I was mistaken that only 2 of the 3 Chinese teams were still in the Dakar. One team was in the top 50, so I missed it in the results. All 3 Kove teams finished the Dakar!
-Tell that to your buddies next time one of them makes a crack about your china bike.
-There is more to finishing Dakar than being reliable. Each rider must stay "on pace". If you fall too far behind the leader, you are eliminated. That's because fueling stations, camps and medical teams must move forward to accommodate the leaders. Search and rescue helicopters can only fly so long on any given day to stay within budget and maintenance constraints.
https://www.advrider.com/2023-dakar-stage-14-its-over/