“The last laugh, the best laugh”, They said. And that phrase should always be taken into account Dakar. You should do it Carlos Sainz this Wednesdayafter give up 9 minutes compared to Nasser Al-Attiyahwinner of stage 5, and remains in 7’02” Al-Rajhi, second in stage 5 and overall Dakar leader. now, Al-Rajhi commands with a 9’03” margin over Al-Attiyahwho overtook the Spaniard Carlos Sainz in the classification, who was 11’31” from the lead. But not everything is as it seems. Carlos gave in, but it is not certain and everything can change, without going further than a dreaded stage 6 where Carlos may have the key to return and one of the keys to the Dakar in his hands.
This Wednesday is a trap stage. Only 118 kilometersbut very complex, full of dunes, where the Dakar caravan entered the dreaded ‘Empty Quarter’, the largest sand desert in the world, with a total area of about 65,000 square kilometers and can have all types of sand, including giant sand dunes up to 300 meters high. crazy A sea of sands where the opening of a track can take a huge toll on the famous and long-awaited stage 6, the so-called ’48 Hour Chrono’, which will last two days and start this Thursday. There, cars and motorcycles are differentroad book‘, and therefore, the car that opens will not be guided by any traces left by competitors with two wheels.
The challenge for the pilot opening the track in stage 6, of 600 kilometers of sand dunes In its two days, it will be a very complicated task. He accepted it with a smile Nasser Al-Attiyah, who is better than him, the ‘Prince of the desert’, who knows the sands like the garden of his house, to accept that challenge to hit the general classification. However, the theory goes that his bet was too risky. Nasser will start first and behind him, the general leader, the Saudi Al-Rajhi. AND Carlos Sainz He would do it from a perfect position, 13th after giving up 9 minutes. And in addition, he will have the help of his Audi partner Stéphane Peterhansel, who is just behind him in stage 5. The two must team up to face the vastness of the desert and all its traps. It’s a big chance for Sainz to get his claws out and hit his rivals for the overall lead.
Furthermore, if Carlos manages to impose a good rhythm, he can find himself in Mattias Ekström, which was 7th in this Wednesday’s episode. Another Audi ally for the Spanish to come along for their opponents. The Swede was 4th overall in 22 minutes.
For its part, for Sébastien Loeb stage 5 of the Dakar may mean goodbye to his choices. I guess this race is another year. The Frenchman had to open the track after his victory on stage 4. On a day full of sand dunes, it was painful for him to start first, with no one in front. Opening the track hurt him so much that he even missed a way-pointwhich cost him a 15 minute penalty ending the day 21’13” behind the special winner. Loeb was 43 minutes away, so far, so far. It sent a clear warning of what Al-Attiyah and Al-Rajhi were exposed to by exiting the 48-hour time trial early. By a big margin Loeb lost so much time in just 100 km. Stage 6 will have about 600 in the middle of the ‘Empty Quarter’ desert.
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.
