Problems for Loeb in the main stage of the Dakar and he leaves everything in the hands of Sainz

Sébastien Loeb had to attack everyone on stage 11, the penultimate of the Dakar 2024, which could be his last bullet for the Dakar victory that was so far away from him. He arrived at this special stage 13 minutes and 22 seconds behind Carlos Sainz, who suffered more failures than the Spaniard during the rally. He is trying everything in the second week to cut the Spaniard’s time. From his surrender 29 minutes into stage 6, it was down to 13 with two days left. In stage 11, you are left with a very dangerous terrain, full of rocks where it is very easy to get holes and cause problems for your Hunter. And finally, bad luck struck again.

Sébastien Loeb managed to say goodbye to all his chances of winning the 2024 Dakar when he suffered a mechanical problem with his Prodrive car that forced him to stop at kilometer 132 of the 420 that make up Thursday’s special. The Alsatian driver, who has always been overwhelmed in the most difficult races in the world, has dropped out of the fight year after year for one reason or another, was struck by fate again.

In a very difficult day, with many rocks, where the holes could be the key, Sébastien did not make it to the end, putting pressure on Carlos as he was not able to advance even a meter from 9.50 hours of the Spanish to a point where he still remains. stop for now. The organization has not yet indicated the reason why Loeb, a French driver found by Carlos Sainz who stopped in the middle of the special, was hit. It should have filled the Spaniard with confidence and should have allowed him to know that he could put his foot down so as not to take unnecessary risks on a very complicated stage to save the mechanics.

With Loeb in trouble, and the third place overall, Lucas Moraes, more than an hour away, Carlos Sainz’s only priority has to reach the finish line of the special 11 and in tomorrow’s stage to achieve the Dakar. At this point, only a major reliability problem or an accident could leave the Spaniard without his fourth Touareg and a historic victory.

8th Dakar and 0 titles

Sébastien Loeb continues to love the Dakar. The French driver, who is used to reigning with great ease in the special stages of the World Rally Championship, comes to Dakar wanting to follow the example of other rally drivers who have succeeded in Dakar. I know that raids are a more complex discipline, where many other factors interfere with the final result, with more importance on reliability, navigational problems and punctures due to the extreme hardness of the test and in many stages. that is disputed. A test every year, where if you don’t succeed in an edition, you have to wait another 365 days to have another chance. One of the most beautiful and iconic quotes, as well as the cruelest. Leob, above all, knows this last part, the drama of being very fast, as shown, for example, by his 7 stage wins in 2023, including a record of 6 consecutive stage victories in a Dakar where he still came. 2nd.

In 2023, he said goodbye to his stage 2 options, due to the many boulders on the route. He got a flat tire three times and had to waste over an hour waiting for the truck. Now, on the way to that area, as if it were his own ‘Bermuda Triangle’, Loeb again suffered a problem, this time mechanical, which forced him to leave.

Another in a list of mechanical misfortunes and failures that have left Loeb without the scepter on 7 other occasions. Carlos Sainz, for example, also met that face in his first three Dakars. But in the fourth he took his first ‘touareg’. And now, in his 17th Dakar by car, he has a fourth coronation within reach with 4 different brands. Loeb is in his eighth Dakar and is still without a hand, chasing a dream that for now remains a nightmare.