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NEWS
Dakar stage seven: Caselli wins
The first ever stage win for the American, while Aussie warrior Ben Grabham was 11th as he continues to gather speed on his KTM 450KTM factory rider Kurt Caselli (USA) took his first ever Dakar stage win on January 11, completing the 220km timed special in one hour, 51 minutes and 31 seconds (1:51.31). Caselli is competing in his first Dakar Rally standing in for the factory team’s injured Marc Coma.
He is now the first newcomer to win a stage since factory teammate Ruben Faria did it in 2006 at the start of the Dakar Rally in Portugal.
“Everything for me was fine. I'm learning the navigation better and I can understand it,” said Caselli
“This is my first Dakar so I'm just learning a lot. I didn't have any idea what to expect when I first came here. It's fun and I'm enjoying it.”
Chaleco Lopez ( KTM 1:52.54) and Olivier Pain (Yamaha, 1:52.54) were second and third I stage seven, while Ben Grabham (KTM, pictured) was the leading Australian in 11th (1:56.29) ahead of Yamaha’s Rod Faggotter (1:57.42) in 15th.
With just one stage left before the one rest day on Sunday, Pain leads the overall standings, followed by Lopez, David Casteu (Yamaha), Ruben Faria (KTM) and defending champion Cyril Despres, who has technical problems in stage seven. Faggotter is 17th and Grabham 21st.
On their last push before the rest day, riders go from Salta to San Miguel de Tucuman in Argentina on what is the longest stage in the 2013 edition. They must travel 247km in the liaison section before a massive 491km of timed special.
The seventh stage of the 2013 edition was marred by the death of a French rider Thomas Bourgin, who was the victim of a fatal accident during the liaison section prior to the day’s special. Organizers said he was involved in a collision with a police car but no other details were announced.
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Written byBikesales Staff
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