Brian ends third in Dakar
The Dakar Rally 2016 came to an end this past weekend, with local boy, Brian Baragwanath, proving his talent by finishing in third place.
POLOKWANE – The Dakar Rally 2016 came to an end this past weekend, with local boy, Brian Baragwanath, proving his talent by finishing in third place.
Not only was Brian third, he also won three stages of the rally, namely stages two, 10 and 13. In stage 12 of the race, Baragwanath’s bike sustained a flat tyre some 120 km into the stage, which he replaced and ended up finishing in sixth place.
With just 23 quads left in the race, the final stage, stage 13, started in reverse general classification order, meaning Baragwanath had to start in 16th place, 05:23 seconds behind Russia’s Sergei Karyakin.
Karyakin and Baragwanath fought for third-place and were neck and neck during this stage.
“We elected to go with an aggressive approach, while minimising the risk. We decided to use run flats and removed the spare tyres to lighten the bikes,” Team Rhide SA manager, Frank Stein, said.
The decision to lighten the bike seemingly paid off as Baragwanath finished the stage 07:55 seconds ahead of the Russian, securing his third place spot in the Dakar Rally 2016.
In the Dakar Rally 2015, Baragwanath fell out in the early stages of the rally due to several technical complications.
“I am really proud to have finished third; it is a great achievement and something I worked hard for.
“It is also great to be back at home and see my family and friends again,” Baragwanath said.
