Dakar 2021: Another Tough Day for Honda // ADV Rider

Dakar 2021 Stage 3, a 277km liaison and a 403 special loop around Wadi Ad-Dawasir, took competitors across the big sand dunes once more and ended with Australian Toby Price (KTM) winning the stage, American Skyler Howes taking fourth place, and Argentinean Kevin Benavides (Honda) coming in second with Matthias Walkner (KTM) bouncing back and placing third. Joan Barreda Bort came in 30th, while last year’s Dakar champion Ricky Brabec fell back today coming in 25th, placing him 13th in the overall rankings while Howes is now first.

“Another fast day up front with the boys. This week has been one for the books, a wild one so far with the rubber band effect going on between all competitors”, Brabec commented today.

For Skyler Howes, Stage 3 ended with an excellent result, and the American privateer says he’s there to do his best.

“Another fun day in the desert. I keep saying it, but I’m just having a lot of fun on the motorcycle. Today the dunes flowed really well and I felt comfortable there. Then we got out into the open desert on the really fast sandy tracks and I felt right at home. I told myself if I was feeling good, then I’d let it ride. I caught up with Chucky, Luciano, and Xavier and we all had this huge battle, like a four or five-way battle the whole way for the last hundred and fifty kilometers. It was a lot of fun, it really was and I’m just having a blast here in Saudi Arabia. You know what? I expect a lot out of myself. I hold myself to a high standard, but at the end of the day, I’m a privateer out here and I paid my own way to get here, so I’m just doing the best I can and having fun every day. At the end of the stage, whatever result I get, I’m usually happy with it, because I’m just on my dirt-bike”, Howes said after finishing the stage.

Tomorrow, the competitors will face a long, 476km liaison and a 337km special from Wadi Ad-Dawasir to Riyadh; the organizers say this will be the longest transfer stage during the rally, but that the short special doesn’t mean it’s time to relax.

Dakar 2021 Stage Three Rankings:

POS.	N°	DRIVE-TEAM	MARK-MODEL	TIME	VARIATION
1	3	(AUS) TOBY PRICE	RED BULL KTM FACTORY TEAM	03H 33′ 23”
2	47	(ARG) KEVIN BENAVIDES	MONSTER ENERGY HONDA TEAM 2021	03H 34′ 39”	+ 00H 01′ 16”
3	52	(AUT) MATTHIAS WALKNER	RED BULL KTM FACTORY TEAM	03H 35′ 59”	+ 00H 02′ 36”
4	9	(USA) SKYLER HOWES	BAS DAKAR KTM RACING TEAM	03H 39′ 39”	+ 00H 06′ 16”
5	5	(GBR) SAM SUNDERLAND	RED BULL KTM FACTORY TEAM	03H 41′ 47”	+ 00H 08′ 24”
6	12	(FRA) XAVIER DE SOULTRAIT	HT RALLY RAID HUSQVARNA RACING	03H 42′ 13”	+ 00H 08′ 50”
7	6	(ARG) FRANCO CAIMI	MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA RALLY TEAM	03H 43′ 27”	+ 00H 10′ 04”
8	21	(AUS) DANIEL SANDERS	KTM FACTORY TEAM	03H 44′ 45”	+ 00H 11′ 22”
9	19	(PRT) RUI GONCALVES	SHERCO FACTORY	03H 45′ 42”	+ 00H 12′ 19”
10	4	(CHL) JOSE IGNACIO CORNEJO FLORIMO	MONSTER ENERGY HONDA TEAM 2021	03H 46′ 32”	+ 00H 13′ 09”
11	22	(POL) MACIEJ GIEMZA	ORLEN TEAM	03H 47′ 34”	+ 00H 14′ 11”
12	77	(ARG) LUCIANO BENAVIDES	ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING	03H 47′ 59”	+ 00H 14′ 36”
13	15	(ESP) LORENZO SANTOLINO	SHERCO FACTORY	03H 48′ 19”	+ 00H 14′ 56”
14	68	(GBR) JAMIE MCCANNEY	MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA RALLY TEAM	03H 48′ 50”	+ 00H 15′ 27”
15	87	(ESP) ORIOL MENA	FN SPEED – RIEJU TEAM	03H 49′ 20”	+ 00H 15′ 57”
16	42	(FRA) ADRIEN VAN BEVEREN	MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA RALLY TEAM	03H 49′ 45”	+ 00H 16′ 22”
17	18	(BWA) ROSS BRANCH	MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA RALLY TEAM	03H 49′ 47”	+ 00H 16′ 24”
18	27	(PRT) JOAQUIM RODRIGUES	HERO MOTOSPORTS TEAM RALLY	03H 49′ 51”	+ 00H 16′ 28”
19	31	(CZE) MARTIN MICHEK	ORION – MOTO RACING GROUP	03H 50′ 26”	+ 00H 17′ 03”
20	36	(CZE) JAN BRABEC	STROJRENT RACING	03H 50′ 30”	+ 00H 17′ 07”
21	24	(DEU) SEBASTIAN BÜHLER	HERO MOTOSPORTS TEAM RALLY	03H 51′ 26”	+ 00H 18′ 03”
22	11	(SVK) STEFAN SVITKO	SLOVNAFT RALLY TEAM	03H 51′ 37”	+ 00H 18′ 14”
23	2	(CHL) PABLO QUINTANILLA	ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING	03H 52′ 38”	+ 00H 19′ 15”
24	74	(ESP) JAUME BETRIU	FN SPEED – KTM TEAM	03H 53′ 01”	+ 00H 19′ 38”
25	1	(USA) RICKY BRABEC	MONSTER ENERGY HONDA TEAM 2021	03H 55′ 02”	+ 00H 21′ 39”
26	44	(ESP) LAIA SANZ	GAS GAS FACTORY TEAM	03H 56′ 00”	+ 00H 22′ 37”
27	33	(IND) HARITH NOAH KOITHA VEETTIL	SHERCO FACTORY	03H 56′ 41”	+ 00H 23′ 18”
28	17	(ESP) JOAN PEDRERO GARCIA	FN SPEED – RIEJU TEAM	03H 56′ 46”	+ 00H 23′ 23”
29	54	(FRA) CAMILLE CHAPELIERE	TEAM BAINES RALLY	03H 57′ 48”	+ 00H 24′ 25”
30	88	(ESP) JOAN BARREDA BORT	MONSTER ENERGY HONDA TEAM 2021	03H 58′ 12”	+ 00H 24′ 49”