A question (also) of luck
On the one hand, the possible fourth success in his career Carlos Sainz – with the fourth different manufacturer – and Audi's first triumph. On the other the dream of Sebastien Loeb to finally break the curse and win his first Dakar. Just 13'22” separate the two legends of the rally and they will all be decisive to establish the winner of this 2024 edition, which will be decided today on Stage 11, din Al-'Ula in Yanbu: 587 km of which 420 special test60 less than originally expected.
Tomorrow there will only be the final catwalk, so this is Loeb's last chance complete the comeback started in the last stages. Everything will revolve around the risk of punctures, given the very high presence of stones and boulders on the route. A lottery not appreciated by Audi's top management, who don't want to see the long-awaited triumph slip away from their hands before saying goodbye to the rally-raid. Q-Motorsport boss Sven Quandt made this known to the Iberian newspaper AS: the special test will be, according to him, “pure luck“.
Support is key
“I asked the organizer why he was doing this. This has nothing to do with racing“, Quandt's thought. Certainly, however, Sainz is better equipped than Loeb against this 'risk of bad luck'. We saw him yesterday, with the fundamental support provided to the Spanish veteran by his teammate Mattias Ekström. The Swede stopped to help his teammate, as evidenced by a video, published by Sainz himself, which immortalized the moment of changing the wheel.
On the other hand, the nine-time WRC world champion is now therethe only survivor of the Prodrive team. The abandonment of Nasser Al-Attiyah certainly did not increase the chances of final success for the Alsatian, who will only be able to count on his own strength. Just the team play instead it will be at the center of Audi's strategy: “We will do everything we can to support (Sainz). It will all depend on who has the best support.”, commented Quandt. Let the day of truth begin.
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