Continued Drama in Dakar: Howes Leads Bikes After Stage 5, Shuffle in T3 Class
Image via Red Bull Content Pool
Just a few short years ago, American motorcycle racer Skyler Howes was one of the Dakar Rally’s most beloved privateers, selling off possessions and raising funds for an opportunity to compete in the world’s biggest rally raid. Two years ago, he landed his first factory contract with Husqvarna, and now, after five stages of the 2023 edition of the event, he finds himself in the overall lead by more than two minutes over the legendary Toby Price.
It’s a far cry from last year’s fifth stage, when Howes was forced to withdraw; so far this year, he’s posted four consecutive top fives, and he’s never been outside of the top 10 of the overall rankings. He’s joined in the overall top five by fellow American Mason Klein, who finished fourth in today’s Hail loop stage and holds the same position overall. For fans of privateers, Jacob Argubright has taken up Howes’ former mantle, posting a second place stage finish today in the Rally2 class and an overall top 20 on the day.
The T3 class continues to see the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team run up front, but which racer survives on which day remains anyone’s guess. After winning two of the last three stages and entering today as the overall leader, it was heartbreak once again for Mitch Guthrie Jr., who lost more than four hours on stage before the halfway point and ended up with penalties that will end his title chase. Seth Quintero finally scored his first stage win of the event (after taking 12 last year) and remains in podium contention, but he’s still got well over an hour to make up over the next week if he wants to claim his elusive first Dakar victory.
That leaves AJ Jones, a newcomer to both the T3 class and the Red Bull-squad, as the team’s best overall hope right now. Last year’s T4 winner sits second overall through five stages, 7:20 behind Guillaume De Mevius, with one stage win and five top-five stage finishes.
Elsewhere in the event, Nasser Al-Attiyah and Ales Loprais extended their overall leads in the car and truck classes, respectively, with a pair of stage wins. Today’s other stage winners included Adrien Van Beveren on motorcycles, Francisco Moreno Flores on quads, and Rokas Baciuska in T4 SSV. Coverage of today’s stage debuts at 6:30PM ET on Peacock, while racers prepare to head for Al Diwadumi in tomorrow’s point-to-point Stage 6; the next two days will consist of the longest two stages of the rally.