BarcelonaThe Dakar continues to add miles of race and subtract those that are missing for the finish line. The second day of competition brought a great farewell to a great protagonist and allowed riders to regain sensations who in the first stage ended up lost in the desert.
Petrucci sinks
Former MotoGP rider Danilo Petrucci was training this year in the toughest race in the world. The Italian, who left the World Cup to face this new challenge, said goodbye in the second stage. At kilometer 115 of the route, he was stopped due to mechanical problems and, despite trying to repair his KTM, he was unable to resume driving and had to ask the organization to evacuate him by helicopter. Petrucci had made a promising debut in the prologue stage (he was 23rd) and shone in stage 1B, in which he signs a remarkable 13th position. And all this after the journey for a false positive for covid that almost leaves him out of the Dakar. According to some media, the driver does not rule out trying to compete again in the third stage, but would receive a heavy penalty, as established by the regulations.
Joan Barreda flies to the desert
The Torreblanca rider surprised everyone in the second stage by crossing the desert. After the day started marked by heavy rains and floods that have forced the cancellation of the marathon stage, Rui Gonçalves (Sherco) has taken the lead in the event. Barreda, second and with a devilish rhythm, held the pulse until, when his rival lost the step, he put the direct one and crossed the finish line in first position. With the victory, the Castellon native is the third most successful motorcycle rider in the history of the competition (28), five from the record of 33 shared by the French Stéphane Peterhansel and Cyril Despres. The general on motorcycles is led by Sam Sundeland (GasGas) with a margin of more than 2 minutes over the second, Adrien Van Beveren (Monster Energy Yamaha).
Recovering sensations
The first stage had left very bad feelings for several drivers, but especially for Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz. They were lost for more than two hours in the dunes of the desert of Saudi Arabia after losing a checkpoint. The second day, on the other hand, allowed them to recover their good impressions and they were able to cross the finish line third without any shocks. In cars, Sébastien Loeb won at the end of the second stage of this 44th Dakar. The Frenchman raises his car victory score to 15 in the most important rally raids, equaling his compatriots Jean-Louis Schlesser and Bruno Saby. The general in cars is led by Nasser Al-Attiyah and Matthieu Baumel (Toyota) with a margin of more than 2 minutes over the second, Sebatien Loeb and Fabian Luquin (Bahrain Raid).
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