Dakar 2015: Duclos ninth overall for Sherco TVS
Continuing his strong performance at the 2015 edition of the Dakar Rally, Alain Duclos took his Sherco TVS Rally Factory Team's RTR 450 to ninth place at Stage 7 of the event. The rider managed to finish the stage that led from Iquique to Uyuni seventh in the motorcycle category with a timing of 3hr 59min 48sec. This put him 3min 48sec behind stage winner Paulo Goncalves. His performance in the stage, that was plagued by a storm, put him ninth overall in the motorcycle category.
The second Sherco TVS motorcycle, piloted by French rider Fabien Planet, also continued to run consistently. Planet has chosen a rather conservative approach to the Dakar, choosing to pace himself and finish each stage, something he has been doing steadily. Planet finished the seventh stage of the rally with a timing of 4hr 08min 42sec, putting him 12min and 42sec behind the stage winner. This also meant that he managed to break into the top 20, finishing the stage 19th overall. Planet is now ranked 23rd overall in the motorcycle category.
The collaborative attempt between Sherco and TVS that sees the combined entity take on the rigorous Dakar Rally seems to be working well. We'll keep you posted on how they progress through the next few stages.
Photo credit: Shakedown Team