Audi still on the shields also in the second week of the Dakar 2024. The Ingolstadt team signed a great one-two today in the stage that took the caravan from Al Duwadimi to Ha'il with 458 timed kilometers.
Mattias Ekstroem won the stage, doing well to precede his teammate Stéphane Peterhansel by just under 4 minutes at the finish line. Both Audi Sport drivers are excluded from the fight for the podium and the positions that count in this 46th edition of the rally raid, but they still have the task of trying to win the stages and, if necessary, help Sainz in bringing home the victory. final victory.
Today, both succeeded in the team's aim, dominating the stage in the most important phase, the last, taking advantage of a collapse by Sébastien Loeb. The transalpine from the Bahrain Raid Xtreme team led the stage for three quarters. In the penultimate sector, however, the 9-time world champion began to lose ground and precious minutes, finishing tenth once he crossed the finish line.
Carlos Sainz took advantage of this situation, with an excellent fourth of the stage and now increasingly first in the general classification. Yesterday Loeb managed to bring his deficit back under 20 minutes – to be precise to 19 – but today this has risen to 25 minutes with 4 stages remaining until the end of hostilities.
Behind Ekstroem and Peterhansel is Guerlain Chicherit, good at scoring third place at the wheel of the first private Toyota GR Hilux T1+, managed by the Overdrive team. The Frenchman, in the central part of this Dakar, showed interesting things thanks to a series of stage results that have always seen him among the protagonists. Applause must also go to the Ovedrive Racing team, which before the unfortunate retirement of Yazeed Al Rajhi was even first thanks to the performances of the Saudi prince.
Carlos Sainz limited himself to not taking unnecessary risks despite signing a fast stage, which saw him finish in fourth place ahead of the official Toyota GR Hilux of Seth Quintero and Dennis Zenz. The American from the Toyota Gazoo Racing team completed the Top 5 ahead of Guillaume De Mevius, the second Ovedrive Racing driver in the top 6, and teammate Lucas Moraes, seventh.
Romain Dumas (Rebellion Racing) is back in the Top 10, with Giniel De Villiers ahead of Sébastien Loeb (BRX Prodrive). For Loeb it was an even more difficult day because he had to take note of Nasser Al-Attiyah's withdrawal. The Qatari, winner of the last 2 editions of the Dakar, stopped in testing due to the engine of his Hunter breaking.
This means that he will not be able to count on the best of allies to try to comeback on Sainz and the Audi RS Q e-tron. The Alsatian had made it known yesterday that he did not want to use Al-Attiyah's help, trusting in his ability to guide him. After what happened today, however, he will be forced to do so, while Sainz will be able to benefit from the possible help of Ekstroem and Peterhansel, both still in the race.
As for the general classification, Carlos Sainz leads the race with a lead of 25 minutes over Sébastien Loeb (24'47″) and over an hour over the first Toyota Gazoo Racing driver, Lucas Moraes. Guillaume De Mevius is the first private driver with the Hilux of the Overdrive Racing team, while the Top 5 is completed by Giniel De Villiers (Toyota Gazoo Racing).
Guerlain Chicherit continues to climb the ranks and is now sixth overall, just 11 minutes away from the Top 5. If he were to continue at this pace, he could look to fight for fifth, and perhaps even fourth place between now and the end of the event. Good seventh place for Martin Prokop with the Ford Raptor T1+ of the Jipocar Orlen team, while Mathieu Serradori, in difficulty today, is eighth with the first official Century CR7-T. Closing out the Top 10 are Guy David Botterill, official Toyota driver, and Benediktas Vanagas, who defends the colors of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Baltics team.
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