. It could have been anybodys race. And it was real. Stage 14 winner: Cristina Gutierrez Herrero (ESP), Red Bull Can-Am Factory Team, 1:18:01. It was amazing that not many people left.. Alexandre Giroud (FRA), Yamaha Racing, 56:44:30; 2. December 31, 2022 - January 15, 2023 Carlos Sainz Spain The 2023 Dakar Rally looks more interesting and challenging than ever. Im ready for another one next year.. Yamaha has just thrown the wraps off the new Yamaha Tnr 700 World Rally, an upgraded version of the immensely popular Tnr 700 adventure bike, that pays homage to their illustrious Dakar Rally history. The teams here and how they commit to be here and make sure we are successful; Ive never seen it so competition. What made things even tougher was that my bike is set up to work at higher speeds and I just didnt have the pace I needed today. The Tnr was first introduced in 1983 and thanks to Yamaha's strong performances at . Final top three rankings: 1. This has been the toughest Dakar that I have ever done. Prodrive ace Nani Roma to miss Dakar 2023 after cancer recovery, Al-Attiyah expects Alonso to return to Dakar in the future, Mahindra explains decision to sign Merhi for Jakarta FE after Rowland split, Mahindra explains decision to sign Merhi for Jakarta FE after Rowland split - 15/01 19:17 Stage 14 winner: Laisvydas Kancius (LTU), Story Racing S.R.O., 1:36:16. The 2023 edition of the Dakar Rally will last 16 days. With the purchase, he also put some professional distance between himself and Team Penske after calling strategy in the race for many years. His aim was to make up the 10 points separating the winner of the Dakar, 12/31 I caught up to the lead group quite early on, but it was really difficult to see the tracks today. Its incredible to pull off the win at the end of this completely crazy Dakar and with such a small gap. We want to win Le Mans, that is what we would like to do, Penske said. And it is going to be a real thrilling experience for the participants and audiences around the world. However, the route has been significantly altered and expanded, with the rally running to 14 stages in 2023 as compared to 12 this year. I think its going to be like this all the way to the finish, which makes it pretty exciting.. It couldnt be closer at the top of the 2023 Dakar Rally as Skyler Howes (Husqvarna) continues to lead, but by only three seconds from two-time champion Toby Price (KTM). But it takes execution, and it takes hard work. "It is a route that we have worked to make a little more difficult than in past years," Dakar Rally director David Castera told selected media including Motorsport.com. We knew we just had to finish. Stephane Peterhansel, the 14-time champion who had been. If we didnt have that wreck on the front straightaway, it would have been different. But its an honor to be the fifth American on the podium.. Its a quality brand, a long-term contract so we can build on it this year.. Im happy to be on the podium and drive under my own power and through every stage of Dakar, which feels absolutely amazing, he said. Sundays stage 14 the final of this years event will see riders leave the bivouac in Al Hofuf and head north to Dammam. Thats what really matters.. Luciano (Benavides) opened the way and did a really good job. Competitors will race across the middle of the country, passing through the nation's capital and largest city, Riyadh. There was a lot of broken dunes and the sand was really soft. Longtime rally leader Skyler Howes (Husqvarna) finished sixth today, 02m54 seconds behind Cornejo, and surrenders his lead to Price, but only by 28 seconds. Penske enjoyed more success in 24 hours than most team owners or businessmen would experience in a season, or even in a career. The Dakar Rally began on December 31, 2022. > Van Den Brink, C. Brabec drops to sixth, Howes moves up to seventh. Back to back, huh? A minute and a half is incredible after 40-something hours of racing. In this war of attrition, Honda placed three of its four factory riders in the top 10. Long stages to go, in 14 days, a lot can happen. The seventh stage of the 2023 Dakar Rally has been canceled for the motorcycle contingent after major flooding in the bivouac forced the organizers to change the route. This morning, my head was empty except for each kilometer of the stage, from 0 to 136, Benavides said. Last year, after his hopes of Dakar victory went up in smoke, the Frenchman went on the hunt for high finishes in specials, which awarded from 5 to 1 points to the top 5 of each stage. Heres the daily coverage schedule of the 2023 Dakar Rally on Peacock (all times are ET): Just consider what the 86-year-old billionaire has accomplished last Sunday. Martin Van Den Brink (NLD), Eurol Team De Rooy Iveco, 56:43:55. The ground out there was incredibletheres been so much rain, in some places it was like riding through giant rivers. Yeah, hard to take at the moment, but at the end of the day Im going home in one piece, and we got a Dakar trophy. Its always exciting. I did have one awesome moment where I put on some style for the helicopter but messed up the landing. The Balance of Performance, well see how that works. The entire rally-raid will take place in Saudi Arabia for a fourth year in succession, with attempts to expand it to other countries in the Gulf having come to a nought. By: Haydn Cobb. This is what we have to do. Fourth place Joan Barreda (Monster Energy JB Team) and Prices teammate Kevin Benavides clocked the same time as Branch but were classified fourth and fifth, respectively. The car and truck contingent will run the regular route as scheduled. MORE:Two weeks of self-inflicted pain: Price and Sanders gear up for Dakar. The 19th win at Indianapolis was long overdue when you think about the past. If youre wondering why I didnt win today, it was because there was a bunch of water in the gas and when youre the first one there, thats what happens. Early pre-race favorite Nacho Cornejo (Monster Energy Honda) had a shocker, crashing on the very first turn of the stage to finish 79th, 1m15sec off Price. The route will take the pilots from the beaches of the Red Sea to the sands of the Arabian Gulf in Dammam. For him to continue to drive and to work the way he does is pretty amazing. I have worked so hard for this. You have to take the good with the bad. To win the stage is amazing, and to be second overall and so close to Toby is even more of a surprise. What we are doing is trying to take a product that took 106 years to build into what it is. Id rather lose a few minutes than be going home though, so overall, Im happy with how the day turned out and Im still ahead in the overall. That is why he is able to enjoy the tremendous rewards that come with his success. You have to hand it to them. 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