The marathon stage challenges Monster Energy Honda HRC
It proved to be a pivotal day at this year’s Dakar Rally, as the second part of the marathon stage delivered yet another reshuffle in the overall standings.
After a night spent under the stars without Monster Energy Honda HRC team support, competitors launched straight into a demanding 371 km special. Early sand gave way to rocky slabs, wadis and stony tracks, creating a relentless test of durability and tyre management.
Tosha Schareina knew the challenge he faced. After suffering tyre damage yesterday and unable to receive assistance under marathon rules, he spent the evening improvising a repair, reinforcing his damaged rear tyre with two plastic clamps and one metal clamp. Starting the day again as the opening rider, Schareina focused on managing risk. He crossed the line fifth in RallyGP, limiting his losses and earning five and a half minutes of bonus time for leading the stage. However, a post-stage penalty for missing a control to officialise his start dropped him to seventh on the day and he now sits fourth overall, 11’59” behind provisional leader Daniel Sanders.
Ricky Brabec, coming off a strong performance yesterday that saw him tied with Schareina at the top of the standings, set out second on the road with the aim of overhauling his teammate and collecting valuable bonus time. Some tricky navigation on the rock plateaus nearly caught him out, but he reached Hail in fifth place, managed to catch Schareina on the stage, preserved his tyres and secured two crucial bonus minutes. Despite the effort, a reshuffle in the standings sees Brabec move down to second overall, just two minutes off the lead.
Skyler Howes left the marathon camp with serious concerns over his rear tyre after only makeshift repairs. Forced to nurse the bike throughout the stage, the American endured a difficult day following his recent run of improved performances. Finishing 22 minutes down, he was relieved to reach Hail, where his team could finally service the bike and prepare it for the challenges ahead.
Adrien Van Beveren’s eventful Dakar continued in similar fashion. Although second fastest early on, his momentum was halted just 88 km into the stage when he was forced to stop and remove a wedge of wires lodged in his wheel. It was a frustrating setback for the Frenchman, who had been hoping to regain ground in the overall standings. Finishing more than 30 minutes behind the stage winner, Van Beveren now faces a significant uphill battle, sitting 52’31” off the provisional podium positions.
Tomorrow brings the longest stage of this year’s Dakar Rally, with riders heading towards Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh. A demanding 589 km liaison will be followed by a 331 km special packed with dunes, a stage likely to favour the sand specialists and further test endurance deep into the rally.
Ruben Faria
Today was the second day of the marathon stage. After spending the night sleeping in tents in the middle of nowhere, the riders had an early start this morning.
Adrien didn’t have the easiest day, he got a bunch of wires stuck in his rear wheel, which cost him a lot of time, as removing them was no easy task. He ultimately finished ninth in the RallyGP class.
Yesterday, Skyler had a big puncture in his rear tyre from all the stones on the track and he was worried he might not make it to Hail today. So he rode carefully, prioritising getting to the bivouac safely.
Tosha did an excellent job once again, opening the track. The navigation was tricky, but he handled it well. Penalties and losing time in a race as mentally and physically tough as the Dakar are situations that can happen. Now it's time to focus on the remainder of the race as there is still a long way to go to the finish line.
Ricky caught up with Tosha on the stage again and they rode together. He also had a strong day and will start tomorrow in a solid fifth position.
Ricky Brabec 9
I messed up a pretty big opportunity last Dakar, I was injured from Morocco so I didn’t really have any time on the bike and time for any navigation training. I struggled to heal, but I’ve been working hard from Morocco to this Dakar and hopefully at the end it pays off. For now, I’m comfortable, confident, the bike is working really well for me and I'm really enjoying it, so hopefully at the end of this it all pays off. Personally, I want to stand on the top step, everyone does, right? But, hopefully at the end of this, we can walk away safe and happy.
Skyler Howes 10
When I finished yesterday’s stage I found a hole inside my tyre and already the mousse was going bad, so I’m very surprised to make it here. Today I just managed it. Yesterday we did some kind of bush mechanic repairs, I cut the sleeves off my underlayers and stuffed them inside the tyre and put the energy gels inside for lubrication. I think this only lasted maybe some kilometres but we got some wire strap, like hose clamps and tied that around the tyre. All of those repairs lasted maybe 60 kilometres and we had to go 350. So the rest of the time, all I did was stand up, put all my weight over the front and try to build as little heat out of the tyre as possible.
Adrien Van Beveren 42
I got a chunk of wires stuck in my rear wheel and so I had to stop my bike and remove it with a small tool we had with us for the marathon stage. It took me a really long time as I had to remove the wheel, then the wheel was stuck, it was really bad, so I lost a lot of time on that. I am disappointed because it’s frustrating to lose such a lot of time for that. I don’t feel it was my fault, it was in the middle of nowhere, it wasn’t because I wasn’t in the right spot, I wasn’t lost or anything, but we know this can happen, it’s part of the Dakar. Sometimes luck is part of it, but today luck wasn’t on my side.
Tosha Schareina 68
I’m really happy to be back here at the bivouac. It was not easy because on the marathon stage we have to save the bike and the tyres. All the riders had destroyed the tyres in the first 200 km and after that it was a a case of surviving just to get here. My mission changed and it was to open both days, almost 800 km, so we did a really good job and we’re in a good position for tomorrow and I’m happy with that.
Rally GP Result - Stage 5
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benavides Luciano | 1 | ARG | KTM Factory Racing Team | KTM | 04:05:16 |
| 2 | Cornejo Florimo José Ignacio | 11 | CHI | Hero Motorsports Team Rally | Hero | + 03:51 |
| 3 | Sanders Daniel | AUS | KTM Factory Racing Team | KTM | + 05:50 | |
| 4 | Cox Bradley | 49 | RSA | BAS DAKAR KTM RACING TEAM | KTM | + 07:22 |
| 5 | Brabec Ricky | 9 | USA | Monster Energy Honda HRC | Honda | + 09:16 |
| 6 | Klein Mason | 98 | USA | Hoto Factory Racing | Hoto | + 12:55 |
| 7 | Schareina Tosha | 68 | SPA | Monster Energy Honda HRC | Honda | + 19:13 |
| 8 | Howes Skyler | 10 | USA | Monster Energy Honda HRC | Honda | + 21:53 |
| 9 | Van Beveren Adrien | 42 | FRA | Monster Energy Honda HRC | Honda | + 32:21 |
| 10 | Evan Branch Ross | 16 | BWA | Hero Motorsports Team Rally | Hero | + 01:17:08 |
Rally GP Provisional Standings After Stage 5
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sanders Daniel | AUS | KTM Factory Racing Team | KTM | 20:58:10 | |
| 2 | Brabec Ricky | 9 | USA | Monster Energy Honda HRC | Honda | + 02:02 |
| 3 | Benavides Luciano | 1 | ARG | KTM Factory Racing Team | KTM | + 05:55 |
| 4 | Schareina Tosha | 68 | SPA | Monster Energy Honda HRC | Honda | + 11:59 |
| 5 | Cornejo Florimo José Ignacio | 11 | CHI | Hero Motorsports Team Rally | Hero | + 18:38 |
| 6 | Howes Skyler | 10 | USA | Monster Energy Honda HRC | Honda | + 29:17 |
| 7 | Van Beveren Adrien | 42 | FRA | Monster Energy Honda HRC | Honda | + 52:31 |
| 8 | Cox Bradley | 49 | RSA | BAS DAKAR KTM RACING TEAM | KTM | + 01:01:31 |
| 9 | Evan Branch Ross | 16 | BWA | Hero Motorsports Team Rally | Hero | + 01:16:03 |
| 10 | Klein Mason | 98 | USA | Hoto Factory Racing | Hoto | + 01:23:53 |
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.
