The motorcycle Dakar has been practically sentenced in favor of its leader, Daniel Sanders (KTM), as the rally reaches the penultimate day. Despite the furious attack of Tosha Schareina (Honda), in a last attempt to conquer the Tuareg, the Valencian shaved 7m31s off the Australian in an 11th stage cut to half its length (only 152 km of special from the initial 308 ) because of the fog.
A circumstance that reduced the Spanish driver’s options to get closer to the Australian, who will maintain a 9-minute cushion for the last day: only 61 km separate him from his first Dakar. Only a miracle (in the form of a breakdown or fall) would give Schareina any option.
Motorcycles
Furious but insufficient attack by Tosha Schareina
Shubaytah, in the Empty Quarter, the start of the penultimate day of the Dakar, dawned with thick fog that forced the departure of the motorcycles and cars (separately) to be delayed for more than two hours. The organization chose to shorten the motorcycle special, from 308 km to only 152, less than half, due to the pilots’ concern about having to race at night at the end of the day. For the cars, the programmed mileage was maintained (276 km)
Sanders, the leader since the first day of the rally, who has withstood the attacks of the Honda and the Hero, began the special at 10:59 (8:59 in Spain) with 16 minutes of margin over Tosha Schareina, who runs with an affected collarbone from a crash on stage 5.
The physical problem was not an obstacle for the Valencian Honda driver to launch a furious attack on Sanders. It was his last option to cut some of the 16m31s he had out of him. Tosha, who started 17th (Sanders, 9th), was able to open up the gas and cut 1m41s off the Australian (6th) in the first WP (km 41). In the second (km 89) Tosha was already second and was 3m36s behind him. In the third (km 112) the attack continued and the Valencian was virtually first, already 6m03s ahead of the Australian. There were only 40 kilometers left until the end of the amputated stage.
In that final stretch, 40 km through dunes and sand, Schareina continued to turn on the gas and took his time over Sanders to 7m31s, an incredible time for only 152 km of the stage. The Valencian won his second stage of the Dakar, followed by Luciano Benavides and Van Beveren, and Sanders was sixth.
Edgar Canet was 14th in the stage, 15m52s behind Tosha. The KTM Catalan, Dakar rookie, remains in 8th overall.
Cars
Al Rajhi launches its final offensive and takes the provisional lead from Lategan
Nani Roma opened the track, as winner of the 10th stage, the first he had won since 2015 (his 13th partial victory in cars in the Dakar). But it soon became clear that it would be a day of strategies to benefit the pilots who played the Tuareg: the one from Folgueroles stopped to let his teammate Ekström pass and act as a squire from behind. The Swede could still have some option, 3rd overall, 26m46s behind Lategan. Cristina Gutiérrez did the same with Al Attiyah, fourth at 30m21s.
At the first checkpoint, at kilometer 45 (of 275), Nasser and Yazeed went on the attack to close the gap on the South African. The curious thing is that the Saudi let the Qatari pass so he could give it his all. So Nasser was leading with Ekström second at 59s, Al Rajhi third at 1m15s, and Lategan was behind, eighth, at 2m58s. So the Saudi was 1m40s ahead of him in the virtual general standings, but it was not enough to be the leader.
However, at second Way Point (km 94), the two Gulf pilots were not able to keep up with Ekström, who was flying the Ford Raptor. The Swede set the best time, with Al Rajhi second at 1m21s and Lategan already fourth at 3m44s. That is to say, the Saudi was 2m23s ahead of the South African, so he kept the lead… for only 4 seconds! Nasser dropped to 6th place, 4m07s behind the Swede.
He surprise In the general classification he arrived at the third Way Point (km 138, of the 275 of the special), as Al Rajhi accelerated the pace further through the dunes and managed to put 3m43s on Lategan (5th). So the Saudi was already the virtual leader having wiped out the 2m27s that the South African was ahead of him. Nasser was provisional 3rd, 3m44 behind Ekström in the lead, who continued to impress with his Ford Raptor T1+.
(In development)
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