Yamalube Yamaha Rally Endure Mixed Fortunes On Penultimate Dakar Stage

Stage nine of this year’s Dakar brought mixed emotions to the Yamalube Yamaha Rally crew. With Xavier de Soultrait putting in another solid stage performance to secure a spot inside the top five in the provisional overall standings, Adrien Van Beveren lost more than three hours battling with a small technical issue and was unable to finish the stage.

Enjoying a good feeling aboard his Yamaha, Xavier de Soultrait was able to control his pace on Wednesday. Posting the 10th fastest time for the day, he moved up to fifth in the provisional overall standings. Less than eight minutes behind the rider in fourth, Xavier will do his best to move up higher in the overall during Thursday’s final stage.

Adrien Van Beveren started the day determined to battle for the stage victory. Enjoying a faultless performance for the greater part of the stage, Adrien was just one second behind the day’s eventual winner at the fifth and final waypoint.

Suffering a small technical issue 16km before the end of the stage, the Frenchman was left with a mountain to climb. Putting in a heroic effort, he battled through the issue for hours but was not able to cross the finish line.

Featuring a short 112km timed special, the 10th stage of the 2019 Dakar Rally will take competitors back to the city of Lima. It will be the last part of this gruelling two-week adventure in Peru.

Xavier de Soultrait – Yamalube Yamaha Rally rider

10th Stage 9 / 5th Overall

“I felt good in the stage today and managed to control my rhythm from start to finish. That was possibly the first stage in this second week of the Dakar where I felt so confident with my navigation. It was a tough stage, but not that hard to create any problems for me. I really enjoyed racing in the dunes today and for a big part of the stage we were riding in groups with other competitors. My bike is running great and I feel it gives me the confidence to push in these tricky conditions. Tomorrow we will race a smaller special of just over 100km. This Dakar has been a tough one and this fifth place in the overall gives me the motivation to keep working hard for the future.”

Alexandre Kowalski – Yamalube Yamaha Rally Team Director

“It is always disappointing to lose a good chance to battle for the victory, but the Dakar has left us with mixed emotions today. On one hand, we were glad to see Xavier move up in the overall standings. Xavier has worked really hard these last few months and he really deserves to be up there. As for Adrien, he was having an amazing race so far. He was one of the most consistent racers and never finished outside the top seven in any of the stages contested. Also, Adrien was opening the tracks for most stages showing his good navigation skills. This DNF might be a harsh blow for all, but Adrien proved again this year he’s one of the most complete rally racers in the world. Despite his young age he’s really mature as a racer and I personally believe there’s still more to come from him in the future.”

Dakar Rally 2019

Stage 9 Provisional Classification

1. Michael Metge (FRA), Sherco, 03:46:38
2. Daniel Nosiglia (COL), Honda, 03:48:38, +02:00
3. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL), Husqvarna, 03:50:06, +03:28
4. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 03:50:07, +03:29
5. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 03:50:07, +03:29
6. Ignacio Cornejo (CHL), Honda, 03:50:08, +03:30
…
10. Xavier de Soultrait (FRA), Yamaha, 03:51:34, +04:56

Dakar Rally 2019

Provisional Overall Classification [After Stage 9]

1. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 32:43:15
2. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL), Husqvarna, 32:44:17, +01:02
3. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 32:49:50, +06:35
4. Andrew Short (USA), Husqvarna, 33:23:16, +40:01
5. Xavier de Soultrait (FRA), Yamaha, 33:30:59, +47:44
6. Ignacio Cornejo (CHL), Honda, 33:49:00

Dakar Rally 2019

Race Schedule

Stage 1 | Jan 7 | Lima to Pisco | SS: 84km | Total: 331km
Stage 2 | Jan 8 | Pisco to San Juan de Marcona | SS: 342km | Total: 554km
Stage 3 | Jan 9 | San Juan de Marcona to Arequipa | SS: 331km | Total: 779km
Stage 4 | Jan 10 | Arequipa to Moquegua | SS: 352km | Total: 511km
Stage 5 | Jan 11 | Moquegua to Arequipa | SS: 345km | Total: 776km
Rest Day | Jan 12 | Arequipa
Stage 6 | Jan 13 | Arequipa to San Juan de Marcona | SS: 317km | Total: 839km
Stage 7 | Jan 14 | San Juan de Marcona to San Juan de Marcona | SS: 323km | Total: 387km
Stage 8 | Jan 15 | San Juan de Marcona to Pisco | SS: 361km | Total: 576km
Stage 9 | Jan 16 | Pisco to Pisco | SS: 313km | Total: 410km 
Stage 10 | Jan 17 | Pisco to Lima | SS: 112km | Total: 358km