Carlos Sainz said before starting his fifteenth participation in the Dakar Rally that it is the veterans who are in charge of setting the measuring stick in the race. “It is the law of sport,” stated the 61-year-old driver from Madrid, the oldest winner in the history of the event. In 2024, this law remains unchanged despite the years passing, some applicants arrive and many others leave. The majority of participants have not even been able to sniff at the mere possibility of winning the toughest rally on the planet, and between the Spaniard, Nasser Al-Attiyah (53) and Stéphane Peterhansel (58) they have won 13 of the last 14 editions Of the test.
“In the end, Stéphane, Seb, Nasser, Nani and I have been fighting for a long time to see who wins the Dakar each year,” recalled the winner of three Touaregs. Sebastien Loeb, the youngest of the illustrious group that Sainz highlights, won the fourth stage between Al Salamiya and Al Hofuf, a 299-kilometer special, with a time of 2h36m02s. The 49-year-old French driver, a legend of the World Rally Championship (WRC) with nine titles, is looking for his first win in the queen of rally-raid events. In the general classification, only Roma (Ford), who returns after recovering from cancer and with a car in the development phase, is behind in this particular fight. He was the Catalan, precisely, the only one capable of breaking in 2014 the dominance of Sainz, Al-Attiyah and Peteranshel in the last decade.
The general classification continues to be led by Yazeed Al Rajhi, local idol and Toyota leader, with Sainz second, 4m19s ahead of the rest of the big favorites. The Qatari Al-Attiyah, winner of the last two Dakars, continues to close the gap on the Spaniard in the general standings by finishing third on the day. He is now 11m03s behind the leader and almost seven behind Audi's leader. Peterhansel, the great myth of the event and the one who has won the most in both cars and motorcycles, is currently the last in this particular classification of the totems, 26m56 behind the Saudi. Less than 20 minutes separate the contenders for final victory, and in such a changing event that distance is practically a formality. Now that the dunes and the novelty of the 48-hour unassisted qualifying are coming, the favorites are keeping their swords sharp.
Change of leader in motorcycles
Chilean Nacho Cornejo took advantage of his good position at the start and the presence of three of his Honda teammates to win the stage and take the lead from Botswana Ross Branch (Hero). The 29-year-old driver, born in Iquique, took advantage of the wheel of the previous leader of the race, who started fifth on the order of the day, just ahead of him, to solve a complex special in terms of navigation and pace.
“I rode with Ross for a while, but I don't know if he buried himself in the last dune or fell, because he's a little late. Now I'm going to see if he's okay,” the new race leader declared at the finish line. Branch did indeed have a busy stage, tripping over a rock at kilometer 40 and then falling after stepping on camel grass in the dunes with 20km to go. He is now second, 1m15s behind his Honda rival. The reference of Hero, the Indian brand with which Joan Barreda, at 40 years old, has decided to sign up for one more Dakar, was not harmed. The man from Castellón, seventh at the finish line, is twelfth overall, 42m34s behind the leader.
You can follow EL PAÍS Deportes in Facebook and xor sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter.
#Sainz #AlAttiyah #Peterhansel #guard #sets #tone #Dakar
