Dakar 2025: Sherco Rally Factory Riders Land in the Top 10 – Gonçalves 8th, Santolino 9th in Stage 7
The Sherco Rally Factory team delivered an impressive performance in Stage 7 of the Dakar 2025. This demanding stage, requiring precise navigation and unwavering focus across 412 km of special stages, featured a mix of fast tracks and two 20 km dune belts.
Rui Gonçalves secured an excellent 8th place, finishing just 8 minutes and 46 seconds behind the leader, closely followed by Lorenzo Santolino, who came in 9th, only 41 seconds behind his teammate.
In the provisional standings, Santolino has climbed to 9th place, while Gonçalves now sits in 13th position.
Tomorrow, Stage 8 will take the riders from Riyadh to Haradh, with 250 km of liaison and 483 km of special stages on the agenda.
💬 Lorenzo Santolino:
„It was another long stage, very fast at the beginning, until the rocks started appearing around km 40. I wasn’t riding at an extremely high pace, but I kept it steady with good navigation. At one point, I caught up with Luciano Benavides, but I couldn’t get closer because of the dust.
After refueling, I struggled to regain my rhythm. I rode quickly but avoided taking excessive risks. I made a mistake that cost me about 2 minutes.
I rode alone for most of the day until the end of the stage, where Sanders caught up with me. I felt pretty comfortable on the bike, and physically I’m holding up, although the days are starting to take their toll.“
💬 Rui Gonçalves:
„Here we are after Stage 7. It was another long day, but I felt really good from the start, and the pace was quite fast in some sections. There was also a lot of navigation, so staying focused was essential, and I managed to avoid major mistakes.
I rode almost the entire day on my own, maintaining my rhythm, and brought the bike back to the bivouac in 8th place. I’m very satisfied and already thinking about tomorrow. For now, I’ll recover from today’s effort and aim for another solid stage tomorrow.“
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