Laia Sanz has begun Dakar Rally 2024 difficult If the day before, the uncompetitive preliminaries for the general classification, he had to resign himself to take 60th place in the starting order for the opening stage of the Three Kings Day this Saturday, the pilot of the KH-7 has gained experience, is and good work to overcome the 414 hour kilometers between Al-Ula and Al Henakiyah (Saudi Arabia) in a good position. Enrolled in the Astara team, he is 24th on the stage – the same position he occupies in the general classification – and third in his category, the so-called T1.2, reserved for 4×2 traction vehicles. At this stage he finished just behind Nasser Al Attiyah and ahead of Stéphane Peterhansel, two of the Dakarian legends in history.
At the controls of the Astara 02 Concept, and co-piloted by Italian Maurizio Gerini, Sanz went out strong this morning. It has done so late, forcing it to refine to the limit the always difficult balance between risk and caution, in order to recover as many positions as possible.
“We started strong. We know we have to push where we can because starting in 60th place we run the risk of being trapped in backward positions for a few days if we don’t finish in a good place today,” explained the woman from in Corbera de Llobregat (Barcelona).
The big difficulty was the amount of dust raised by the cars ahead: “It was very difficult to overtake, but we pushed as hard as we could, although at some moments we had to stop the car because we couldn’t see. absolutely anything.”
“Fortunately, the first part of the special is sandier and does not present many problems, but then it is very complicated. In the 414 kilometer section, we did about 300 with very little visibility. Then we went through some rocky areas if where it’s very easy to puncture. In Maurizio we made the decision, I think the right one, to slow down there not to stop to change a tire, and I think it went well, although I must admit that for a while it seemed to us that we are wasting a lot of time and we have “I have to be patient,” describes the 13-time Dakar finisher.
Despite all the difficulties, Laia Sanz and Maurizio Gerini They passed around twenty cars on the track to finish in a very positive 24th absolute position, 29 minutes and 53 seconds behind first, and on their first podium in the two-wheel drive category. “The result is very good and will allow us to leave in a good position tomorrow, although I think we would have finished better if we had finished in the top 20, for example, instead of far away,” explained the KH- rider 7. .
This Sunday, the Catalan pilot will face the second stage of the Dakar, which will connect Al Henakiyah to Al Duwadimi, in another incredible 462 kilometers of time, for a total of 654.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
