The toughest stage of the rally hits the competitors right in the face, literally, as Monster Energy Honda takes the top two spots and unpredictability strikes again!
This race is proving impossible to plan for.
Stage 5 of the 2021 Dakar Rally is the most difficult so far, with nearly ever rider losing time with navigation errors early in the stage and a grueling distance following. The stage took over five hours for the fastest competitors to finish and although it slowed in pace from previous blitzes, average speeds for the top guys was still nearly 55 mph over 283 miles.
In this episode we talk directly with Red Bull KTM Factory Rally Racing Team Manager Jordi Viladoms about the challenges of the 2021 rally, tire conservation, team tactics and positioning, predictions and strategies going forward and, finally, just hoping for some luck because that seems very important this year.
Enjoy today's show as we dig deep into what went down on this brutal stage, and how hard it is to predict what's going to happen in the future.