The 48-hour stage of the 2024 Dakar was one of the most innovative things about the 46th edition of the world's toughest race, so everyone was keeping an eye on what might happen. However, before setting off on the timed route of 626 kilometers for motorbikes and 579 kilometers for cars, there was a meeting between the teams, who were concerned about the refueling areas.
During the night, at the Shubaytah bivouac, lost in the middle of the Empty Quarter, near the border with the United Arab Emirates, the teams held a meeting to understand what to do with the supply points, which risked putting everyone in difficulty except the Audi.
In the end it was therefore agreed to modify the route of the special, which was reduced to 547 timed kilometers for the cars, with a modification of the refueling area, and the imposition of a “moderate speed section” for 36 kilometres, from km 54 to km 90.
The organizers have therefore decided to shorten and modify the route of the special test, which will be divided into two days and will send the competitors back to the bivouac after spending the night with only a tent, a sleeping bag and a military ration of food.
“The route of the special stage of the sixth stage, planned for cars and trucks over a total distance of 579 kilometers, with a refueling point at 420 km of the race, corresponding to the fuel consumption observed last year and in 2022 at the Empty Quarter , had to be readjusted due to the latest elements observed in yesterday's stage”, we read. “All drivers reported exceptionally high fuel consumption due to very loose sand, which led the organizers to reduce the distance to 547 kilometers and impose a moderate speed section between km 54 and km 90.”
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