Who's the Favourite for Dakar?

There are at least 10 riders capable of winning the 2018 Dakar Rally. The diplomatic prediction of Sam Sunderland is obviously included as he will be rocking up with the number-one plate on his bike after becoming the first British rider to win the Dakar Rally last year. But Sunderland knows how fast things can change in Rally racing. Like in late 2017, where a crash while crossing a swollen river ended his dream of winning the world championship. He also knows Australian Toby Price (2016 winner) has spent most of the year recovering from a broken femur, caused by a crash in the fourth stage at the 2017 Dakar (which Toby explained in detail during this recent interview).

Despite these minor setbacks, the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team remains the favourite for Dakar. Which, if successful, would be KTM’s 17th straight Dakar Rally victory. Keep an eye on Matthias Walkner, who claimed second place in 2017 and was the winner of the 2017 Rally of Morocco.

Honda is set to rise to the challenge with a strong squadron and a water carrier. With a total of 19 Rally race wins through his career, Joan Barreda is definitely the fastest rider on the squad. Forced to forfeit due to an accident in 2017, teammate Kevin Benavides has prepared well for the appointment and is in fast form following his recent second place result in Morocco.

Often on the podium, Yamaha’s David Frétigné (2009), Hélder Rodrigues (2011 and 2012) and Olivier Pain (2014) have written the history of Yamaha. This sees their hopes placed in Adrien Van Beveren (fourth in 2017), Franco Caimi (eighth in 2017), and Xavier de Soultrait, winner of the Merzouga Rally in 2017.

And what about the fresh face to Dakar, Andrew Short, who, after a 16-year career racing professional Supercross and Motocross on the USA’s AMA circuit, has joined the Husqvarna Factory Racing Team to take on the Dakar Rally.

Stay tuned to Transmoto for more 2018 Dakar Rally coverage.