Dakar 2018 Stage 13 Results

The penultimate stage of the 2018 Dakar Rally brought the competitors from San Juan to the city of Cordoba, covering a total distance of 907km, including the special stage of 424km.

Serco TVS Rider Juan Pedrero had a cracking finish, completing the 13th stage  in 5th position and putting his overall ranking in 11th position.

Both riders of Hero MotoSports Team Rally took on the stage with the sole objective of bringing the bike home without getting into any untoward incidents just one day before the final stage.

Spanish rookie Oriol Mena kept the pressure on to inch closer to his debut Dakar finish, completing stage 13 in 8th place. He now stands in 8th position in overall rankings. Commenting on his strong finish, Oriol Mena said, “It was a good day today for me. I rode really safe today so no crash or mistakes made. I want to thank my teammates who have been working really hard for me over the last couple of weeks. My rankings have been improving and I am first in the rookie class as of now but we will see the final results after tomorrow’s finish. Important thing is to make it to the finish line at Cordoba tomorrow.”

Indian ace rider CS Santosh also held his nerves steady and brought home a well-deserved stage finish for the team, finishing in 33rd position. This brought him to 34th position in the overall rankings.

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Commenting on his stint towards the 3rd Dakar finish, CS Santosh said, “Today was the last big stage of the Dakar with long liaison and long special. You think it is going to get easier in the last day but it doesn’t. The first 100 kms were so hard but the second half was really nice and fast. I had a lot of fun today on my bike, was trying to go as fast I could and enjoy the last day. Tomorrow we bring it home!"

Stage 13 of the Dakar Rally offered the racers the last taste of the dunes of San Juan, which tested their mettle. Stage 14 will see the riders contesting in Cordoba itself before the winners of the Dakar 2018 could be crowned. However, focus and calmness will be key as the competitors will still need to cross around 30 rivers. That’s as many potential pitfalls, meaning that the competitors cannot afford to let their guard down till the very last km is in their bag.

Provisional Stage 13 Classifications

1. Toby Price, Red Bull KTM Racing, KTM, 04h 48m 33s

2. Kevin Benavides, Honda Factory Racing, Honda, +02m 03s

3. Antoine Meo, RedBull KTM Racing, KTM, +02m 44s

5. Juan Pedrero, Sherco TVS, TVS Racing, +15m 12s

8. Oriol Mena, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, Hero MotoSports, +21m 54s

33. C.S. Santosh, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, Hero MotoSports, +01h 07m 52s

Overall Provisional Classifications after Stage 13

1. Matthias Walkner, RedBull KTM Racing, KTM, 41h 33m 42s

2. Kevin Benavides, Honda Factory Racing, Honda, +22m 31s

3. Toby Price, RedBull KTM Racing, KTM, +27m 45s

8. Oriol Mena, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, Hero MotoSports, +02h 23m 29s

11. Juan Pedrero, Sherco TVS, TVS Racing, +02h, 40m, 43s

34. C.S. Santosh, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, Hero MotoSports, +11h 16m 29s