Laia Sainz (Astara Team) is coming off a rest day after successfully completing the grueling 48-hour time trial. The second half of this sixth stage seems like a mere formality, especially for the contestants who have made it to the final camps. However, the physical fatigue of the participants and the mechanical wear and tear of the first week of the 2024 Dakar Rally are factors to consider in this final sprint before the competition moves to Riyadh.
Laia Sanz and Maurizio Gerini Yesterday they reached kilometer point 398, place where camp D was established where they spent the night with some of the main candidates for absolute victory in the cars. With no problems with the Astara 02 Concept that would force them to spend a lot of time and energy on repairs, they concentrated on making some small adjustments to tackle what for them was only 150 competitive kilometers this Friday.also around Shubaytah.
More sand and sand before the end of the day very positive for the options of the couple Sanz-Gerini to finish in the top fifteen in the car category despite the clutch suffering in the last 100 kilometers of the stage.
Coming into the race on the rest day in Riyadh, Astara Team is 19th in the general scratch (17th in Ultimate), keeping all options for victory in its category, where they remain third in T1.2 Ultimate two-wheel drive.
“We are very happy that we have reached the end of the marathon stage. The truth is that it is very difficult and in 4×2 (two-wheel drive) it is very stressful. ANDThis Thursday we were having a very good stage, but we saw that consumption is very high and we have to slow down a lot. I think we’re very smart because otherwise we wouldn’t have gotten there. Also, it took us a while to get Waypoint, but we’re satisfied,” the Catalan argued.
He made it to the end despite a clutch problem
“This Friday, however, there was a lot of stress because 100 kilometers from the end the clutch started to slip and it was very difficult for us to get to the end of the stage because we had to find the lines that suited us,” added Corbera de Llobregat.
“We are happy because we have been smart and we are proud to be here. Now, in the second week, I also hope that a better phase will come for us and for our car,” he concluded.
For his part, the Astara Team manager, Óscar Fuertes, also showed his satisfaction with the Catalan results. “We are very happy because we faced the most difficult stage that has been made this Dakar season in Saudi Arabia. The number of incidents and losses in the stage shows this. The hardness of the stage pushed the machines and the drivers to the limit, ” he commented.
“It was very difficult for Laia because in the first 24 hours she had to manage the fuel consumption and in the second stage she had to deal with a clutch slipping in the last 100 kilometers. It was a big effort for both. wheels engine that was needed pull the clutch to get out of the dunes,” Fuertes concluded.
This Saturday, rest day
The team will now face the rest day in Riyadh so that Laia Sanz and Maurizio Gerini can regain their strength before facing the second part of the competition. The astara Team will focus on overhauling and getting the Astara 02 Concept fully ready for Sunday’s seventh stage of the 483km time trial at Al Duwadimi.
Óscar Fuertes is very satisfied with this end of the first part of the rally for the team: “We are happy to reach the rest day without problems and face one of the toughest challenges of the Dakar 2024 in the new 48-stage this. time”.
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.
