British racer Sam Sunderland has finally bagged his first stage win in the Dakar. We met Sam a couple of years ago in Qatar and it was clear that he had the talent and the drive to beat the best racers in the world. A couple of setbacks have snagged him over he two years, but it seems his luck has changed. He finished day two fastest in stage, chalking up another stage win for HRC
Speaking after the stage, “I’m really happy. The bike was fantastic, it’s been a great day with a mixture of different terrains, speed and technical zones. We got to the dunes which I get on really well with. It wasn’t a really long stretch, but it went well. I crossed the river which was deeper than I had expected, which got a few laughs out of the folk. But I’m really pleased for my first Dakar victory and to continue Honda’s winning streak.“
Sam finished ahead of team mate and previous stage winner Joan Barreda
“I knew that it was going to be a day to be on the look-out for animals. When I was about 70 km away from the finish-line, with the big hazards out of the way and the navigation through the dunes completed, I crossed a river with low-visibility and came across a cow on the curve. I tried to avoid it, but it came running out and I ran into it. It wasn’t a great impact, but it broke the higher part of the navigation, and I had to work the roadbook manually. The first part was really speedy and I was opening a gap over the rivals. From kilometre 250 to 300 I had to stay really focused, which I’m very happy with.”
There’s a long way to go, but we’re all rooting for Sam. A Brit’, racing for HRC and winning!
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