Saturday’s stage six opened Dakar second week in disastrous form for the leading Southern African bikers when both Ross Branch and Bradley Cox crashed out within the first 100 kilometres of the brutal 604 km special.
Another South African, Aaron Mare however stepped up to the plate to lead the way early on, before racing home eleventh on a day where Honda riders Ricky Brabec and Adrien van Beveren took the day from Branch’s Hero Moto teammate José Ignacio Cornejo. overall leader Daniel Sanders meantime consolidated his advantage on his KTM.
The day started on the wrong foot for two South African champions. 2024 World Rally 2 Champion, Bradley Cox took a tumble on his BAS World KTM. He remounted but soon stopped with neck pains to be airlifted out of the race. Almost concurrently Botswana’s 2024 World Rally Raid Moto Champion Ross Branch crashed his Hero Moto. Ross was able to walk to his casevac helicopter, but he too, is out of Dakar 2025.
There was a glimmer of silver lining on the South African biker cloud however, when Aaron Mare powered through first checkpoint fastest of all following a steady first week aboard his Husqvarna. Aaron spent most of the day on or around the top ten to come home eleventh. American Skyler Howes’ Honda, Aussie overall leader Sanders’ Red Bull KTM and Flormino soon took over up front, before US Kove rider Mason Klein and Spaniard Lorenzo Santolino took over up to liaison break at mid distance.
The order reshuffled through the second sector as Florimo moved ahead, before he was passed by Californian Brabec and then Frenchman Adrien van Beveren’s Hondas. Second overall, Spaniard Tosha Schareina came in fourth on his Honda from Luciano Benavides’ KTM, Santolino, Howes, Klein, Sanders, Chilean Pablo Quintanilla’s Honda and Mare. Tobias Ebster took Rally 2 on a day where SA rival Michael Docherty lost 50 minutes to add to the locals’ misery.
South African amateurs Dwain Barnard was running a steady 56th at the time of writing, with Willem Avenant now into the top 100 in 94th, while Sanders leads Schareina by 11 minutes overall with van Beveren, Brabec, Howes and Benavides next, while Mare moved up to 23rd. Sunday’s stage sees the survivors tackling a 412 km loop around Al Duwadimi.
