Yamalube Yamaha Rally Set The Bar High For Second Week Of Dakar

12-01-2019

Yamalube Yamaha Rally Set The Bar High For Second Week Of Dakar

Enjoying a well-deserved break in Arequipa on Saturday, Yamalube Yamaha Rally team riders Adrien Van Beveren and Xavier de Soultrait are set to attack the second part of this year's Dakar Rally. Currently sitting fifth and eighth respectively in the provisional overall standings, the two WR450F Rally powered riders are determined to continue their fight for glory in the Peruvian countryside.

Overcoming the added pressure of the first few days, Adrien Van Beveren is now looking to show his full potential on the second week of the Dakar. Enjoying a mistake-free race, Adrien is now fifth overall and less than seven minutes behind the provisional overall leader.

Delivering Yamaha its first stage victory at this year's Dakar by winning stage three, Xavier de Soultrait is now eighth in the provisional overall. Physically and mentally strong, the rider from France is looking to take advantage of his acute navigational skills as the race enters it hardest part this coming week.

Racing a stock YXZ1000R machine in the UTV Open category of this Dakar, the 100% female team of Camelia Liparoti and co-driver Rosa Romero Font are still in the race for the finish. Battling through tough stages and lack of sleep, Camelia and Rosa have their eyes set on crossing the finish line in Lima on January 17.

Taking competitors back to Lima, the second week is expected to be long and demanding. The second part of the race commences on Saturday afternoon, when riders will head to the start of stage six. Scheduled for Sunday is a 336km long timed special.

Adrien Van Beveren - Yamalube Yamaha Rally rider

5th Overall

Everything is working well for me at the moment. I'm very satisfied with my results from the first week and I'm looking forward to the second one. I've felt fatigued on the first few days, but that was mostly due to the pre-race stress. Once I got over that, I could start racing the way I know. This Dakar is different to any other in the past. The pace is really fast and in many stages we're racing alongside each other for pretty much most of the day. These are quite stressful conditions but I'm managing the pressure quite well. Physically I'm strong at the moment. For the second week, I want to retain that same momentum so that I can be able to fight for the big goal that is to win the Dakar. We all know that the second week will be even harder, but I am confident in my abilities.

Adrien Van Beveren - Yamalube Yamaha Rally rider

Alexandre Kowalski – Yamalube Yamaha Rally Team Director

So far I've won one stage and finished second in another one and I'm really happy about that. I might have lost some time on stage four, but this is part of the game. I feel I'm in a great place right now for the rest of the race. I'm doing quite well with my navigation and I think this is my strong point this year. During the second week, we're all expecting navigation to be even trickier and I want to turn this into my advantage. The race is intense and there are stages where it's hard to make passes. Fortunately, I've had zero issues so far. I'm strong physically and my bike is running great. If everything goes according to plan, I know I can fight for the overall victory and that's where my eyes are set.

Camelia Liparoti – Yamaha YXZ1000R

This Dakar is one tough challenge but we are a strong team with Rosa. Our stock YXZ1000R machine runs very well in these conditions and it's a real pleasure to race. This first week of the Dakar was challenging for everybody and we are happy we've made it to the Rest Day. The stages so far have been pretty long and we're sleeping an average of three hours per night. Luckily, we were able to catch up on some sleep today and we are ready for the second week. Our major goal this year is to show how a stock Yamaha YXZ1000R can be competitive in the hardest rally of the world and we will continue fighting until we reach the finish."

Dakar Rally 2019

Provisional Overall Classification [After Stage 5]

1. Ricky Brabec (USA), Honda, 16:51:34
2. Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM, 16:52:33, +00:59
3. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL), Husqvarna, 16:54:26, +02:52
4. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 16:54:55, +03:21
5. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Yamaha, 16:58:10, +09:01
6. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 17:00:35, +09:01
…
8. Xavier de Soultrait (FRA), 17:10:11, +18:37