If you brake, you lose: not quite right. Matthias Walkner is demonstrating at the Dakar Rally that you can be successful even if you are less willing to take risks. The 35-year-old from Salzburg took the lead in the motorcycle classification with his KTM as fourth of yesterday’s stage and thus has a good chance of winning the legendary rally for the second time since 2018, even without a stage win. There are only three more stages separating him from the goal, which will lead to a nervous battle. The fastest six drivers are only separated by ten minutes.
“You can quickly lose 30 or 40 minutes in a day. Many still have the chance of winning or finishing on the podium – one mistake can change everything,” says Walkner, who impressed many observers with his driving style at the eighth Dakar start . “He has found the right dose of attack and caution. It’s good that he doesn’t risk the last shirt like others and hardly makes mistakes with the navigation,” says KTM motorsport director Pit Beirer. A success at the Dakar this year would be particularly important for the Innviertel team. According to Beirer, after 18 victories in a row, one has become “blind to the business”. In 2020 and 2021, KTM rival Honda won the prestigious Dakar victory.
“They were just better, that really hurt. But now it looks good for us,” said Beirer, who lured last year’s winner Kevin Benavides from Honda to Mattighofen. In doing so, he not only brought a fast man to KTM, but also Honda know-how. Beirer: “We made progress especially with road book training.” There is also a newly built motorcycle, for the development of which Walkner provided important input.
He could now reap the fruits of his work if he remains the “Mister flawlessly” on the last three stages as before. In the slipstream of the Salzburg resident Sam Sunderland from England, who sits on a bike from the KTM house brand GasGas. Then with Adrien van Beveren (Fra / Yamaha) and Pablo Quintanilla (Chi / Honda) there are already two winners on Japanese motorcycles who could still prevent the Dakar triumphal procession planned in Mattighofen on Monday.
Source: Nachrichten
