The final stage in Río Cuarto has brought the Dakar Rally challenge to a close. Monster Energy Honda Team commanded throughout, winning half the stages disputed. Both Joan Barreda – winner of four stages – and Paulo Gonçalves finished among the top riders overall.
The short special stage in Río Cuarto, which wraps up the Dakarian odyssey, did little to change the overnight leaderboard positions. Joan Barreda was the quickest of the Monster Energy Honda Team with a third-place finish on the podium in Buenos Aires. Paulo Gonçalves finished the dusty seventy-kilometre stage in fifth, with Michael Metge ninth.
The overall standings barely reflect the real story, where the Honda CRF450 RALLY was triumphant in half of the stages and dominated over the entire fortnight. Joan Barreda and Paulo Gonçalves’s overall positions were heavily compromised by a one-hour penalty apiece, for an entry in the rulebook that invited different interpretations. Without the sanction, the overall result would have reflected the squad’s clear domination on the track. Monster Energy Honda Team comes away from the event the clear moral victor.
The provisional final rally rankings leave Joan Barreda in fifth position, some 43’08” behind the winner Sam Sunderland to whom the team wish to congratulate. Paulo Gonçalves, posted sixth overall some 52’29” adrift of the first Briton to have won the competition. Michael Metge rounded out the team result with a fourteenth position.
The team wishes to highlight the fine work done by Honda South America Rally Team, whose Argentinean rider Franco Caimi took eighth overall position. In a similar fashion to the result of Team HRC’s Kevin Benavides last year, Caimi picked up the prize for Rookie of the Year.
Joan Barreda
The end of the rally has arrived and the sensation that you’ve spent the whole year working towards this race. Here, I did everything that I could, but we were unable to reach the goal. But from the inside the feeling is a good one. I feel calm because I’ve given it my best shot and have done the best that I possibly could. Over the whole year I’ve worked really hard and that shows. Last year we made some changes to get to the Dakar even stronger and these have been very positive: we have developed a really magnificent bike which hasn’t given the slightest problem throughout the race and the team has worked really well together. Ricky has taken a giant leap forward; Mika was always very close and Paulo was always in the top positions. We have a really strong team and we have to be pleased about that.
Paulo Goncalves 17
We have finished the Dakar 2017 and we are very happy with the work that HRC have done and the results that we have achieved throughout the year. The only thing that is not right is the final result which wasn’t what we deserved. We will have to look into what happened, but we know how to win it now. We would have finished in first and second place, if it hadn’t been for the penalty and the only thing is that we will have to wait another year for the Dakar. I wish to thank the whole team as we would have clinched a one-two without the sanction, which was our aim.
Michael Metge 15
Today was the final special. They had told us that it would be a simple special and flat. But it was nothing like it. We started out thirty seconds apart and an enormous dust-cloud blew up and it was difficult to see anything. There was some broken up track and potholes. I didn’t take any risks as there was nothing to be achieved by it – I just wanted to make it to the end. I think that the Monster Energy Honda Team has had a great race. We are a bit disappointed by the penalty, but hopefully the story hasn’t finished here and we can recover the hour.
Private: Roberto Boasso
The Dakar 2017 has finished after an intense fortnight which has been particularly long for all the team’s activity. The riders have done a really great job. I would like to thank the whole of the technical crew, the Japanese members of HRC and the entire team. I’m very happy as we have shown that we have a team that can win the race and I hope this is the start of a future that will be filled with satisfaction.
Results Stage 12
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Van Beveren Adrien | 6 | FRA | Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team | Yamaha | 30'29 |
| 2 | Farres Gerard | 8 | SPA | Himoinsa Team | KTM | +0'0 |
| 3 | Barreda Joan | SPA | Monster Energy Honda HRC | Honda | +0'18 | |
| 4 | Walkner Matthias | 14 | AUT | Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team | KTM | +0'33 |
| 5 | Goncalves Paulo | 17 | POR | Monster Energy Honda HRC | Honda | +1'25 |
| 6 | Sunderland Sam | 16 | GBR | Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team | KTM | +1'42 |
| 7 | Duplessis Martín | 34 | ARG | Asistencia Med | KTM | +2'16 |
| 8 | Salvatierra Juan Carlos | 32 | BOL | Duust Rally Team | KTM | +3'00 |
| 9 | Metge Michael | 15 | FRA | Monster Energy Honda HRC | Honda | +3'01 |
| 10 | Caimi Franco | 67 | ARG | Honda South America Rally Team | Honda | +3'07 |
| 11 | Sanz Laia | 19 | SPA | KTM Factory Racing Team | KTM | +3'08 |
| 12 | Klymciw Ondrej | 45 | CZE | Klymciw Racing | Husqvarna | +3'12 |
| 13 | Renet Pierre-Alexandre | 31 | FRA | Husqvarna Factory Rally Team | Husqvarna | +3'16 |
| 14 | de Soultrait Xavier | 23 | FRA | Viltais Racing Team HFP | Yamaha | +3'25 |
| 15 | Pedrero Joan | 12 | SPA | Sherco TVS Rally Factory | Sherco | +3'28 |
Provisional Final Standings
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunderland Sam | 16 | GBR | Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team | KTM | 32:06'22 |
| 2 | Walkner Matthias | 14 | AUT | Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team | KTM | +32'00 |
| 3 | Farres Gerard | 8 | SPA | Himoinsa Team | KTM | +35'40 |
| 4 | Van Beveren Adrien | 6 | FRA | Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team | Yamaha | +36'28 |
| 5 | Barreda Joan | SPA | Monster Energy Honda HRC | Honda | +43'08 | |
| 6 | Goncalves Paulo | 17 | POR | Monster Energy Honda HRC | Honda | +52'29 |
| 7 | Renet Pierre-Alexandre | 31 | FRA | Husqvarna Factory Rally Team | Husqvarna | +57'35 |
| 8 | Caimi Franco | 67 | ARG | Honda South America Rally Team | Honda | +1:42'18 |
| 9 | Rodrigues Helder | 5 | POR | Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team | Yamaha | +2:03'06 |
| 10 | Rodrigues Joaquim | 27 | POR | Hero Motorsports Team Rally | Hero | +2:19'37 |
| 11 | Salvatierra Juan Carlos | 32 | BOL | Duust Rally Team | KTM | +2:22'53 |
| 12 | Klymciw Ondrej | 45 | CZE | Klymciw Racing | Husqvarna | +2:23'30 |
| 13 | Pedrero Joan | 12 | SPA | Sherco TVS Rally Factory | Sherco | +2:32'46 |
| 14 | Metge Michael | 15 | FRA | Monster Energy Honda HRC | Honda | +2:38'32 |
| 15 | Duplessis Martín | 34 | ARG | Asistencia Med | KTM | +3:01'04 |
Location Information
The greatest and toughest rally in the world, the Dakar’s history has been written in the heart of some of the world’s most stunning deserts and belongs to the world of the greatest sporting challenges of our time. Both a motor race and an orienteering challenge, the Dakar Rally pits… read more.
Lima, Perú - View in Google Maps
