Adrien van Beveren’s long-awaited Dakar victory didn’t come this year, but he still secured another podium finish, equaling his best-ever result.
The Frenchman from Monster Energy Honda finished the race in third place, less than 15 minutes behind the winner, Daniel Sanders (Red Bull KTM), who led the rally from start to finish.
After securing the final result with the fastest time in the last stage, van Beveren expressed regret over not clinching the title but made a promise:
– We have to risk so much to be up front. I really tried to be on the top of the podium and we couldn’t do it this time but I like to ride motorcycles in the desert so I will come back.