Already winner of the “48h time” stage, Adrien Van Beveren achieved another success in this Dakar. The Frenchman from Honda won stage 9 on Tuesday, consisting of 417 km of special between Haïl and Al-Ula. Taking advantage of a nice capital of bonuses gleaned for having opened almost the entire special (5’36), Van Beveren reached the finish line with 42 seconds ahead of Ricky Brabec (Honda).
Double satisfaction for the Frenchman, author of the 5th success of his career and who at the same time makes a comeback in the general classification. Fourth at 11’58” before the start, Van Beveren is now in 3rd position 11’16” behind the leader, who remains Brabec. The American is the other winner of the day because he certainly failed for the stage but he made the hole in the lead, with a margin of 7’09” over Ross Branch.
At the opposite end of the spectrum of the day, José Ignacio Cornejo presented himself beaten as he fell from the overall podium. The Chilean finished more than 10 minutes behind Van Beveren on Tuesday and finds himself 13’46” behind Brabec in the standings.
