Dakar 2019, stage 6: Hero MotoSports’ Mena on a high

Bad news for Sherco TVS Factory Rally team as their star rider Lorenzo Santolino crashed out during the sixth stage and had to be air-lifted to the nearest hospital. This stage had 501km of road and 317km of special stages in the dunes, which tested the rider skill and navigation. The 837km stage, especially in the Dunes of Tanaka which took a toll on a few riders.

Sherco TVS’ Aravind KP finished the sixth stage in 44th position and is currently in 48th postion on the leaderboard. Michael Metge finished the stage in 64th position while Adrien Metge finished in 71st position. Lorenzo who was 11th on the leaderboard got sustained injuries after a crash and had to be airlifted for further treatment. There is no word on his condition as of now.

With CS Santosh out of the rally, it was up to Oriol Mena and Joaquim Rodrigues to take the team to the best possible spot on the charts. Mena  who had also suffered a big crash during the stage 5, seemed determined to make it to the finish line today without another incident. Altough he was extra cautious, he did manage to finish in 20th position putting him in 13th place on the leaderboard while J-Rod is currently in 25th position in the overall standings.

”My aim was to gain my confidence again after the tough last stage we had. I am happy with the way I rode today, it was nice and smooth. But towards the end of the stage, I ran out of the fuel and had to stop. My teammate Joaquim helped me out with the refuelling and we made it across the finish line. So one more day gone and one day less to go.” said Oriol Mena

“I had a good feeling today with the bike and got into a good rhythm. The stage was fast with lot of sand and was quite dangerous. Towards the end of the stage I stopped for some time to help Mena with the refuelling. Lost some time there but it’s ok and I am happy to make it to finish line today. ” said Joaquim Rodrigues

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Rally teams Pablo Quintanilla is currently leading the rally with Monster Energy Honda Team’s Ricky Brabec in second place. The seventh stage will be a 390 km route in San Juan de Marcona. Stay tuned to here for the results!