Enjoying a stealthy performance in the dunes of Peru, Adrien Van Beveren earned a fifth-place result for the day and remains fifth in the provisional overall standings.

Bringing competitors back to San Juan de Marcona, stage six of the Dakar was contented in the massive dunes of the area. Stopping to assist injured rider Lorenzo Santolino in the opening part of the timed special, Adrien Van Beveren was given back the time lost as soon as he finished the stage.

With six stages contested so far in Peru, WR450F Rally mounted Van Beveren has finished inside the top five in five of them. Holding on to a strong fifth place in the overall standings, Adrien is less than ten minutes behind the event’s provisional leader.

“It was a hard day but everything worked fine for me. We woke up super early to start the stage and that was tough on our bodies. After we took the start of the special I saw Santolino on the ground and stopped to help him. I lost a few minutes there but got the time back when I reached the finish. As soon as the medics arrived I got back on my bike and returned to the stage. I pushed hard while also making sure I avoided mistakes. This race is all about managing your risks and keeping it on two wheels. Overall, I’m happy with my performance today and I my starting position for tomorrow is not that bad. There is still four days of racing here in Peru and it’s going to be pretty intense.”

Following his strong third place result on stage five, Xavier de Soultrait was unable to show his true potential on Sunday’s stage six. Suffering sea sickness in the massive dunes, Xavier had to settle for an 11th place result on stage six. He will be the 11th rider to start tomorrow’s stage seven.

“It was a difficult day in the dunes. I was among the first riders to start the stage and soon after I felt sea sickness from riding up and down in the dunes. I got some special pills for that and did the best I could until the end of the stage. I might have lost some time in the overall, but I am physically and mentally strong at the moment. I also have a great starting position for tomorrow and I am planning to take full advantage of it. Tomorrow I want to push as hard as possible to make up time. My goal is to battle for the stage win and I will do everything possible to make it happen.”

With just four stages left to be contested, the 2019 Dakar Rally is now entering its most decisive phase. On Monday competitors will race a 323km timed special in a 387km loop around the city of San Juan de Marcona.

Stage 6 Provisional Classification
1. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL), Husqvarna, 03:50:47
2. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 03:52:39, +01:51
3. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 03:55:08, +04:21
4. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 03:55:35, +04:48
5. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Yamaha, 03:56:35, +05:48
6. Ricky Brabec (USA), Honda, 03:58:17, +07:30
…
11. Xavier de Soultrait (FRA), Yamaha, 04:13:06, +22:59

Provisional Overall Classification [After Stage 6]
1. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL), Husqvarna, 20:45:13
2. Ricky Brabec (USA), Honda, 20:49:51, +04:38
3. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 20:50:30, +05:17
4. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 20:53:14, +08:01
5. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Yamaha, 20:54:45, +09:32
6. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 20:55:59, +10:46
…
9. Xavier de Soultrait (FRA), Yamaha, 21:24:09, +38:04