The Dakar tightens four days from the end

Far are those editions of the Dakar in which the winner was clear at this stage of competition. In this of 2022 there are still overturns in practically all the categories, especially in the motorcycle category, which maintain a fight that seems to last until Friday.

And if on Sunday Sam Sunderland had a day to forget, he made up for it in a big way this Monday. The Briton regained the head of the race with a stage in which he gave it his all. He told it himself after arriving at the Wadi Al Dawasir bivouac: “Sometimes you have to go on the attack.” In a stage of almost 400 kilometers with many dunes, especially in the first half, the GasGas driver gave the chest a ‘do’ and did not let his rivals, with Matthias Walkner in front, take away the partial victory. It was not a bright day for everyone, and in fact Adrien Van Beveren lost the first place in the general classification by falling 20 minutes with respect to the winner. He is now third.

Among those who gave time was Joan Barreda. The Spaniard continues to suffer with his broken clavicle, forcing him to be more careful than he would like. Ironically, and although he came within almost 12 minutes of Sunderland, not only did he not lose positions, but he gained them. Now he is fifth (he started on the seventh day) and has the head of the race at 14 minutes. Clinging tooth and nail to his options, the lesson in pride does not make him lose focus: he will not deliver this Dakar as long as he has the strength. “It has been a difficult day for me, especially at the beginning of the clock because I have the softest suspensions since the injury. I have fallen and it has been difficult to continue at a good pace, “he confessed. And it is that you not only have to adapt your piloting, but also its mechanics. It has already been seen that, if it can be up there, leaders can fail at any moment.

One of those who also gave up time at this stage was Lorenzo Santolino. The man from Salamanca entered 20 minutes behind the winner of the day, but still maintains his regular classification: he is seventh. Although it is further away, it remains in the noble zone.

Historic day for Audi

When Audi announced its gala line-up for the Dakar 2022, there were many suspicious looks on Mattias Ekstrom. Rookie, newcomer from disciplines very different from raids, due to the course of the race he has become the first rider, with the permission of Carlos Sainz. And his debut as a winner came on a day in which Audi put its three cars in the positions of honor.

Ekstrom left Stéphane Peterhansel without a first victory in this raid, who continues to struggle like a luxury backpacker for his teammates. Out of all options, the Frenchman was the leader in much of the special, until a final arreón from the Swede prevented him from winning. Carlos Sainz, injured by two punctures, had to settle for the fight for bronze, which was only a few seconds from the finish line: just three seconds.

Although the third place of the day was in the air for hours. Sebastien Loeb, the only one in a position to prevent Nasser Al-Attiyah’s fourth Dakar, is clear that his only possible strategy is to go on the attack. Therefore, aware that he must force the Qatari to fail to abandon his usual ‘amarrategui’ tactic, he put his Hunter’s mechanics to the limit, including a puncture at the start of the special that left him without a spare tire. The problem is that, after the neutralization at kilometer 200, he lost the second: something that is strictly prohibited by the regulations. According to the Dakar regulations, any piece that is lost on the way between departure and arrival has to be picked up by the vehicle of which it is part. The objective is not to turn the beautiful landscapes of the Arabian desert into a kind of junkyard. Loeb reached the finish line with the flap of his BRX open and without the second spare tire, so the stewards began an investigation to subject him to a five-minute punishment, as they had done in previous stages.

Whatever a seven-minute or two-minute lead over Al-Attiyah at the end of the day, Loeb doesn’t know enough. The Frenchman needs to reduce the difference to more than half an hour and, for now, is around 40 minutes with Toyota’s Qatari. An Al-Attiyah who also had a mechanical scare: he had a puncture and the differential of the rear axle transmission broke, so he finished the stage with a two-wheel-drive car. In spite of everything, he remains a leader. Another stage that comes out unscathed.