Dakar 2015: Marc Coma moves into the lead as Barreda Bort slips down the order
The eighth stage of the Dakar Rally really shook things up as the weather played spoilsport and turned the already tough rally into a proper rally of attrition. It was an overnight upset of sorts in the motorcycle category of the event, with Joan Barreda Bort, who had been leading the rally, losing out in a big way. The Spanish HRC rider suffered major mishaps on his motorcycle. With mechanical issues plaguing the bike, Barreda Bort was even towed through the stage at one point by a fellow competitor. Eventually, the rider finished the stage 80th out of 82 finishers in the motorcycle category. This has effectively ruined his chances at his first ever Dakar victory, and he is now ranked 24th in the motorcycle category of the event. The overall lead in the Dakar in the motorcycle category now rests with defending Dakar champion Marc Coma who will be looking to take a second consecutive success on his KTM. The stage winner on motorcycles was Pablo Quintanilla.
In the car category, Stage 8 saw Toyota driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi take his first stage win of the 2015 Dakar. The driver managed to hold Orlando Terranova at bay, with Nasser Al-Attiyah finishing third. Al-Attiyah continues to lead the car category of the event as he chases his second Dakar victory. Giniel de Villiers trails him closely and can still spoil the Qatar Rally Team driver's second chance at a Dakar win.
Over in the quad category, defending champion Ignacio Casale has moved into the lead of the Dakar, with Rafal Sonik chasing him home in second place. While Airat Mardeev continues to lead the truck class, despite Kamaz team-mate Eduard Nikolaev winning Stage 8 of the rally.