Stan tests Arai at 100mph in the Dakar!

Following a crash at 100mph on Stage 8, as well as a contentious navigational ruling by the event organizers, Irish and British 2012 hopeful and Arai wearer Stan Watt is keeping his Crescent KTM 450 Factory Replica Rally machine in contention for a successful 2012 Dakar Rally finish.

Stan Watt - still going strong despite a 100mph 'off'

Hindered by some non-bike related technical issues in the early stages, Watt started Stage 7 in 46th place hopeful of making up valuable time over the following fast stages. Yet, as many Dakar riders would agree, good luck and a smooth run can be hard to come by.

Stage 7 saw the riders do a full loop from Copiapo, travelling along narrow tracks in the hills followed by a vast stretch of sand dunes. Rearing to go after a cancelled previous stage, Watt was quick to make up good time and finished the day in 42nd overall. After a rest day on Sunday, Stage 8 took participants from Copiapo to Antofagasta, which contains the rally’s longest special stage on very fast-paced, stone-covered tracks. Running in 21st place after a good start, Watt briefly lost visibility in another rider’s dust cloud and crashed at 100mph after hitting a boulder. Thankfully he walked away from the incident without too greater damage to himself or the bike, and managed to finish the remaining 350km without losing any places overall.

Stage 9, from Antofagasta to Iquique, had been branded as one of the more difficult routes to navigate due to its very limited landmarks. Watt, patched up with a fully working Crescent KTM 450, made tremendous headway, proving in particular his navigational prowess by being only one of five competitors to reach Waypoint 6. However, a controversial ruling by Dakar organizers to subsequently strike this waypoint from the stage has left Watt in 41st position overall. This ruling, which cost him 15th place on the stage and a big jump up the leader board, is being contested by Watt and his support team.

Stan Watt:

“It’s been an eventful last few days. I was making good progress on Stage 8, but then hit a big boulder at around 100mph after I briefly lost visibility in a plume of dust from another rider. This then bucked me off the bike, but thankfully myself and the bike didn’t have any serious damage. My helmet did its job, I lost a little bit of skin, and my wrists are slightly bruised – but nothing that is hindering my riding. The main damage on the bike was the handlebars, which looked like they were more suited to a custom low rider after the crash. Over the remaining 350km I tried to minimize the time loss, and managed to not drop any places. I was lucky to finish that day.

“On Stage 9 I was going really well, and was one of maybe five guys to hit Waypoint 6. But the organizers deemed it too tricky because so few people found it – and cancelled it. Me and the team are contesting this strongly, as this would have given me a great boost overall.

“Apart from the snags we keep hitting, everything is looking good for the next few stages. The bike is going really well, I’m feeling good, and if we can get this decision overturned, we should be able to make our way through the rankings.” 

With another 6 race days left to go, Watt currently holds an overall time of 36:28:27hrs with a variation of 7:43:10hrs.

Keep abreast with all the latest action from Stan and Crescent KTM’s Dakar adventure by following the official Twitter feed @crescentmoto.

For more information on Arai Helmets please visit www.whyarai.co.uk