Despres takes first stage win

From KTM Racing

KTM factory rider and 2007 Dakar winner Cyril Despres at last had a trouble free day on Thursday. He started at eighth in the sixth stage with the Frenchman showing his classic skills to be the quickest over the dunes that launched it.

Indeed the KTM factory riders were back where they are used to being - at the top of the leader board. Despres won his first stage of the 2009 edition 2:09 ahead of Marc Coma with Jordi Viladoms third (at 5:15).

Overall Despres took a tiny bit of time back from Coma, who now leads Jonah Street (KTM) by 40:29, with the Frenchman David Frétigné third at 47:30. Viladoms is fourth at 1:09:48 while Despres moves up to seventh (at 1:33:59).

"I didn't set out especially to win the stage," Despres said, "nor did I ride particularly hard, but being a short day I could ride normally on the mousse without having to worry about it too much.

"We started off in the same dunes that we finished in yesterday - except after last night's storm they were completely different, dark grey in colour with a black line where your wheel had been."

Organizers decided to reduce the distance of the timed section on Stage Six following a very tough Stage Five and complications caused by a flooded river ford on the original course. Competitors therefore ended in the village of La Junta at the foot of the Andes.

"Coming into Mendoza was just crazy," Coma said. "For the last 20km there were thousands and thousands of people each side of the road. They are very friendly and knew who each rider was.

"Today the dunes were easier than yesterday because when they are wet they hold the weight of the bike better. Then after the dunes it was just a short, fast piste to the end of the special (cut short by the organizers after Wednesday night's storm). The only thing you had to watch out for was the puddles, some of which were quite deep."

Stage Seven, which brings the riders halfway in their quest to conquer the first ever Dakar race held in south America takes riders from Ruiders Mendoza in Argentina down to the sea at Valparaiso on the Chilean coastline. It will be a day of challenges that starts with the "fesh fesh," a series of dunes very like the sands of the Sahara before rising to 3,000m in the Andes during the technical routes.

Provisional results of sixth stage
1. Cyril Despres, France, KTM
2. Marc Coma, Spain, KTM
3. Jordi Viladoms, Spain, KTM
4. Francisco Lopez, Chile, KTM
5. David Fretigne, France, Yamaha
6. David Casteu, France, KTM
7. Helder Rodrigues, Portugal, KTM
8. Frans Verhofen, Netherlands, KTM
9. Henk Knuiman, Netherlands, KTM
10. Thomas Berglund, Sweden, KTM

Provisional overall standings
1. Marc Coma, Spain, KTM
2. Jonah Street, USA, KTM
3. David Fretigne, France, Yamaha
4. Jordi Viladoms, Spain, KTM
5. Pal Anders Ullevalseter, Norway, KTM
6. Helder Rodrigues, Portugal, KTM
7. Cyril Despres, France, KTM
8. Frans Verhofen, Netherlands, KTM
9. David Casteu, France, KTM
10. Henk Knuiman, Netherlands, KTM