Big day for Sherco TVS Factory team as Michael Metge wins Stage9; Aravind 39th overall

Pisco, 16 Jan 2019: The lone Indian left in the Dakar Rally 2019, Aravind KP of Sherco TVS Racing Factory Team successfully completed the penultimate stage on Wednesday and is all set to complete the Dakar with only one day left.

Arvind (Prabhakar) did a wonderful job in all the sections except in wp4, WayPoint4, where he lost time, to gain positions in the 409-km Stage 9. He crossed the finish line gaining valuable positions in a time of 6hr, 25 minutes and 22 seconds. The Indian was 55th in the stage for an overall 39th position with only one stage to go to complete Dakar 2019.

However, his Sherco TVS Rally Factory teammate Michael Metge is the real hero of the day winning the stage in 3:46:38. It was quite a memorable day for the TVS Team as their top rider Michael Metge won the penultimate stage of Dakar 2019. Michael dominated the stage today ahead of all the top 10 riders as he pushed himself right from the start. The team dedicates this stage win to teammate Lorenzo Santolino, who had to retire due to a crash in Stage 6. Michael’s overall ranking is now at 22nd and he intends to finish Dakar with another dominating performance. The stage saw a mass start in waves of 10 like the first marathon stage. The riders had to ride through another loop in Pisco, full of tricky sand dunes, the ones that had resulted in many key riders to quit the rally in Stage 2.

The loop around Pisco explored the Ica desert from an entirely new perspective. It started with an 80 km dune sector, followed by a series of coastal dunes separated by the Subida de los Burrosascent and, to cap it all, another sequence of dunes with three fearsome massifs in the final 100 kilometres —more than enough to throw sand in the gears of the top riders and drivers, as Adrien van Beveren, Stéphane Peterhansel and Sébastien Loeb came to know.

Stage nine of the rally saw another motocross style mass-start with riders setting off in waves of 10, determined by their finishing positions from the previous day’s stage. Heading into the dunes for the 313-kilometre timed special, the first group of riders stuck together for the majority of the stage.

Aravind’s teammate and Michael’s younger brother Adrien Metge was more cautious in his approach due to physical strain and he finished at 20th position. He is right behind Michael in the overall rankings at 23rd. India’s Aravind KP got off to a blazing start taking the lead for the first 190 kilometres. KP faced bike issues in the middle of the stage but thanks to some help, he was able to complete the stage. His overall ranking stays at 39th position.

Commenting on the stage win, Michael Metge says, “It’s an unbelievable feeling to win a stage at Dakar. The stage was challenging as there was lots of dunes and fesh-fesh. I started in the second line at the wave start and I pushed all the way through the stage. Soon I caught up with the first riders and I went past the leader quite quickly. Full credit to the team mechanics for preparing my bike, which has been performing beautifully in the sand dunes. I dedicate this win to my wife and 2 children, who are my pillars of support.”

Aravind KP says, “It was a mixed day for me but that’s what Dakar is about. I started really well taking the lead in the mass start. But things changed halfway, when my bike had some issues. These were tense moments as I wanted to complete the stage at any cost. Thank god for the local help who assisted me in restarting the bike and finish the stage. This is the spirit of Dakar and I am lucky to have experienced it.”

The team will ride back from Pisco to Lima in Stage 10, which will be a 358 kilometres journey.

Provisional Results Stage Nine – 2019 Dakar Rally

1. Michael Metge (FRA), Sherco, 3:46:38
2. Daniel Nosiglia (BOL), Honda, 3:48:38 +2:00
3. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL), Husqvarna, 3:50:06 +3:28