The man from Madrid had a nasty accident and, after almost giving up, continued in the race despite running out of options. Barreda said goodbye after being evacuated by helicopter
There will be no Spanish winners in the queen categories of the 2023 Dakar, but they will have gained notoriety. After the rest phase, the return on day 9 of the toughest attack in the world made its name in a different way, with Sainz and Barreda, the main assets of the army in Saudi Arabia.
The pride (exaggerated?) of Carlos Sainz was demonstrated from the start. At almost 61 years old, he does not want this 2023 Dakar to be one of those who remember him negatively, even if he risks the type. He had covered only three miles when he and Lucas Cruz fell over violently as they jumped over a dune that was steeper than expected. On landing, they nosedive in the Audi and flipped over, forcing them to immediately jump out of the car.
As per medical protocol, help arrived immediately and it was initially reported that Sainz would be evacuated by helicopter for a check-up at a hospital in Riyadh, which for competition purposes meant he was abandoned. And here the surreal episode began. The organization confirmed that the man had come from Madrid to drive the plane, but it had not flown. The Matador underwent a medical examination ‘on the spot’ and, seeing that he was fine, decided to return to the accident area to try to resume the march. If the helicopter had taken off with Sainz in it, it would have been a direct abandonment.
But not. Carlos Sainz remains determined to show that his status as a world motorsport legend is not only for what he was in the 90s, but also for what he is today. Four hours and a bit after taking the massive blow, with the car battered but sturdy enough to roll, he resumed the march without the pressure of time trials, but only aiming to reach Haradh. For days now, the challenge has not been to win, but to finish with pride intact.
Be that as it may, the accident was recorded from several points and in all of them one certainty is clear: Sainz and Cruz went too fast. Known in slang as “foot to table”, the man from Madrid and the Catalan supported the entire weight of their bodies on the protection belts when nailing into the sand. It could have been something much more serious, but the passive safety systems (which later serve to redirect them to road cars) in the competition were again key.
The stage victory did not go without controversy to Sebastien Loeb. The Frenchman started 15 minutes late to the scheduled departure time, but the penalty imposed on him was barely two minutes and then some. This allowed him to hold onto first place ahead of Vaidotas Zala and Guerlain Chicherit, Loeb’s teammates in the Prodrive structure who scored a great hat-trick. The leader and big contender for overall victory, Nasser Al-Attiyah, continues to run: he came comfortably 11 minutes behind the day’s winner, but retains the overall lead by an hour and 20 margin.
Unlike Sainz, Joan Barreda did say goodbye to the Dakar and did so with great shock. The Valencian had already had two serious accidents in the previous days, but had saved his continuity with more courage than options. Without going too far from the general’s head, the Torreblanca man on the back of a semi-private Honda had shown that he was still someone to be reckoned with. In what may be his last Dakar participation, Barreda said goodbye by helicopter.
The fault was in a nasty fall at kilometer 16 of the special, when he lost control of his bike and landed on the ground. The pain in his back made it necessary to put him on a stretcher and take him to a hospital in Riyadh, where ‘Bang Bang’ has undergone tests to determine the extent of his injuries. Thus he bids farewell to the great Spanish hopes of giving the bell a Dakar that keeps Skyler Howes in the lead after finishing third in the stage won by Luciano Benavides over Toby Price. The fight on motorcycles continues to heat up: between Howes and Price there are only three seconds with four effective competition phases remaining.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
