Dakar 2011
During Stage 5 of the 2011 Dakar Rally, victory on the special went to Paulo Gonçalves ahed of local hero ‘Chaleco’ Lopez at 2’18, with Verhoeven third (at 2’19).
Cyril Despres riding the Red Bull KTM finished fifth at 4’10 with fellow KTM enduro motorcycle rider Ruben Faria 7th at 12’05.
Following a 10 minute penalty, given last night for incorrectly exiting the bivouac time control yesterday morning, Cyril is now 10’14 behind Coma overall, with Lopez third at 18’32. Ruben Faria is 6th at 35’14.
Cyril Despres says " I think that was probably the best desert navigation stage I have done ever – just incredible – especially the last 90 kilometres . We were in the dunes, and trying to find an 800 metre waypoint in there was like trying to find a needle in a haystack."
"You follow the notes from valley to valley and you think you will never find it and when you do there is this sense of satisfaction… I came across the finish line with Chaleco (Lopez) and we were both laughing like kids reliving our experiences."
"Today went a long way to making up for yesterday’s time penalty – it helps me remember why I love this sport so much."
