The ominous message on the dashboard
“We didn't touch anything or make daring passes. The message 'puncture' simply appeared on the dashboard”. Sebastien Loeb he is among the big losers of the third stage of the 46th edition of the Dakar. The Alsatian was in fact the victim of three 'slow punctures' on the surface layers of the tires and had to live with the last one for the last 100 timed km.
The brand companion Nasser Al-Attiyah he concluded the first half of the Marathon on three wheels by arriving on the rim at the finish line without losing so much time and finishing in fourth position a minute and a half behind the winner Moraes, but the option of being reduced to continuing on the rim was not an option for Loeb: “There were still too many km to cover – explained the Frenchman as reported in today's edition of the transalpine sports newspaper The Team – we had to stop, put a wick and re-inflate everything with the compressor, wasting 10 minutes. And every 20 km we were forced to stop to inflate the tire again.”
A true Calvary which presented a decidedly high bill. Loeb lost 23 minutes behind the winner and is ninth overall, 24 minutes behind Al-Rajhi. The only consolation for the driver still chasing his first career victory in the Dakar is the fact that he avoided retirement: “Obviously it was positive to be able to get to the finish line although never being able to attack was frustrating. The first stages show that anything can happen, 24 minutes is a significant delay, but the raid is still long.”
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