DAKAR Stage 2a
FOCUS
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Heading out of Bisha to tackle a 947 km loop to the north-east of the city over two days, the competitors only had a vague inkling of where they would be spending the night today, beyond the fact that it would be one of the six breakzones between km 491 and km 671 of the special. This stage —the longest in this edition— is a wild one in the sporting and the literal sense: the camps are sprinkled around the Majami‘ al-Hadb Reserve, home to Arabian hares, which got a front-row ticket to see Carlos Sainz and his overturned Ford Raptor struggle like a tortoise on its back. „Slow and steady wins the race„, as the French fabulist Jean de La Fontaine put it in his retelling of The Tortoise and the Hare. Tomorrow, starting at 7 am, the field will get going at one-minute intervals to complete the second half of stage 2. The outcome of the story will not be exactly the same as last year in the car category, as the reigning champion is still very much in the race. |
OUTLINE
- Carlos Sainz flipped over his Ford Raptor in a major setback for his title defence campaign, but he remains in the race and as determined as ever. A mechanical problem hamstrung Sébastien Loeb and ruined his prospects of taking the 48 h chrono stage for the second time in a row.
- Yazeed Al Rajhi and Nasser Al Attiyah had a good day at the office, moving up to first and second in the car ranking, 1′19″ apart. The victor of the prologue, Henk Lategan, held the fourth-fastest time until camp E. The South African stands on the virtual overall podium, just over 2 minutes from the Saudi.
- Toby Price and Sam Sunderland matched the front-runners stroke for stroke in their Hilux. The two former bikers are eyeing a spot in the top 5 overall in Bisha tomorrow.
- The three strongest riders since the beginning of the race extended their dominance today. Daniel Sanders, the winner of the prologue and stage 1, finished comfortably ahead of Ricky Brabec and Ross Branch. The Australian will spend the night on camp E, where he holds a virtual overall lead of 4′02″ over the American and 5′59″ over the Motswana. Tosha Schareina, 8′17″ back, is the fourth man to watch tomorrow.
- In the Challenger class, Nicolás Cavigliasso is in a prime position to win the 48 h chrono stage and seize the overall lead. In SSV, Heger and De Soultrait were untouchable. Florent Vayssade could even make it a podium lock-out for Polaris tomorrow.
- In the truck race, a razor-thin margin of just over 2 minutes separates Martin Macík from the virtual leader, Aleš Loprais.
PERFORMANCE OF THE DAY
Ever since the Dakar got under way, it has looked like the reigning SSV champion, Xavier de Soultrait, and his fellow Polaris drivers could do no wrong. The first part of the 48 h chrono stage has only reinforced that impression. The rookie Brock Heger stole the show with a surprise triumph in the prologue, XdS bagged stage 1 and, today, an ominous wind blew their closest rivals Jeremías González Ferioli and „Chaleco“ López off course. Sebastián Guayasamín and Sara Price were also among the victims of the stage, leaving Heger and De Soultrait at the top of the leader board tonight! The two Sébastien Loeb Racing drivers, who enjoy the backing of the Polaris factory, are the only entrants in their class who made it to camp D. Their stablemate Florent Vayssade was running third at the previous time check. The odds have shortened on a Polaris 48 h chrono stage podium sweep in Bisha tomorrow, which would be an unprecedented achievement for the American manufacturer at the Dakar.
A CRUSHING BLOW
A year ago, Sébastien Loeb stormed to victory in the inaugural 48 h chrono stage, although it was not enough for the French driver to prevail over Carlos Sainz in the fight for the title. Meanwhile, Yazeed Al Rajhi, the race leader going into that stage, somersaulted out of the rally a few hours into the new challenge and Nasser Al Attiyah succumbed to mechanical gremlins. How the tables have turned! Today, Sainz suffered the same fate as Al Rajhi last season, flipping over his car at km 327. „El Matador“ was able to keep going after his teammate Mitch Guthrie helped him to right his machine, but the accident carried a hefty price tag: by the end of the day, he was nearly 50 minutes behind in the virtual standings (the definitive times will be set tomorrow). Loeb screeched to a halt at km 409 due to fan issues, which also slowed him down and cost him half an hour. Al Rajhi and Al Attiyah will particularly enjoy their starlit meal this evening. The reigning world champion and his runner-up will go to bed as the big winners of the first part of the stage, ensconced at the business end of the race with the Saudi one minute ahead.
SAT OF THE DAY: 6
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When Seth Quintero woke up this morning as the youngest leader in the history of the Dakar, little did he know that a whopping 6 drivers would succeed him in the top spot! Guerlain Chicherit bumped him from the virtual hot seat, only to be cast down by his own teammate Guillaume de Mévius. Next came three former Dakar winners: Carlos Sainz —before disaster struck—, Nasser Al Attiyah and Nani Roma. In the end, it was Yazeed Al Rajhi who got his hands on the virtual lead before the time limit. The first day of the 48 h chrono stage around Bisha was a 626 km roller-coaster, but there was more to this infernal game of musical chairs than its length. |
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Audi Quattro
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OVERALL – BIKES
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ERGEBNISSE / Results – CARS
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GALLERY STAGE 2a
Quelle / Source: DAKAR, A.S.O
