2010 Dakar Rally – Stage 13
Friday, January 15th, 2010Standings stage 13 – Friday 14th January:
| Pos.. | Rider | Bike | Time | Penalty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DESPRES (FRA) | KTM | 49:38:44 | 00:00:00 |
| 2 | ULLEVALSETER (NOR) | KTM | 50:42:56 | 01:04:12 |
| 3 | LOPEZ CONTARDO (CHL) | APRILIA | 50:47:18 | 01:08:34 |
| 4 | RODRIGUES (PRT) | YAMAHA | 50:59:25 | 01:20:41 |
| 5 | FRETIGNE (FRA) | YAMAHA | 51:34:50 | 01:56:06 |
| 6 | DUCLOS (FRA) | KTM | 51:37:50 | 01:59:06 |
| 7 | STREET (USA) | KTM | 52:24:57 | 02:46:13 |
| 8 | PRZYGONSKI (POL) | KTM | 52:52:21 | 03:13:37 |
| 9 | PAIN (FRA) | YAMAHA | 53:06:47 | 03:28:03 |
| 10 | PEDRERO GARCIA (ESP) | KTM | 53:09:41 | 03:30:57 |
Pal Anders Ullevalseter
It was 1, 2, 3 for KTM on Stage 13, the penultimate Stage, of the Dakar Rally. Norwegian rider Pal Ullevalseter claimed first place ahead of overall leader Cyril Despres with Spanish rider Marc Coma in third.
Ullevalseter now moves ahead of Chilean Francesco Lopez in the overall standings, moving to second with a four minute advantage. Despres continues his dominance with a one hour four minute 12 second lead.
This was the first ever stage victory for Ullevalseter who, along with Despres, led the field throughout the day.
Ullevalseter said “A fantastic stage for me,” he said. “I started third and after 40km I was in the lead. Today was a route for big bikes. We could really attack and in the last hours I was riding at more than 160km/h. It’s perfect!”
Despres too was satisfied with his ride and said it was easier to concentrate with some speed under his tires. On the previous stage Despres was stung on the wrist by a wasp, which he later said was both painful and distracting. Speaking about the day’s ride, the overall leader commented: “There was only a small section of sandy tracks and about 20 km of sand dunes. It’s always a pleasure to ride that. The sand dunes have different colors and different shapes and the there are bushes here and there. It was cool when the liaison section started then it started to heat up. It’s much easier to stay focused when you drive a bit fast. I trust my KTM and my tires. I knew I would drive fast and it would be fine.”
Despres just has to finish Stage 14 and arrive in a reasonable time to claim his third Dakar Rally title. The ride of 666 kilometres and a final 202 kilometre special stage seems to favour the Andorran rider with the stage being described as flat and very fast.
