TVS Sherco riders advance into the Top 10 in Stage 7 of Dakar 2016

Team TVS Sherco has moved up the leader board thanks to strong performance from the factory riders. Juan Pedrero Garcia and Alain Duclos brought in a 13th and 14th finish, while Florent Vayssade showed significant improvement, finishing 32nd.

Thanks to the steady improvement, both Duclos and Garcia now feature in the top 10 in the overall standings. Vayssade has also moved up two positions, and currently holds the 36th position. The rally continues to be led by Paulo Goncalves, though the seventh stage saw debutant Antoine Meo clinch his first ever stage victory. After finishing fourth in the previous stage, Sebastien Loeb bounced back in the seventh stage moving back on top of the leader board in the cars category.

The seventh stage took the competitors on a 336-kilometre trip from Uyuni to Salta. The route takes the competitors through different type of terrains including rivers, with the race going on long after nightfall. After the two days of marathon stages, the competitors were now finally able to get their assistance of their mechanics and support teams. The competition of seventh stage marked the end of the first week of the gruesome rally, allowing the competitors a day of rest before the cavalcade moves on to the eighth stage.

The seventh stage unfortunately witnessed the first death of this year’s event, where a 63-year old spectator was killed after being hit by a Mitsubishi Lancer.