Alex

In race two Brookes was again fighting with the leading pack, however as Ryuichi Kiyonari (BMW) crashed out in front of him he was forced to take evasive action. Brookes held the Milwaukee Yamaha across the grass and rejoined, but dropped drastically down the order. A strong run of consistent fast laps but Brookes back up into sixth position and holding fourth in the overall standings. Parkes was determined to make improvements for the second race, but he crashed out at Goddards. [b]Josh Brookes[/b] [i]Race 1: 3rd / Race 2: 6th / Championship position: 4th[/i] "We've been in and out of the pits all weekend and all through testing trying to fast track the learning of the bike - for me as a rider to learn the bike. I purposely didn't ride the first few laps too hard in race one, because there was a lot of testosterone going on! I was all the way back, and it wasn't an ideal situation - but I wanted to make sure I put a strong race together and not fade off at the end. "I maintained my focus, kept looking at my own lap times and just keeping them steady. I picked away at a few other riders, and made it up through to third. We're obviously expecting the bike to improve as the year goes on, but to put it on the podium at the first round is testament to what Yamaha have done with a brand new model. "After race one we considered making changes, but we decided to stick with the set-up – we had a bike that was working and I went about trying to ride smoothly. It felt better and I was able to go with the front guys, but then Kiyo crashed right in front of me. I had to brake hard and stand the bike up to avoid him. Once I was back on the track, among the other guys who were racing on, with dirty tyres, I took it easy into the chicane and then had a battle to come back. "I was pleased because when I rejoined I was nine seconds down, but by the end of the race I was four and a half seconds down so I did a good job. I’m pleased with what we did, it was just the circumstances – Kiyo came and apologised to me as he does, and I am just glad that I didn’t hit him. Now we go onto Brands Hatch and will take it from there." [b]Broc Parkes[/b] [i]Race 1: 16th / Race 2: DNF / Championship position: -[/i] "I didn’t have the best of starts to the season. I had a problem in race one when I only had half the handle bar grip so I just had to ride and couldn’t do anything about it. I had better pace in the second race, but lost the front into Goddards. I ran a bit shallow into the last corner and just lost the front. "It is just so disappointing not to get any points today. I have to try and make up for it next time out at Brands Hatch which in the past had been a good circuit for me. I hope to be strong there as things just didn’t work out here today." [b]Mick Shanley - Team Manager[/b] "Overall we have to be happy - we’ve done a massive amount of work to get to this position.The lads in the team and the riders have worked so hard this weekend. For Josh to finish on the podium in the first race was a bit like a fairytale. It was such a shame for him that he got caught up in Kiyo’s accident; it was no-ones fault and again he showed he had the pace to be running up front. "Broc had a tough weekend, but he was on the pace in the second race only to crash at the last turn over the bumps. We have a lot of data to take back and work on and we will come back stronger at Brands Hatch." [b]Results Race 1[/b] 1. James Ellison (GBR), Kawasaki - JG Speedfit Kawasaki, 31'05.460 2. Shane Byrne (GBR), Kawasaki - PBM Kawasaki, +0.131s 3. Josh Brookes (AUS), Yamaha - Milwaukee Yamaha, +9.112s 4. Dan Linfoot (GBR), Honda - Honda Racing, +9.170s 5. Peter Hickman (GBR), BMW - RAF Reserves BMW, +11.276s 6. Tommy Bridewell (GBR), BMW - Tyco BMW Motorrad Racing, +16.139s 7. Christian Iddon (GBR), Suzuki - Bennetts Suzuki, +17.281s 8. Chris Walker (GBR), Kawasaki - Be Wiser Kawasaki, +22.776s 9. Michael Laverty (GBR), BMW - Tyco BMW Motorrad Racing, +22.915s 10. Richard Cooper (GBR), Kawasaki - Anvil Hire TAG Racing Kawasaki,+23.456s 16. Broc Parkes (AUS), Yamaha - Milwaukee Yamaha, +28.299s [b]Results Race 2[/b] 1. Shane Byrne (GBR), Kawasaki - PBM Kawasaki, 30'15.457 2. Dan Linfoot (GBR), Honda - Honda Racing, +0.589s 3. Stuart Easton (GBR), Kawasaki - PBM Kawasaki, +1.331s 4. Peter Hickman (GBR), BMW - RAF Reserves BMW, +3.343s 5. Christian Iddon (GBR), Suzuki - Bennetts Suzuki, +4.239s 6. Josh Brookes (AUS), Yamaha - Milwaukee Yamaha, +5.327s 7. Michael Laverty (GBR), BMW - Tyco BMW Motorrad Racing, +8.786s 8. Tommy Bridewell (GBR), BMW - Tyco BMW Motorrad Racing, +9.311s 9. Billy McConnell (AUS), BMW - Smiths Racing BMW, +10.931s 10. Chris Walker (GBR), Kawasaki - Be Wiser Kawasaki, +11.346s DNF, Broc Parkes (AUS), Yamaha - Milwaukee Yamaha, - 2 laps [b]Standings[/b] 1. Shane Byrne, 45 2. Dan Linfoot, 33 3. James Ellison, 29 4. Josh Brookes, 26 5. Peter Hickman, 24 6. Stuart Easton, 21 7. Christian Iddon, 20 8. Tommy Bridewell, 18 9. Michael Laverty, 16 10. Chris Walker, 14 - Broc Parkes, 0

Rossi was up for the challenge of repeating his strong ride of two weeks ago. He needed little time to get back into the swing of things and was quick to take over the top spot from his teammate at the start of the eight-hour long session. As the temperature started rising the pace of the field picked up, but the Doctor was quick to respond and cruised back to the top the leader board with an impressive 2’00.414s lap, which kept him sitting on top for the rest of the session. Teammate Lorenzo had a more challenging start to the second Sepang test. Though he briefly topped the leaderboard with a 2’02.099s lap, he struggled to find the good setup for the slippery asphalt. The Spaniard was pleased with his YZR-M1’s gearbox update and made the most of the available testing time by putting in a total of 51 laps. During his multiple stints he worked on improving the setting and set a best time of 2’01.162s, putting him in fifth place just +0.748s behind Rossi. Both riders took a break in the afternoon until the worst of the heat passed before returning to the track, but the dry track conditions weren’t to last. Rain flags signaling an approaching thunderstorm were raised and soon the fickle Malaysian weather struck the Sepang circuit. Not wanting to let the last precious hour of testing time go to waste, Rossi and Lorenzo decided to brave the pouring rain to test their wet setup until, with 30 minutes remaining, the red lights came on, ending the session. The change in weather meant Rossi and Lorenzo were unable to improve their times and they finished in first and fifth place respectively. Valentino Rossi 1st / 2'00.414 / 54 Laps “Everybody in our team was curious about the updated gearbox and the first impression is quite positive, so I’m happy. It doesn’t make a huge difference, but it’s a small help in a difficult point where we need to improve. The bike is a bit better in braking and corner entry and I think we need to work to understand the maximal potential, but the first test was good. I am happy to finish in the first position because I was in P1 from this morning, so it’s a good first day. It’s important for us to make some kilometers on the wet. I don’t really like the feeling with the bike on the wet and last year I struggled a bit. We already improved a bit today, but we need to do some more testing and make some more kilometers.” Valentino Rossi Jorge Lorenzo 5th / 2'01.162 / 51 Laps “Today was a pretty tough day for me. I feel the jet lag and last night I was only able to sleep for just four hours. At the beginning of the session we tried the set-up we used at the first Sepang test but nothing worked. We changed so many things on the bike but the result was the same. I'm a bit disappointed because of the results today but at least the new gearbox works well. We need to adjust it a bit but overall it is quite good, especially on braking where we can get more stability. The track conditions were pretty bad compared to the first test. The asphalt had less grip so we struggled a lot with the conditions. Hopefully we can improve our pace tomorrow and check the new things we need to test again before going to Qatar.” Massimo Meregalli - Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team Director “For me it has been a positive first day. As with the first Sepang test we don’t have a lot of material, but it is really important that we continue to work to find the right direction. The updated transmission gave both Jorge and Vale a good feeling, and it will continue to develop further. Today’s rain allowed us to obtain a full set of wet data to go with our dry findings so it has had its use. We made the decision to stop early after the rain, and will continue tomorrow.” Espargaro shines on first day of Sepang 2 Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team rider Pol Espargaro began the Sepang 2 test with immediate speed to storm to third place on the opening day of action in Malaysia. The young Spaniard continued working on the 2015 specification Yamaha YZR-M1 as he gears up for the fast approaching 18 round season and made further progress in establishing a strong setup. The 23-year-old Catalan clocked a best time of 2’00.876 which he set on his 17th lap out of 45 to successfully see him finish inside the top three on the first day. Although rain fell in the afternoon, costing the riders the chance to improve their times, it did allow them to test rain setups and Espargaro ran six laps on wet tyres as he now looks to tomorrow to continue his bright start in Malaysia. On the other hand, Bradley Smith opened his Sepang 2 account with a firm and confidence boosting ride to eighth position in the standings. The young British rider suffered a leg injury during the winter break and after easing back into riding at the first test, this week he returns to Sepang recovered and ready for action. The 23 year old set to work immediately as the session began as he sought to further refine and adjust the 2015 Yamaha YZR-M1 with the season opener in Qatar only a month away. The end result was a best time of 2’01.241, less than a tenth of a second back from fifth which he set on his 22nd lap before going on to complete 51 in total including several laps in the wet. His performance today leaves him fully confident of making further improvements tomorrow. Pol Espargaro 3rd / 2'00.876 / 45 laps “I am really happy with the progress that we have made today and to finish in third is a great start to this test. We are continuing to work in the right direction and as soon as we started this morning, I knew that we could be quick. At midday it was already 54 degrees on the ground which was clearly warmer than the first test where it reached a max of 50 and so we weren’t able to ride as many laps. However, the general feeling for today was that it was productive and we focused on trying different electronic settings. The information that we collected will be very useful and furthermore, it was very good to run some laps in the rain as well. This meant that we could work on the wet setup and I am really pleased with this especially, as there is a definite improvement. The 2015 Yamaha feels great and I know that if I can ride a bit smoother and adjust my riding style slightly, we can be strong. There are a few more things which we have to study in order to improve, but we cannot rush everything and we must take it all step by step.” Pol Espargaro Bradley Smith 8th / 2'01.241 / 51 laps “It’s great to be back here at Sepang again after not such a long wait so that we can carry on getting prepared for Qatar. The track conditions were different today compared to the last time when we were riding here and the circuit was a bit unpredictable with the grip levels. In some corners there was a lot less than in others but I’m happy because I didn’t really lose a lot of time compared to the other riders in these conditions. I’m closer to the front than the last test and I am also pleased because my ankle is much better than it was, although it is still not perfect. We were able to ride in the rain as well which is positive. I didn’t risk too much but I already feel much more comfortable when compared to last year in the wet and the lap time was much quicker. I think we still need to work but we are starting to see what we need to do to carry a good lap time and also to get grip in the wet with the Yamaha.” Bradl and Baz still on track at Sepang The first day at Sepang is over for the Forward Racing team and its riders involved in the second official test of the season. Stefan Bradl and Loris Baz completed respectively 42 and 37 laps each, before torrential downpour interrupted the session in the early afternoon. The German recorded a best lap of 2.02.410 and ended in 18th position in the time sheet, with Baz claiming 24th position with a personal best of 2.03.316. The development work in view of the upcoming Qatar GP will continue tomorrow at the Malaysian circuit. Stefan Bradl 18th / 2.02.410 / 42 laps “I can’t say that I am really satisfied with the work done today. The track conditions were very different from last test and I struggled particularly at the start of the day. In the afternoon the feeling was better, I was able to push even on worn tires, but then it started to rain and I could not improve my lap time. I am optimistic for tomorrow, I would like to make the most of the day and improve my performance.” Stefan Bradl Loris Baz 24th / 2.03.316 / 37 laps “It was a complicated day. I went on track hoping I would find the same conditions as the first test, but the reality was different and I was not able to push as I wanted. I tried some new solutions and I’m fine with them. In the afternoon, the rain started to fall heavily and I was able to complete few laps on the wet track in order to get to know better this bike in these conditions. It was another day of work, we continue to move forward step by step in view of the Qatar GP. I am confident that I will improve tomorrow.” Test Results - Day One 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA), Movistar Yamaha MotoGP, 2:00.414 2. Dani Pedrosa (SPA), Repsol Honda Team, 2:00.543 3. Pol Espargaro (SPA), Monster Yamaha Tech 3, 2:00.876 4. Aleix Espargaro (SPA), Team Suzuki MotoGP, 2:01.055 5. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA), Movistar Yamaha MotoGP, 2:01.162 6. Marc Marquez (SPA), Repsol Honda Team, 2:01.190 7. Cal Crutchlow (GBR), CWM LCR Honda, 2:01.222 8. Bradley Smith (GBR), Monster Yamaha Tech 3, 2:01.241 9. Maverick Viñales (SPA), Team Suzuki MotoGP, 2:01.317 10. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA), Ducati Team, 2:01.355 18. Stefan Bradl (GER), Forward Racing Team, 2:02.410 24. Loris Baz (FRA), Forward Racing Team, 2:03.316 Source yamaha-racing.com.

With the track still cool in the morning, teammate Rossi took his time to further test set-ups with the aim to prolong tyre life. When the track started to warm up he put his YZR-M1 to the test and posted the sixth fastest time of 2’00.676s, +0.713s behind his teammate, despite suffering some chattering issues. While the track was baking in the blistering afternoon temperatures at 2pm, the riders took some time to regain their strength and consume enough fluids, before heading back out into the bright sunshine at the Sepang International Circuit. When Lorenzo and Rossi retuned to the track they used the last two hours of the session to test various aspects of the bike with their fastest lap time and position in the standings remaining unchanged. Jorge Lorenzo 1st / 1'59.963 / 56 laps “1’59 is a good lap time. The other riders couldn’t do it because the track seems to be a bit more slippery and bumpy and that makes it more difficult to achieve good lap times. Our bike improved a lot over this last year and I feel ready both physically and mentally. All together, we’re in a good shape. In the first four hours in the morning I was quite comfortably riding 2’00’s. In the afternoon it seemed that the track condition was a bit worse and I couldn’t ride as many fast laps. The goal for tomorrow is to repeat the pace that I had today and maybe do even better.” Valentino Rossi 6th / 2'00.676 / 63 laps “Today was more difficult for us. In the morning we had chattering of the bike in the corner, because we tried something different. The braking was not so bad, but the bike was very difficult to ride. There were hard vibrations with a high frequency. The morning was the right moment to ride good lap times. The conditions were right to push, but I couldn’t ride at 100 per cent. In the afternoon we modified the bike and we fixed the problem with front vibrations. My pace was not so bad but it was also nothing special. I’m not very happy with what we tried today. We have to continue tomorrow, try something else and continue in a good way.” Massimo Meregalli - Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team Director “Today was a good day but a strange day. We don't know the reason but between yesterday and today the bikes behaved differently. Jorge has been impressive in the morning and has been very fast and consistent. Valentino suffered from some chattering issues in the morning, we were able to resolve this for the afternoon but possibly due to the track conditions we were then not able to make a step forward in lap-time. We lost a little time working on the chatter this morning but we are confident that we will be on schedule tomorrow to continue testing. Both Jorge and Valentino still need to make a race simulation tomorrow which we will aim to do at the time this year’s race would take place in the afternoon to have as close as possible conditions.” Espargaro and Smith battle through the heat on day two at Sepang Monster Energy Tech3 Team rider Pol Espargaro concluded another successful day on track in the searing Sepang heat to post the seventh fastest time as he experimented with different chassis on day two of testing. The young Spaniard undertook another large collective of 57 laps and rode to his quickest one of 2'00.959 right at the beginning of the session on his seventh lap. Some testing time was lost in the afternoon due to the extreme heat which caused a lack of traction, however, once temperatures had cooled, the 2014 rookie of the year went back out to continue working on both chassis and setup options. Although he had a small crash in the afternoon, the 23 year old rider optimistically looks towards tomorrow as he intends to plug the gap to the leading time on his Yamaha YZR-M1. On the other side of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team garage, Bradley Smith proceeded to battle onwards to post a top time of 2'01.098 on the 32nd lap out of 51 in Malaysia, despite still not being fully fit. Similarly to his teammate, his focus today was testing the two different chassis as well as additional general aspects of his 2015 specification Yamaha YZR-M1, with the overall feeling being positive and confidence boosting. His time left him in ninth position, yet satisfied with his progress after completing the productive work. The young British rider remains poised to continue his evaluation of the new Yamaha tomorrow and to lower his lap time further. Pol Espargaro 7th / 2'00.959/ 57 laps "Today was a bit more challenging than yesterday as we were testing chassis plus new parts and there is no clear result on which one I prefer yet, but we are making good progress so I am happy. I tried to improve my lap this afternoon, but I wasn't able to, as it's not the best time to attempt a hot lap due to the track conditions. Anyway, I am not focused on making super fast times for the moment because I would rather concentrate on the bike setup and my riding style, which are progressing positively. I had a small crash this afternoon which was fortunately not damaging to me at all, nor to the bike too much, so I am happy to walk away from that unscathed. Nevertheless, tomorrow is another day and we have a lot more work to undertake which we need to do in the morning due to the temperature in the afternoon, but I look forward to getting back out on track after a good rest tonight." Bradley Smith 9th / 2'01.098 / 51 laps "Overall, I am pleased with the progress we have made on day two in Malaysia and I am happy to be back in the groove whilst working on some areas that I can evaluate here in Sepang. I'm at about 85% fitness due to my injured right ankle which I hurt in training, however I still managed to complete 103 laps over today and yesterday. I can't move around on the bike as much as I would like to due to the injury and right hand corners are a bit tricky, but I will heal and these are only small details and issues, which can be ironed out later. I'm evaluating the two different chassis at the moment and today I rode both and completed a similar distance. My lap times were close on either chassis, which is a very good sign, so I am certainly happy about what we achieved. Yet, now we need to continue working in order to decide which one has more potential for the upcoming season. There's still some work to do, but we are moving forward." Second day of testing at Sepang for the Forward Racing team The second day out of three of testing in Sepang for the Forward Racing team ends with Stefan Bradl on top of the standings of the Open class. The German completed 49 laps improving his time by less than a tenth. Bradl finished the day in 11th place and the first of the Open bikes. It was a productive day also for Loris Baz who has significantly improved his time. The Frenchman completed 44 laps with a personal best of 2.02.842, ending up twenty-first in the timesheet. Stefan Bradl 11th / 2'01.484 / 49 laps “Today I worked on the lap time. Yesterday we were fast but I needed to find the right consistency and to get closer to the limit. The feeling is positive, I managed to push hard and I was able to set some fast laps even with the old tyres. I'm glad we worked well on the electronics and I tried some new setting for the chassis. Tomorrow we will try to make the most of the day." Loris Baz 21st / 2'02.842 / 44 laps “Today we did a good job. We are moving forward step by step. The feeling is also getting better. The lap time is good. I thought I could improve slightly again in the afternoon but the track was slippery. Overall we have done a good job. Let's focus on tomorrow”. Test Results - Day Two 1. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA), Movistar Yamaha MotoGP, 1:59.963 2. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA), Ducati Team, 2:00.015 3. Marc Marquez (SPA), Repsol Honda Team, 2:00.146 4. Dani Pedrosa (SPA), Repsol Honda Team, 2:00.260 5. Andrea Iannone (ITA), Ducati Team, 2:00.391 6. Valentino Rossi (ITA), Movistar Yamaha MotoGP, 2:00.676 7. Pol Espargaro (SPA), Monster Yamaha Tech 3, 2:00.959 8. Cal Crutchlow (GBR), CWM LCR Honda, 2:01.058 9. Bradley Smith (GBR), Monster Yamaha Tech 3, 2:01.098 10. Aleix Espargaro (SPA), Team Suzuki MotoGP, 2:01.344 11. Stefan Bradl (GER), Forward Racing Team, 2:01.484 21. Loris Baz, Forward Racing Team, 2:02.842 Source yamaha-racing.com

The stage was not enjoyed by all Yamaha riders unfortunately. Spanish Yamaha rider Juan Pedrero didn’t start this morning and was very nearly joined by Xavier de Soultrait, who was ill all night with gastroenteritis. The Frenchman finally arrived at this evening’s bivouac in a courageous 21st place. Overall Olivier Pain maintains his 10th place, Xavier de Soultrait is 13th with Frans Verhoeven 16th. Xavier de Soultrait In the quad category there were some different names on top of the leader board than the usual suspects. Today it was Christophe Declerck who came out on top, leading from fellow Yamaha rider Nelson Sanabria (at 06’35). However the order of the overall stage remained unchanged. Rafal Sonik stays ahead of 18 year old Jeremias González Ferioli, by 2h50’01. Tonight the riders will stay at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit, to cover a long cross-country journey the following morning, the penultimate day. Olivier Pain 10th / at 06'11, overall 10th / 2h55’17 “Yesterday it was extremely cold on the liaison but I dressed accordingly and didn’t suffer too much. Then in the special I didn’t attack too hard as I didn’t want to risk damaging the bike in anyway on the marathon stage. Then today, knowing I would meet up with my assistance again, I was able to attack a little harder. I’m getting to know my bike’s strengths and weaknesses much more now and ride accordingly, making up time where I can. The route was really nice to ride, up in the mountains. It had rained overnight so there was lots of grip. Not much in the way of navigation but apart from that it was pure pleasure.” Frans Verhoeven 9th / 05'34, overall 16th / 5h07’50 “I had a big scare yesterday. Just before the start of the special the organisers directed me across a river and my bike started to sink into the mud. I had no choice but to lay it on its side, otherwise it would have disappeared completely. Then by luck my assistance crew turned up, saw what was happening and got an army truck to pull my bike out with a winch. You can imagine, just 10 minutes before the start both me and my bike were completely covered in mud. Once I got into the special, the tracks were so nice I forgot about the incident completely. Two days of riding like that makes up for all the bad days of riding in the fesh-fesh!” Xavier de Soultrait 18th / 12'35, overall 13th / 4h10'47 “Yesterday evening, as I was approaching the marathon bivouac, I started to feel very weak and thought it must be altitude sickness. However the doctors knew better and as soon as I arrived they put me on a drip – apparently there is a mini epidemic among the Dakar participants. All night I was vomiting, listening to the rain falling and hoping they would cancel today’s stage. No such luck – so I just rode in economy mode. Overall I’m 40 minutes behind Rodrigues so I have no one to chase after but Barreda. He is currently less than 25 minutes behind me and I would really like to hold on to my 13th place overall!” Dakar Rally 2015 Stage 11: Salta to Termas Rio Hondo 1. Ivan Jakes, SVK (KTM) 03:28:08 2. Ruben Faria, PRT (KTM) 03:28:16 3. Toby Price, AUS (KTM) 03:28:50 4. Marc Coma, ESP (KTM) 03:29:13 5. Pablo Quintanilla, CHL (KTM) 03:30:46 6. Helder Rodrigues, PRT (Honda) 03:31:58 7. Stefan Svitko, SVK (KTM) 03:32:01 8. Hans Vogels, NLD (KTM) 03:32:25 9. Frans Verhoeven, NLD (Yamaha) 03:33:42 10. Olivier Pain, FRA (Yamaha) 03:34:19 11. David Casteu, FRA (KTM) 03:34:50 12. Fabien Planet, FRA (Sherco TVS) 03:34:52 13. Javier Pizzolito, ARG (Honda) 03:34:53 14. Laia Sanz Pla-Giribert, ESP (Honda) 03:37:33 15. Patricio Cabrera, CHL (Kawasaki) 03:37:42 18. Xavier De Soultrait, FRA (Yamaha) 03:40:43 30. Txomin Arana Cobeaga, ESP (Yamaha) 03:56:19 Dakar Rally 2015: Overall Ranking 1. Marc Coma, ESP (KTM) 41:43:03 2. Paulo Gonçalves, PRT (Honda) 42:04:15 3. Toby Price, AUS (KTM) 42:14:46 4. Pablo Quintanilla, CHL (KTM) 42:16:18 5. Stefan Svitko, SVK (KTM) 42:31:10 6. Ruben Faria, PRT (KTM) 43:23:46 7. David Casteu, FRA (KTM) 43:29:54 8. Laia Sanz Pla-Giribert, ESP (Honda) 43:56:23 9. Ivan Jakes, SVK (KTM) 44:07:49 10. Olivier Pain, FRA (Yamaha) 44:38:20 11. Hans Vogels, NLD (KTM) 45:07:51 12. Helder Rodrigues, PRT (Honda) 45:08:42 13. Xavier De Soultrait, FRA (Yamaha) 45:53:50 14. Paolo Ceci, ITA (KTM) 46:25:30 15. Txomin Arana Cobeaga, ESP (Yamaha) 46:47:28 16. Frans Verhoeven, NLD (Yamaha) 46:50:53 Source yamaha-racing.com

For the second marathon stage of the 2015 Dakar, the remaining competitors had to make another high-altitude crossing of the Andes before tackling a 371 kilometre special. The route was mostly over hard-packed ground and directly followed by 135 kilometres of liaison to take them to their bivouac. Olivier Pain finished today’s special 15’37 behind the leader, with Frans Verhoeven not far behind in 19th (at 17’10). Olivier preserves his 10th place overall, while fellow Yamaha mounted Frenchman Xavier de Soultrait finished 22nd and holds on to his 13th place overall. Spanish Yamaha rider Juan Pedrero’s run of bad luck continued. The latest news is that he had a stand still on the special, but still managed to finish in 71st place. Frans Verhoeven In the quad category it was Nelson Sanabria who excelled in the treacherous conditions. The Paraguayan rider came in first, completing the stage in just under five hours, with 18 year old Jeremias González Ferioli on his heels (at 03’40). As Ignacio Casale withdrew at CP1, the Argentinian youngster moved up the overall standings, directly behind provisional leader and fellow Yamaha Raptor 700 rider Rafal Sonik (at 2h51’39). Having arrived at the bivouac, the riders are now once again deprived of their assistance crews. Tonight they will have to carry out their own repairs before tackling the second leg of this marathon stage. Tomorrow the riders will head to Termas Rio Hondo and cover a total of 523 kilometres, including two specials, the first one measuring 157 kilometres and the second adding another 142 kilometres. Extreme weather conditions have hit the Dakar’s headquarters in Salta this evening and blacked out TV broadcasts in the process. The heavy storm has made it impossible to talk directly to the riders. Dakar Rally 2015 Stage 10: Calama to Salta 1. Joan Barreda Bort, ESP (Honda) 04:07:11 2. Marc Coma, ESP (KTM) 04:08:50 3. Ruben Faria, PRT (KTM) 04:09:08 4. Toby Price, AUS (KTM) 04:09:25 5. Paulo Gonçalves, PRT (Honda) 04:10:57 6. Stefan Svitko, SVK (KTM) 04:13:33 7. Helder Rodrigues, PRT (Honda) 04:13:37 8. Pablo Quintanilla, CHL (KTM) 04:13:40 9. Ivan Jakes, SVK (KTM) 04:16:10 10. Hans Vogels, NLD (KTM) 04:17:30 11. David Casteu, FRA (KTM) 04:18:38 12. Laia Sanz Pla-Giribert, ESP (Honda) 04:19:13 13. Jeremias Israel Esquerre, CHL (Honda) 04:20:55 14. Alain Duclos, FRA (Sherco TVS) 04:20:56 15. Txomin Arana Cobeaga, ESP (Yamaha) 04:22:42 16. Olivier Pain, FRA (Yamaha) 04:22:48 19. Frans Verhoeven, NLD (Yamaha)04:24:21 22. Xavier De Soultrait, FRA (Yamaha) 04:29:20 71. Juan Pedrero, ESP (Yamaha) 06:00:50 Dakar Rally 2015: Overall Ranking 1. Marc Coma, ESP (KTM) 38:13:50 2. Paulo Gonçalves, PRT (Honda) 38:21:25 3. Pablo Quintanilla, CHL (KTM) 38:45:32 4. Toby Price, AUS (KTM) 38:45:56 5. Stefan Svitko, SVK (KTM) 38:59:09 6. David Casteu, FRA (KTM) 39:55:04 7. Ruben Faria, PRT (KTM) 39:55:30 8. Laia Sanz Pla-Giribert, ESP (Honda) 40:18:50 9. Ivan Jakes, SVK (KTM) 40:39:41 10. Olivier Pain, FRA (Yamaha) 41:04:01 11. Hans Vogels, NLD (KTM) 41:35:26 12. Helder Rodrigues, PRT (Honda) 41:36:44 13. Xavier De Soultrait, FRA (Yamaha) 42:13:07 14. Paolo Ceci, ITA (KTM) 42:46:40 15. Joan Barreda Bort, ESP (Honda) 42:51:02 16. Txomin Arana Cobeaga, ESP (Yamaha) 42:51:09 18. Frans Verhoeven, NLD (Yamaha) 43:17:11 19. Juan Pedrero, ESP (Yamaha) 43:52:51 Source yamaha-racing.com

The day started slowly as the start of the race was delayed to 8:00 am local time. Yesterday’s heavy rain in Uyuni had made it nearly impossible to cross the salt pans that cover the first 100km of the eighth stage and an alternative route had to be sorted. The change in plans did not affect Pedrero’s focus. With a chance of victory in his sights the Spaniard fought off Stefan Svitko and snatched the lead, until Pablo Quintanilla dove under his time by just eleven seconds. Today’s results see Pedrero jump to 11th place in the overall rankings, after having received an 15-minute penalty yesterday that saw him drop from 6th to 23rd in the race results and from 19th to 20th in the overall standings. HFP Yamaha Racing Off-Road rider Xavier de Soultrait also delivered a fine performance and finished 6th on the stage, shooting up to 14th overall. The Yamaha Factory Racing Rally Team Yamalube riders had a more difficult time. Olivier Pain rode a strong race and finished in 12th place and this evening jumps from 21st to 13th overall, but his teammates weren’t as lucky. Michael Metge’s bad luck continued. After yesterday’s fall, today he encountered mechanical problems right in the middle of the salt lake and was unable to continue the race. Teammate Alessandro Botturi was also forced to withdraw from the race at the fuel point after 310 km. In the quad category Jeremias González Ferioli was the star of the day. The 18 year-old won today’s stage (3h43’35) and currently holds 4th position in the general standings. The leader in the standings, Ignacio Casale, finished today’s stage in second place (7’54) in front of Lafuente (11’04). Rafal Sonik experienced some difficulty and lost the provisional lead (at 6’49) in the overall standings to Casale (36h04’14). Tomorrow the riders will wave goodbye to Iquique and cross the Atacama Desert on their way to Calama. A road full of bumps and potholes lies ahead, which will be demanding for both the riders and their vehicles. Juan Pedrero 2nd / 00’11, overall 11th / 2h06’19 “Aahh! I was so close to winning the special. Just 11 seconds! At the end of the dried lake I stopped to clean the radiator, which was completely blocked up with salt. Then, when I got to the CP a few kilometres after, I knew it was time well spent. There were broken bikes everywhere. At the end of the first special I was just one second behind the leader, but coming down the steep descent at the end of the second special Quintanilla came past me. I tried to stay with him but my bike started to shake and I had to close the throttle. Still, an excellent day for me.” Olivier Pain 12th / 8’15, overall 13th / 2h15’38 “Last night I started working on the bike straight away and managed to get about six hours sleep, though working on a muddy bike in the freezing rain at 4000m was no fun at all! Then this morning nobody was very enthusiastic to start the special, it was still raining, it was still freezing cold and there was water lying everywhere. They told us at the start that the first special had been shortened, which motivated ‘the troops’ a little and off we went in the first wave of 30 riders, flat out 130km across the salt lake with about 5cm of standing water! One of the Yamaha WR450F Rally’s strengths is its engine, so I wasn’t surprised to find myself right up at the front of the pack. In a couple of places however the water was so deep my bike started to aquaplane and I was forced to drop back a little and follow the tracks of the other riders, where the water was less deep. Then after the long neutralisation we had 40kms of special to take us directly into the bivouac. The cars had been through the day before so it was very rutted. This evening I feel pretty good, both physically and mentally, which is just as well as we have a tough couple of days ahead of us.” Alexandre Kowalski - Team Director “The first marathon stage turned out to be exceptionally difficult, even by Dakar standards and unfortunately for us resulted in the retirement of both Alessandro Botturi, who was unable to start his bike after the refuelling, and Michael Metge who broke down in the middle of the salt lake. Until we get to see the two bikes we can only speculate on what happened, but looking at the machines that have made it into the bivouac and talking to the other riders it is possible that a combination of salt and mud blocked up their radiators causing their engines to overheat with catastrophic results. Olivier (Pain) however is still in the race and knocking on the door of the top 10 and the whole team is behind him now to achieve the best possible result. Congratulations too to Juan Pedrero and Xavier de Soultrait for their excellent performances.” Dakar Rally 2015 Stage 08: Uyuni to Iquique 1. Pablo Quintanilla, CHL (KTM) 02:56:19 2. Juan Pedrero, ESP (Yamaha) 02:56:30 3. Stefan Svitko, SVK (KTM) 02:56:31 4. Toby Price, AUS (KTM) 02:57:00 5. Laia Sanz Pla-Giribert, ESP (Honda) 02:58:55 6. Xavier De Soultrait, FRA (Yamaha) 03:02:55 7. Alain Duclos, FRA (Sherco TVS) 03:03:01 8. Hans Vogels, NLD (KTM) 03:03:53 9. Marc Coma, ESP (KTM) 03:03:56 10. Ruben Faria, PRT (KTM) 03:04:03 11. David Casteu, FRA (KTM) 03:04:20 12. Olivier Pain, FRA (Yamaha) 03:04:34 13. Javier Pizzolito, ARG (Honda) 03:04:44 14. Frans Verhoeven, NLD (Yamaha) 03:06:41 15.Paulo Gonçalves, PRT (Honda) 03:08:36 Alessandro Botturi, ITA (Yamaha) withdrawn Michael Metge, FRA (Yamaha) withdrawn Dakar Rally 2015: Overall Ranking 1. Marc Coma, ESP (KTM) 28:51:12 2. Paulo Gonçalves, PRT (Honda) 29:00:23 3. Pablo Quintanilla, CHL (KTM) 29:02:23 4. Toby Price, AUS (KTM) 29:07:08 5. Stefan Svitko, SVK (KTM) 29:17:42 6. Ruben Faria, PRT (KTM) 29:25:46 7. Alain Duclos, FRA (Sherco TVS) 29:49:20 8. David Casteu, FRA (KTM) 30:02:00 9. Laia Sanz Pla-Giribert, ESP (Honda) 30:10:03 10. Ivan Jakes, SVK (KTM) 30:38:59 11. Juan Pedrero, ESP (Yamaha) 30:57:31 12. Hans Vogels, NLD (KTM) 30:57:58 13. Olivier Pain, FRA (Yamaha) 31:06:50 14. Xavier De Soultrait, FRA (Yamaha) 31:23:09 15. Fabien Planet, FRA (Sherco TVS) 31:36:42 18. Frans Verhoeven, NLD (Yamaha) 31:52:47 Source yamaha-racing.com

Yamaha Factory Racing Rally Team Yamalube’s Alessandro Botturi was the next rider to complete the route from Copiapo to Antofagasta. He arrived at the bivouac and found himself in 18th place just ahead of Michael Metge in 20th. Olivier Pain crossed the line shortly after in 24th position. Alessandro Botturi In the quad category Rafal Sonik was again the fastest man of the day. The Polish rider set a fastest time of 05h47’46. Completing the top three were fellow Yamaha riders Ignacio Casale (10’51) and Jeremias Gonzalez Ferioli (21’41). After today’s results, the provisional overall standings show Sonik (21h52’41), Casale (24’23) and Yamaha’s Sergio Lafuente (26’20) as the leading trio. Tomorrow’s stage will take the riders up the Pacific coast, through the dunes, to the centre of Iquique, where a podium will mark the mid-way point in the race. Juan Pedrero 12th / 14’25, 13th / 01h04’14 “I didn’t get my time back for stopping for a crashed rider yesterday so I started in 31st place. Apparently the time will be deducted from the overall classification this evening. Starting so far back, with slower riders meant I was riding in a lot of dust and I was impatient to get past them and into clean air. At around kilometre 16 I jumped into a ‘rio’ and hit a big rock with my bash plate, which broke it and made a hole in the petrol tank. I stopped for about four minutes to try and stop it leaking too much and then carried on to the refuelling CP. As I arrived I ran out of petrol! I was shaking the bike to get the last drops out of the tank. Then after the refuelling I started to run out of petrol again when I saw some spectators. I rode up to them and told them I was a friend of Chaleco Lopez (a famous Chilean rider who retired this year) and they gave me some fuel. Then in the canyon at the end I really attacked hard and pulled back some time. I was unlucky to put a hole in my petrol tank at the start of the special but very lucky to get to the end!” Alessandro Botturi 18th / 23’31, overall 16th / 01h11’35 “The track was fast, then you had some fesh-fesh, then fast again, with nothing difficult in terms of navigation. The Yamaha WR450F Rally’s engine is powerful but it’s physically demanding to ride. This evening my arms are really tired from holding on to the bike.” Michael Metge 20th / 29:04, overall 19th / 01h16’42 “I already had the feeling from what the organisers were saying that today’s special wasn’t going to be much fun and so I can’t say I’m disappointed. It was exactly as advertised; fast and bumpy with lots of traps to catch you out. Towards the end, before the canyon, there was a section of fesh-fesh with big white rocks sticking out of it. I saw a rider in front of me hit one and go straight up in the air. Physically I’m ok. The knee that I injured on the Sardegna Rally Race six months ago isn’t giving me any problems, but this evening I’m pretty tired.” Olivier Pain 24th / 35’14, overall 20th / 01h35’52 “Not a very interesting special, apart from a run through a canyon at the end, but by then my arms were too tired to enjoy it. The rest of the stage was simply designed to wear out man and machine and in that at least they succeeded.” Olivier Pain Dakar Rally 2015 Stage 05: Copiapo to Antofagasta 1. Marc Coma, ESP (KTM) 04:38:16 2. Joan Barreda Bort, ESP (Honda) 04:40:32 3. Pablo Quintanilla, CHL (KTM) 04:40:56 4. Stefan Svitko, SVK (KTM) 04:42:10 5. Paulo Gonçalves, PRT (Honda) 04:42:53 6. Helder Rodrigues, PRT (Honda) 04:44:51 7. Jeremias Israel Esquerre, CHL (Honda) 04:45:26 8. Matthias Walkner, AUT (KTM) 04:45:40 9. Alain Duclos, FRA (Sherco TVS) 04:48:13 10. Toby Price, AUS (KTM) 04:48:21 11. Jordi Viladoms, ESP (KTM) 04:52:04 12. Juan Pedrero Garcia, ESP (Yamaha) 04:52:41 13. Javier Pizzolito, ARG (KTM) 04:55:05 14. Ivan Jakes, SVK (KTM) 04:55:11 15. Ruben Faria, PRT (KTM) 04:55:40 18. Alessandro Botturi, ITA (Yamaha) 05:01:47 20. Michael Metge, FRA (Yamaha) 05:07:20 24. Oliver Pain, FRA (Yamaha) 05:13:30 Dakar Rally 2015: Overall Ranking 1. Joan Barreda Bort, ESP (Honda) 17:51:05 2. Marc Coma, ESP (KTM) 18:01:38 3. Paulo Gonçalves, PRT (Honda) 18:13:55 4. Pablo Quintanilla, CHL (KTM) 18:22:11 5. Jordi Viladoms, ESP (KTM) 18:27:28 6. Ruben Faria, PRT (KTM) 18:29:18 7. Matthias Walkner, AUT (KTM) 18:29:41 8. Toby Price, AUS (KTM) 18:30:59 9. Stefan Svitko, SVK (KTM) 18:33:10 10. Helder Rodrigues, PRT (Honda) 18:34:29 11. Alain Duclos, FRA (Sherco TVS) 18:35:17 12. Jeremias Israel Esquerre, CHL (Honda) 18:50:15 13. Juan Pedrero Garcia, ESP (Yamaha) 18:55:19 14. David Casteu, FRA (KTM) 18:55:32 15. Riaan Van Niekerk, ZAF (KTM) 19:02:09 16. Alessandro Botturi, ITA (Yamaha) 19:02:40 19. Michael Metge, FRA (Yamaha) 19:07:47 20. Oliver Pain, FRA (Yamaha) 19:26:57 Source www.yamaha-racing.com

Best placed Yamaha was once again Juan Pedrero’s machine, finishing in 10th place. The day’s results put Pedrero in 10th overall, Metge in 17th, Boturri in 18th and Pain in 19th place. Yamaha Netherlands Verhoeven Team’s Robert van Pelt didn’t start this morning after being helicoptered out of yesterday’s special after a crash, however his teammate Frans Verhoeven is still in the game and finished 32nd. The riders are now taking a well-earned rest to ready themselves for tomorrow’s stage. Marked by its long liaison of 594 km and large difference in altitude, the route will take riders to an altitude of 4,800m. The thin, cold air will make for demanding riding conditions in the Atacama Desert and the dunes and basins of Copiapo. Michael Metge 16th / 07’51 , 17th overall / 35’22 “The piste at the start of the special had just been remade and that was great fun to ride. Then after that we went into a ‘rio’ (dry river) which was more complicated. We made some changes to the chassis set up last night. That improved the bike a little and we need to keep working in that direction.” Alessandro Botturi 14th / 06’16, 18th overall / 35’28 “It went a little bit better today, both for myself physically and technically with the bike. I must admit I didn’t feel great this morning when I got up after yesterday’s crash but ‘fortunately’ we had a long liaison before the start of the special to fully wake up. The special itself was OK but dust was a big problem. ‘Thank you’ both to Mika (Metge) and Laia (Sanz) who both moved over straight away when they saw that I was behind them.” Alessandro Botturi Olivier Pain 21st / 11’35, 19th overall / 37’54 “Over the fast terrain at the beginning of the rally, I was able to find a good rhythm on the bike. Then after the CP we got into more rocky terrain, in a rio and some off-piste, and it was harder work. The team is working hard to improve the bike in these kind of conditions and there was definitely some improvement today. Tomorrow we have a very long liaison of 594 kilometres to get across the Andes into Chile. We’re going to climb up to almost 5000 metres, so it will be very cold and the air will be very thin. Once we’ve negotiated that we have a quite tough 315 km special to take us all the way to Copiapo. I’m hoping that there will be more navigation than we’ve had up until now and that it will allow me to pull back some time.” Juan Pedrero 10th / 05’21, 10th overall /23'02 “I was hoping to attack today but unfortunately the high altitude at the start of the special had a very negative effect on my top speed – I could only manage 145 kph. At the CP I was down in 20th place! Then after the CP, in the technical terrain, I was able to ride harder and pulled back 10 places to finish 10th which is also my overall position this evening.” Juan Pedrero Frans Verhoeven 32nd / 22’58, 29th overall / 1:18'13 “Yesterday Robert (van Pelt) crashed in the special, the bike got so hot that the fuel started boiling. He ran out of water and eventually became so exhausted that he had to be evacuated by helicopter. It is the classic Dakar downward spiral… As for myself, I’m OK but obviously very disappointed to see my teammate being forced out of the race so early.” Dakar Rally 2015 Stage 03: San Juan to Chilecito 1. Matthias Walkner, AUT (KTM) 02:34:28 2. Marc Coma, ESP (KTM) 02:35:08 3. Joan Barreda Bort, ESP (Honda) 02:36:21 4. Toby Price, AUS (KTM) 02:37:13 5. Paulo Gonçalves, PRT (Honda) 02:37:17 6. Alain Duclos, FRA (Sherco TVS) 02:37:39 7. Ruben Faria, PRT (KTM) 02:37:54 8. Jeremias Israel Esquerre, CHL (Honda) 02:38:30 9. Jordi Viladoms, ESP (KTM) 02:39:04 10. Juan Pedrero Garcia, ESP (Yamaha) 02:39:49 11. Sam Sunderland, GBR (KTM) 02:39:51 12. Pablo Quintanilla, CHL (KTM) 02:40:07 13. Stefan Svitko, SVK (KTM) 02:40:43 14. Alessandro Botturi, ITA (Yamaha) 02:40:44 15. Helder Rodrigues, PRT (Honda) 02:41:29 16. Michael Metge, FRA (Yamaha) 02:42:19 21. Oliver Pain, FRA (Yamaha) 02:46:03 32. Frans Verhoeven, NLD (Yamaha) 02:57:26 Dakar Rally 2015: Overall Ranking 1. Joan Barreda Bort, ESP (Honda) 09:43:05 2. Paulo Gonçalves, PRT (Honda) 09:48:38 3. Matthias Walkner, AUT (KTM) 09:53:38 4. Marc Coma, ESP (KTM) 09:53:55 5. Ruben Faria, PRT (KTM) 09:55:15 6. Toby Price, AUS (KTM) 09:55:29 7. Jordi Viladoms, ESP (KTM) 09:57:12 8. Jeremias Israel Esquerre, CHL (Honda) 10:01:38 9. Helder Rodrigues, PRT (Honda) 10:01:39 10. Juan Pedrero Garcia, ESP (Yamaha) 10:06:07 11. Alain Duclos, FRA (Sherco TVS) 10:06:45 12. Stefan Svitko, SVK (KTM) 10:09:41 13. Pablo Quintanilla, CHL (KTM) 10:10:58 14. David Casteu, FRA (KTM) 10:15:21 15. Riaan Van Niekerk, ZAF (KTM) 10:17:16 17. Michael Metge, FRA (Yamaha) 10:18:27 18. Alessandro Botturi, ITA (Yamaha) 10:18:33 19. Oliver Pain, FRA (Yamaha) 10:20:59 29. Frans Verhoeven, NLD (Yamaha) 11:01:18 Source: www.yamaha-racing.com

Michael Metge was the fastest of the Factory Yamaha’s today, securing 17th place. Alessandro Botturi took 18th and Olivier Pain arrived not long after in 19th. Today’s leading Yamaha was Spanish rider Juan Pedrero Garcia. The Spanish rider battled the heat to finish an impressive 10th. Despite the heat, it was a good day for the Yamahas in the quad category. Rafał Sonik won the special stage with his Yamaha Raptor 700 as he created an over three-minute lead from Ignacio Casale (3’33), who was closely followed by Sergio Lafuente (4’14). The three Yamaha riders top the general ranking, with fellow Yamaha rider, Sebastian Halpern, less than five minutes behind in fourth place. Tomorrow’s shorter stage will take the riders to one of the most scenic regions of Argentina: the canyons. However, the riders won’t have much time to enjoy it as this quads and bikes route will also include some gruelling sections. Oliver Pain 19th / 26’19 / 17th overall “The organisers promised us a hard day today and they kept their promise! I struggled to find my rhythm early on in the mountains and then managed to pick up the pace a little around the half way point. Towards the end we had 40 kilometres of ‘Le Touquet’, except instead of it being freezing cold it was like riding in an oven! Both mentally and physically it was very tough. It was so hot that I opened by jacket to let some air in, something I hardly ever do. I can’t say I’m really delighted with my result but I’m not surprised either. Although the terrain was varied, there was very little navigation, it was more like a Baja. Good for some of the newcomers but not so good for someone like myself who can make the difference with the road book.” Michael Metge 17th / 25’25 / 18th overall “I was looking forward to today’s special and started very motivated. Straight away I found a good pace and overtook several other riders, at one point getting up to seventh place. Then we got into the fesh-fesh and things got a little more complicated. No doubt about it, it was a very hard special and the high temperatures didn’t make it any easier. Tonight we will need to make sure we recuperate as much as possible and be ready for tomorrow. According to the organisers it’s not going to be as hard tomorrow but if the temperatures stay this high everybody is going to suffer.” Alessandro Botturi 18th / 26’11 / 19th overall “A really tough stage today. I was doing OK and then about 40 kilometres from the end I crashed. For maybe five minutes I was pretty disorientated and then I got myself back on the bike and rode very gently to the finish. Fortunately the liaison at the end wasn’t too long as I wasn’t feeling on top form!” Alessandro Botturi Alexandre Kowalski - Team Director “Not an easy day today for our riders with the high temperatures pushing all the competitors to the limit. Over some parts of the special the bike went well but on others, notably in the fesh-fesh, it was harder to exploit it to the fullest and we need to look at the chassis set up this evening to improve the bike’s balance. The important thing is to remember that we are only on the second day of this long rally with a brand new bike and we will continue to work as hard as we have up until now to give the riders the best possible package.” Juan Pedrero 10th / 16'45 / 10th overall “The result is good but it could have been a bit better. From CP3, where they neutralised the special, it was so hot that I had to slow down or risk damaging the bike. It’s not a big deal – maybe I lost five minutes… Apart from that everything is good. The bike is performing well and I’m feeling fit. Tomorrow I should be able to attack hard.” Dakar Rally 2015 Stage 02: Villa Carlos Paz to San Juan 1. Joan Barreda Bort, ESP (Honda) 5:46:06 2. Paulo Gonçalves, PRT (Honda) 5:52:19 3. Ruben Faria, PRT (KTM) 5:55:22 4. Jordi Viladoms, ESP (KTM) 5:55:26 5. Toby Price, AUS (KTM) 5:55:48 6. Matthias Walkner, AUT (KTM) 5:57:31 7. Pablo Rodrigues, PRT (Honda) 5:57:41 8. Marc Coma, ESP (KTM) 5:58:38 9. Jeremias Israel Esquerre, CHL (Honda) 6:01:55 10. Juan Pedrero Garcia, ESP (Yamaha) 6:02:51 11. Stefan Svitko, SVK (KTM) 6:04:06 12. Riaan Van Niekerk, ZAF (KTM) 6:07:50 13. Alain Duclos, FRA (Sherco TVS) 6:08:01 14. Pablo Quintanilla, CHL (KTM) 6:08:56 15. David Casteu, FRA (KTM) 6:09:26 17. Michael Metge, FRA (Yamaha) 6:11:31 18. Alessandro Botturi, ITA (Yamaha) 6:12:17 19. Oliver Pain, FRA (Yamaha) 6:12:25 Dakar Rally 2015: Overall Ranking 1. Joan Barreda Bort, ESP (Honda) 7:06:44 2. Paulo Gonçalves, PRT (Honda) 7:11:21 3. Ruben Faria, PRT (KTM) 7:17:21 4. Jordi Viladoms, ESP (KTM) 7:18:08 5. Toby Price, AUS (KTM) 7:18:16 6. Marc Coma, ESP (KTM) 7:18:47 7. Matthias Walkner, AUT (KTM) 7:19:10 8. Pablo Rodrigues, PRT (Honda 7:20:10 9. Jeremias Israel Esquerre, CHL (Honda) 7:23:08 10. Juan Pedrero Garcia, ESP (Yamaha) 7:26:18 11. Stefan Svitko, SVK (KTM) 7:28:58 12. Alain Duclos, FRA (Sherco TVS) 7:29:06 13. Pablo Quintanilla, CHL (KTM) 7:30:51 14. David Casteu, FRA (KTM) 7:30:59 15. Riaan Van Niekerk, ZAF (KTM) 7:32:41 17. Oliver Pain, FRA (Yamaha) 7:34:56 18. Michael Metge, FRA (Yamaha) 7:36:08 19. Alessandro Botturi, ITA (Yamaha) 7:37:49 Source: www.yamaha-racing.com

Not taking any unnecessary risks, the Yamaha riders made a cautious start. Olivier Pain was the first rider of the team to ride his WR450F Rally into the bivouac (13th at 03’34), followed by Michael Metge (19th at 05’40) and Alessandro Botturi (25th at 06’35), who were forced to slow their pace due to visibility issues. Michael Metge Quad rider Ignacio Casale had a different strategy as he took on the first stage. After securing his first Dakar crown one year ago, the Chilean gave his all to show that he still has what it takes. He was the first quad to start the first stage and rode his Yamaha Raptor 700 to a solid one-minute lead. Last year's runner-up, Rafał Sonik, completed the all Yamaha provisional podium together with Sergio Lafuente. The riders now look forward to tomorrow’s stage, which will include the longest special of this year’s Dakar rally. Olivier Pain 13th / 03’34 “I didn’t take any risks today. The track had some deep and very hard ruts in it and a lot of them were hidden in the grass or under the shade of the trees where you couldn’t see them. In conditions like that the best thing is to take it easy and make sure you get to the end. Apart from that there was no drama. The bike went well and I was particularly happy with the top speed. Tomorrow is going to be a big day. The longest special of the rally and I reckon I’m well placed this evening to make the best of it.” Michael Metge 19th / 05’40 “After only about 14 kilometres I caught up with the rider who started in front of me and got stuck in his dust. Obviously in such poor visibility you have to choose your moment to overtake and in the end I had to wait over 60 kilometres before I could get past. It’s frustrating, as you know you’re losing time, but that’s part of the rally. Hopefully tomorrow I will have a clearer run.” Michael Metge Alessandro Botturi 25th / 06’35 “I had the same problem as Michael, getting stuck in other peoples’ dust. Unfortunately it meant I didn’t see a sharp right hand corner until it was too late. I didn’t go far off track, but far enough to get some loose fence wire stuck in my front wheel, which took me a while to untangle.” Dakar Rally 2015 Stage 01: Buenos Aires to Villa Carlos Paz 1. Sam Sunderland, GBR (KTM) 1:18:57 2. Paulo Gonçalves, PRT (Honda) 1:19:02 3. Marc Coma, ESP (KTM) 1:20:09 4. Joan Barreda Bort, ESP (Honda) 1:20:38 5. Alain Duclos, FRA (Sherco TVS) 1:21:05 6. Jeremias Israel Esquerre, CHL (Honda) 1:21:13 7. David Casteu, FRA (KTM) 1:21:33 8. Matthias Walkner, AUT (KTM) 1:21:39 9. Pablo Quintanilla, CHL (KTM) 1:21:55 10. Ruben Faria, PRT (KTM) 1:21:59 11. Toby Prince, AUS (KTM) 1:22:28 12. Pablo Rodrigues, PRT (Honda) 1:22:29 13. Oliver Pain, FRA (Yamaha) 1:22:31 14. Jordi Viladoms, ESP (KTM) 1:22:42 15. Juan Pedrero Garcia, ESP (Yamaha) 1:23:27 19. Michael Metge, FRA (Yamaha) 1:24:37 25. Alessandro Botturi, ITA (Yamaha) 1:25:32

Olivier Pain “For sure, with us moving into the assistance parc with all the other teams and going through scrutineering, the tension goes up a little. The start is only a few hours away now and you can feel the anticipation. The nice thing about the Dakar though is that it really is like a big family. We spend a lot of time together and share something very intense and that creates strong friendships. Plus of course this isn’t circuit racing, it isn’t a contact sport, essentially we are racing against the clock not each other. Obviously there is some rivalry but, for me at least, my biggest challenger is myself and the mental battle I have to stay focused and not make any mistakes. Then comes the desert, which must be treated with respect, and which is always a serious adversary.” Michael Metge “For me going through scrutineering always reminds me of the first day back at school. You see friends that you haven’t seen for a while, everybody is looking at the new clothes you’re wearing and you’re looking at theirs. Everybody is excited and a little bit nervous at the same time. The temptation is to chat to everybody you meet but when you are in a factory team you must never forget you are here to do a job, so you need to hold back a little and not get too distracted.” Alessandro Botturi “Personally I feel very relaxed. It is a pleasure to be in this environment, see my friends from the other teams and swap stories. I’ve always liked this atmosphere and feel totally at home in it. I do admit however that I’m impatient to get going now. We’ve been here since the 29th and I’m keen to get out in the desert and ride my bike.”

Olivier Pain “As always it’s a pleasure to be back in South America. This will be my seventh time here for the Dakar but I’m still surprised by the warmth of the people and the welcome they give to the competitors. At the moment we are in a hotel about 70 kilometres from the centre of Buenos Aires, the perfect place to relax, acclimatise and recover from the flight. But even here, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, the other hotel guests come up to us to wish us luck and politely ask for an autograph. We’ll stay here for a night. The whole team celebrated the New Year together and then it was be quickly off to bed. We’ll save the big celebrations for when we arrive back in the Argentinian capital on the 17th of January!” Olivier Pain Michael Metge “We’ve been here a few days now and our preparations are going well. As the days pass the pressure mounts a little but I am confident in the capabilities of the new WR450 F Rally and in my own physical fitness and looking forward to the start of the race. Here’s hoping the New Year starts well for me and the team and we’ll have a fruitful 2015.” Alessandro Botturi “At the moment everything is very relaxed. The hotel we were staying at was perfect to get used to the change in temperature and do a little sport. This is my first time with all the team together and straight away I feel very comfortable. To me it seems like a big family, mechanics or riders, everybody is treated the same and I have been made very welcome. A very Happy New Year to you all.” Alessandro Botturi Alexandre Kowalski - Team Director “The whole team has had the chance to rest and recuperate, while finishing off our final preparations, and now we are looking forward to going through scrutineering today. The riders and team members have all worked hard to get ready for this race and are proud to represent the Yamaha brand on such a prestigious global event.”