Antoine Méo has been the winner of the eighth stage. The frenchman has led the offensive on the KTM and it has been made clear in their statements: “I have attacked a lot. The goal was to recortarl between six and seven minutes, and I’m happy with my performance. I stopped two minutes to help Quintanilla. Then I crashed at mile 400, but the bike has not done anything. If you are just voiding tomorrow’s stage, my strategy would suffer, but I will try to save the furniture in Fiambalá“.
despite the attack on the KTM, the argentine Kevin Benavides has managed to resist with a firm result in the loins of his Honda: “it Has been a very long, fast tracks, lots of mountains, very pretty. We have been pretty together, Adrien Van Beveren, Toby Price and Joan Barreda. With Van Beveren we have a very good relationship. I’ve cut out time today and I am very close to. Obviously, within the track we are rivals, we’re going to kill one-on-one, but after we are friends, that’s a good thing”.
With some trouble, Adrien Van Beveren has retained the leadership: “Mentally it has made me long, with mountain slopes that required a lot of concentration. We rode very fast in the last 150 miles with Benavides, Price and Barreda. The fight has already begun. I’ve sailed a lot of opening track, but the truth is that I like although tired much. I’m happy with how things are going and with the feelings that I have”.
If Joan Barreda has managed to save the stage by signing a memorable performance with his injured knee, Laia Sanz has not been left behind with the ninth best time: “at The beginning of the special I has crossed a flame and I collided with her. I have yet to fall, but the bike has taken a hit, although nothing important. Has been a very hard day and, in addition, we have to drag the tiredness from yesterday, but I’m very happy with the race I’m doing”.
Stéphane Peterhansel has scored the win of stage, although he continues to claim that his options of winning the Dakar are null: “it Has been a long stage and with impressive stretches in altitude, so nothing easy. We have yet to be able to participate in the struggle for the victory, because the difference is more than an hour. It is useless for the victory two minutes that we have brought to Nasser Al-Attiyah. Is bad news that cancels the stage of tomorrow because in our position every opportunity to win time is a little”.
More hopeful it has been shown Nasser Al-Attiyah, by appealing to something out of the ordinary can happen: “I have Not had problems with altitude, but it has been a very long one with a lot of vegetation. So I’m happy to be here and we’ll give everything until the end. If Carlos make a mistake, we could reach you, but if it commits, it will be difficult. Is more than an hour”.
In defensive position, Carlos Sainz has crossed two stages of blow to not compete in the ninth day: “it Has been a phase of very long and had a little bit of everything. There that go well on all types of terrain and adapt to all terrains. Now you have to stay focused, try to reach and try to go past days. Well, if tomorrow is cancelled, because a less. it Is a good news for me“.
For his part, Federico Villagra don’t surrender in the category of trucks and follow with your company cut time to Eduard Nikolaev: “it Has been a hard race and the truth. In the first part of the stage, I had to get out of the mud by another truck Iveco. For us it is good news that it has cancelled tomorrow’s stage, because we have to cut time. We will be in the next few days in Argentina in regions that we know much better. it Is great to return to the country and hope to do well until the end“.
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