Dakar 2024 on motorcycles started with an exhibition of Ross Branch in stage 1 and now the 37-year-old pilot from Botswana has to fight. He gained more than 11 minutes on his immediate pursuers on his good first day and had to take the lead. And he resisted the great speed of José Ignacio Cornejo, who took victory in stage 2 of the Dakar 2024 on motorcycles. The Chilean is having a good start in the Dakar.
The Honda rider started stage 2 in 5th place, a good starting position from which to attack, 14’48” behind leader Branch in the overall standings. He went all out as his teammate Brabec marked the man behind him. Branch opens the trail. At kilometer 96, Cornejo catches up to them, cutting 12 minutes off Branch in an instant. He takes that advantage and knows that the job from then on is to reach the finish line while avoiding major losses to the front group He never let go and together with Brabec the three pilots reached the finish line as a group.
In this way, the famous game of each year on motorcycles began, one of the always most equal and exciting categories of the Dakar, a class of pure resistance, where the only thing worth accelerating and handling the motorcycle while some favorites are released along the way. This is the case of Schareina, who abandoned due to a fall in stage 1. The game starts with winning one day, starting from behind, and losing the next when it’s your turn to open. Branch started it by winning stage 1 and had to defend himself in stage 2. He succeeded and now he will have the chance to extend his advantage in stage 3.
Branch, with a great opportunity at hand
Branch will be on top this Monday as he is now 12th. He will start from a good starting position to gain places following in the footsteps of others. Meanwhile, Cornejo had to open the track. Honda pulled a nice ‘Cornejo’ out of his hat, but he’ll need an illusionist magic trick to avoid a big loss to the Chilean. Maybe Brabec will help him, who after finishing 4th this Sunday will catch up with him in special 3 so they can navigate together to reduce the loss to Branch.
Two days later, the distances are wide, but there are still many days left. Branch is 2’30” ahead of Cornejo. Brabec is 3rd at 650″. Pablo Quintanilla, who was 3rd this Sunday, was 15’31”. And Luciano Benavides, 2nd this Sunday, was 17’33”. The scenario seems perfect for Branch, as Los cornejo, Luciano, Quintanilla and Brabec will start in front of him. He has a chance to make a big splash on just the third day of racing.
Joan Barreda entered the Top-10
Joan Barreda, who lost in 23’49” on the first day, should attack this Sunday from a delayed starting position. However, the man from Torreblanca is more careful with his times than usual for him. Joan finished 8th in this second Dakar special, 9’36” behind his old teammate Cornejo. The man from Castellón entered the Top-10, 21’07 behind the leader. This ensures a very good position from which to attack. You might want to try it on stage 3 as this is the first part of the semi-marathon stage, where the teams’ assistance teams will only have two hours to fix the bikes before entering the parc ferme.
Lorenzo Santolino is leaving
The negative news of the day was the abandonment of Lorenzo Santolino due to a mechanical problem at kilometer 15 of the special.
“It’s a shame because I think it’s been a good year, the level of the bike is good and I’m in a good physical and experience moment. The terrain presented is favorable and yesterday (in stage 1) I went there is peace knowing that the Dakar is long and yet we are well placed,” complained Santolino, who is very well positioned in the general classification after a good start, just 3 minutes from second place. “It’s a shame that I couldn’t take advantage to achieve a good result for myself and the team. I was a little surprised, I don’t know what really happened,” he concluded.
The loss of Lorenzo Santolino is accompanied by the farewell of Tosha Schareina and the Spaniards Fernando Conde and Isaac Feliu from the first period.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
