Dakar Update – Despres Wins
Stage 7 of the Dakar has seen Cyril Despres take a stage win and gain 12 minutes on leader Marc Coma. After bad luck on stage 6, Despres started the day in 12th and overtook all ahead of him. 45 minutes is still a huge gap for the hard charging Despres to make up over the second half of the Dakar.
Coma finished in 6th place, doing all that's needed to keep himself at the top of the overall standings in what was a rough stage for all competitors. A massive sand storm forced the helicopters from the sky and made navigation difficult for riders and forced a further 14 riders out of the race. The weather forced organisers to reduce the length of the stage by 1/3 the distance.
The 450 category is being led by Chili's, Francisco Lopez, riding a Honda CRF450X. He finished the stage in an impressive 6th place and is now 7th overall. The humble rider says that his goal is just to finish the race and get some Dakar experience. Being first in his category is quite an achivement for a rider used to 5 or 6 day Safaris.
Today is a rest day at the half way mark, before we gear up for Stage 8 from Atar to Tichit, a 626km stage consisting of rocky tracks and more dunes. No backup vehicles are allowed in Tichit, so riders must prepare their own machines when they get there, before trying to get a few hours sleep.
The top 12 is still dominated by KTM riders, although a couple of 450s have crept into the top 10.
