Making the best of a demanding stage three, Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team riders Adrien Van Beveren, Franco Caimi and Xavier de Soultrait all remain within striking distance to the provisional overall leaders of the 2018 Dakar Rally. Putting in a solid performance in the Peruvian dunes, their teammate Rodney Faggotter secured his first top 20 result at this year’s event.
As the second rider to take the start of Monday’s stage three, Adrien Van Beveren was one of the first riders assigned with the demanding task of finding the correct route in the unforgiving, sandy dunes of Peru. With many parallel tracks in numerous parts of the special stage, the Frenchman made a few small mistakes, wrapping up the day 13 minutes behind the stage winner. Continuing his strong run of form in this year’s Dakar, Adrien is now sixth in the provisional overall standings.
Despite this only being the second Dakar of his career, Franco Caimi showed maturity and a great ability to navigate under pressure. Despite struggling to get his waypoints validated the Argentinean managed to remain focused on his riding and wrapped up the stage as the best performing Yamaha rider in 13th place. Franco is now 10th overall and 13 minutes behind the provisional overall leader.
Satisfied with his overall performance for the day, Xavier de Soultrait continues his considered run towards the finish of the race. Enjoying a good overall feeling on his WR450F Rally machine, the Frenchman found himself racing inside the top five for much of the stage. Making a small navigational mistake before the finish of the timed special, Xavier was 14th for the day.
Enjoying what was possibly his strongest stage performance in this year’s event, Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team’s Rodney Faggoter got his first top 20 result finishing the stage in 18th position. Three stages into the 2018 Dakar Rally and the Aussie is currently 21st in the provisional overall standings.
Yamaha powered riders continue to dominate the Quad class of the 2018 Dakar Rally. With Ignacio Casale securing yet another stage win, the first twelve spots in the provisional overall standings of the class are occupied by Yamaha mounted riders.
Featuring a circular route starting and finishing in San Juan de Marcona, the fourth stage of the 2018 Dakar Rally will feature yet more sandy dunes. The stage will see competitors set off for the 330km-long timed special together in a motocross-styled start.
Franco Caimi – Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team #7
13th Stage 3 / 9th Overall
“Today’s stage was really tough and had a pretty demanding navigation. I felt good from the beginning and my Yamaha was also running great in these conditions. In the first checkpoint I struggled to get my waypoints validated and that saw me lose my focus momentarily. Overall, my pace wasn’t bad at all today. I might not have been the fastest out there but I did not make any big mistakes and stayed consistent throughout the day. There is still many kilometres to go at this year’s event and nothing has been decided yet. My focus now is to wrap up the next two sandy stages of Peru with some good results.”
Xavier de Soultrait – Yamalube Yamaha Official Team #23
14th Stage 3 / 10th Overall
“I had a great start to the stage. My navigation was good and I was making up some ground to the leading pack. I think at one point I was fourth in the stage. As we were getting close to the finish of the timed special I made a small navigational mistake and lost about seven minutes there. It’s part of the game and nothing is lost yet. I have a good starting position for tomorrow and the rally still has a long way to go. We might only have raced three stages so far but this event is shaping up to be really hard and in some parts dangerous. Today there were many hidden stones in the tracks and you had to be 100% focused to avoid them.”
Rodney Faggotter – Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team #44
18th Stage 3 / 21st Overall
“I had a pretty good day. I started off with a good pace and kept my rhythm all the way to the finish. I am feeling really good on the bike in these conditions and this also helps me stay focused on my riding and navigation. We have a solid machine that is fast and safe at the same time and this is a big advantage in long races like the Dakar. I am having great fun so far and everything is going good for me.”
Dakar Rally 2018 – Stage 3 – Provisional Classification
1. Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM, 03:20:43
2. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 03:23:46, +03:03
3. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 03:21:11, +03:28
4. Ricky Brabec (USA), Honda, 03:24:38, +03:55
5. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL), Husqvarna, 03:25:03, +04:20
6. Gerard Farres (ESP), KTM, 03:25:51, +05:08
…
13. Franco Caimi (ARG), Yamaha, 03:31:39, +10:56
14. Xavier de Soultrait (FRA), Yamaha, 03:32:35, +11:52
17. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Yamaha, 03:33:54, +13:11
18. Rodney Faggotter (AUS), Yamaha, 03:35:07, +14:24
20. Alessandro Botturi (ITA), Yamaha, 03:37:21, +16:38
Dakar Rally 2018 – Provisional Overall Classification [After Stage 3]
1. Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM, 06:44:23
2. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 06:49:01, +04:38
3. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL), Husqvarna, 06:49:23, +05:00
4. Ricky Brabec (USA), Honda, 06:52:23, +08:00
5. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 06:53:13, +08:50
6. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Yamaha, 06:55:00, +10:37
…
9. Franco Caimi (ARG), Yamaha, 06:57:25, +13:02
10. Xavier de Soultrait (FRA), Yamaha, 06:57:33, +13:10
21. Rodney Faggotter (AUS), Yamaha, 07:18:07, +33:44
22. Alessandro Botturi (ITA), Yamaha, 07:20:48, +36:25
Race Schedule – Dakar Rally 2018
Stage 1 | Jan 6 | Lima to Pisco | SS: 31km | Total: 272km
Stage 2 | Jan 7 | Pisco to Pisco | SS: 267km | Total: 278km
Stage 3 | Jan 8 | Pisco to San Juan de Marcona | SS: 295km | Total: 501km
Stage 4 | Jan 9 | San Juan de Marcona to San Juan de Marcona | SS: 330km | Total: 444km
Stage 5 | Jan 10 | San Juan de Marcona to Arequipa | SS: 264km | Total: 770km
Stage 6 | Jan 11 | Arequipa to La Paz | SS: 313km | Total: 758km
Rest Day | Jan 12
Stage 7 | Jan 13 | La Paz to Uyuni | SS: 425km | Total: 726km
Stage 8 | Jan 14 | Uyuni to Tupiza | SS: 498km | Total: 584km
Stage 9 | Jan 15 | Tupiza to Salta | SS: 242km | Total: 754km
Stage 10 | Jan 16 | Salta to Belén| SS: 372km | Total: 795km
Stage 11 | Jan 17 | Belén to Fiambalá | SS: 280km | Total: 484km
Stage 12 | Jan 18 | Fiambalá to San Juan | SS: 375km | Total: 722km
Stage 13 | Jan 19 | San Juan to Córdoba | SS: 423km | Total: 904km
Stage 14 | Jan 20 | Córdoba to Córdoba | SS: 119km | Total: 284km
Adrien Van Beveren – Yamalube Yamaha Official Team #4
17th Stage 3 / 6th Overall