Bel-Ray Super B Honda Concludes Dakar Rally With a Positive Finish

Courtesy of Bel-Ray

Bel-Ray Super B Honda Concludes Dakar Rally With a Positive Finish.

Dakar is a 15 day 8,300 kilometer race through Argentina, Chile and Peru. With 443 vehicles taking part in 2012 event, the rally is the largest race of its type in the world.

Often referred to as the world’s toughest race, the 2012 Dakar certainly lived up to its name. The rally began in Argentina on New Year’s Day. The Bel-Ray Super B team of Quinn Cody, Sam Sunderland and Juan Carlos Salvatierra were considered to be top contenders for a victory, but this hope was short lived.

The first day of the race began with success for the Bel-Ray team as team leaders Sunderland and Cody were within the top 40 positions. Cody was ranked in 9^th and Sunderland was ranked in 35^th.

Day 2 saw the beginning of the team’s problems when the first of the Bel-Ray riders was forced out of the event. Elite rider, Sam Sunderland, was ruled out of the race with a technical issue.  Despite his valiant efforts to remedy the situation, he was unable to resolve the problem, and was forced out of the event.  When he retired, Sunderland was competing in the top 10 of the 188 rider field.

The team’s second elite Quinn Cody started the race exceptionally well and was into a top 10 position during the early stages. On day 3, disaster struck the young American rider. In a high speed, spectacular crash, which was seen around the world, Cody was injured. His injuries included a suspected broken clavicle, a lance to the eye and a concussion. His injuries were too much to continue, and another of Bel-Ray’s racers was forced to retire from the event.

Cody's crash left Juan Carlos Salvatierra as Bel-Ray's final hope for a respectable finish in the event. Making progress from an early position outside the top 150, Salvatierra performed with great skill and promise. He progressed through the field, winning several non-elite class special stages along the way. With his teammates out of the event, Salvatierra was the lucky recipient of some of the special parts reserved for team leaders Cody and Sunderland. Salvatierra rewarded the team by ending the 15 day event in 31^st position.

Despite the difficulties endured by Sunderland and Cody, the 2012 Dakar was a positive experience for the Bel-Ray Super B Honda team. The finish shown by Salvatierra is a sign of things to come for the Bolivian rider. Sunderland and Cody will regroup for the 2013 running of the Dakar, beginning next January.

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