Dakar
The Madrilenian lost an hour due to the broken suspension of his car, the problem that had complicated them from day one
Three Kings Day did not bring good gifts for the Spanish candidates to win the Dakar 2022. At least not for those who already know what it is like to succeed in a stage this year, since both Carlos Sainz and Joan Barreda yielded notably with respect to the winners of the day.
The most affected was the ‘Matador’, who says goodbye to the few options to overcome that he had left. After fighting for the upper part of the stage, when he was around 200 kilometers, he had to stop his Audi RS Q e-Tron to wait for assists. The reason: the suspension. The big problem that has plagued the project with the four rings has always been this. In five stages (plus a prologue), the bearings, shock absorbers or the wishbones themselves have failed, or have broken.
This time it was Sainz’s china. The Madrilenian was among the top positions when, around kilometer 200, he had to stop. Desperate, he and Lucas Cruz got out to try to fix it, but they couldn’t. They had to wait for a guardian angel, Stéphane Peterhansel himself. The Frenchman was fighting for his first stage victory in this edition of the Dakar, his private preserve (he has fourteen wound), but he did not hesitate for a moment: he stopped and immediately he and his co-driver Edouard Boulanger got down to work to put a shock absorber from your own car to Sainz. He was already more than 27 hours late, so his role is clear for this Dakar, but the image of camaraderie they have offered is clear. But beyond that, the problem is serious. Especially because in the few tests they did (perhaps that is the problem) before the Dakar it had not appeared. “We have to analyze what is happening there, and see if from here to the end of the rally we can solve it,” asked the Madrilenian.
The winner of the day was Henk Lategan, who reached the finish line with a flat tire and the door open, because he had dislodged in the first kilometers of the special. The South African made up for himself with the premiere of his Dakar record of the abandonment of last year in his debut, which was also in the fifth stage. The Toyota team beat Sebastien Loeb by almost two minutes, who remains the only possible rival for Nasser Al-Attiyah. The Qatari entered almost five minutes behind the winner at the finish line and just under three minutes from the French. He holds the lead with a relatively comfortable mattress: 35:10.
Petrucci’s suspenseful premiere
Danilo Petrucci can already say that he is the winner of a MotoGP Grand Prix and a Dakar stage. The Italian, out of competition since the problems of the second day, achieved a victory that was suspended for several hours.
After shining through several stages, Petrucci took the glory for just two seconds over Ross Branch and thanks to a six-minute penalty to Toby Price, who was the first to reach the finish line. The two-time Dakar champion in 2016 and 2019 was punished for speeding at a neutralized point, although it was not confirmed until well after a few hours. And it is that the organization stopped the race when there was already half a peloton at the finish line. The stage was very unique, since for the first time the cars, SSVs, light prototypes and trucks passed through a totally different route from motorcycles and quads, some to the north and others to the south of Riyadh (today the stages will be reversed for some and others). A sandstorm and the large number of accidents that occurred blocked the medical helicopters, so it took a long time for the organization to confirm the final classification.
Joan Barreda was involved in one of those accidents. The Spaniard, who opened the track for being the winner the day before, entered almost 17 minutes later than Petrucci, so the time gained on Wednesday was gone. The most serious thing was not that, but a fall in the middle of the stage that seriously damaged his shoulder, to the point that this Friday he will make the decision to continue in the race or abandon.
The overall leader is still Sam Sunderland, with almost two and a half minutes over Matthias Walkner, who finished the day right in front of him. Lorenzo Santolino remains in fifth place, just over 15 minutes away. On two wheels things are much more equal than in cars, as was predictable.
This Friday will be the last stage before the only rest day of this Dakar. Finishing in a good position before taking a breath will be key, and all are marked in red which could be a fundamental day for the future of the raid.
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