Dakar 2016: Rookie Meo Wins Stage 11; Goncalves Calls It Quits

Today was the day that belonged to the rookie Antoine Meo astride his KTM 450 Rally. After starting the day 1'15" behind Husqvarna's Pablo Quintanilla, he finished 2'48" ahead of the Husqvarna rider. This has helped him take the provisional podium finish by the end of stage 11 of Dakar 2016. Yesterday's champ, Stefan Svitko, finished the stage at 7th place, 12'29" behind Meo, which means that in overall standings, Meo is just 8'23" behind Svitko, who is currently second.

Sadly, and finally, Honda's Paulo Goncalves retired, after having a navigational error and then finally crashing. He was then evacuated from the stage by the medical team for further examinations.

Also Read: Paulo Goncalves Finishes Fourth in Stage 10

At CP4, just 40kms before the finish line, Toby Price was registered as the fastest rider, but the Frenchman, Meo, soared then to cross the finish line 18 seconds ahead of the overall leader.

Another refreshing thing was to see the two Yamahas of Helder Rodrigues and Adrien Van Beveren finish wheel to wheel in fourth and fifth places respectively. This finish also helped Van Beveren move from 10th position (overall) to 7th.

The overall top 10 riders after stage 11 of Dakar 2016 are:

1. Toby Price (KTM) - 40:08:30

2. Stefan Svitko (KTM) - 40:43:53

3. Antoine Meo (KTM) - 40:52:16

4. Pablo Quintanilla (Husqvarna) - 40:53:49

5. Kevin Benavides (Honda) 41:05:35

6. Helder Rodrigues (Yamaha) - 41:10:31

7. Adrien Van Beveren (Yamaha) - 41:42:16

8. Ricky Brabec (Honda) - 41:48:25

9. Farres Guell (KTM) - 41:50:28

10. Adrien Metge (Honda) - 43:28:11