The weather changed.
Not only the weather, since for the first time this year,
the Dakar caravan approached the shores of the Red Sea
.
In fact, the camp is on the bay that flows into the intense blue of the water.
Also in the spirit of the almost 3,000 people, who for two weeks intensified the route through Saudi Arabia, from east to west and back, including the deep south of the
Empty Quarter
desert .
The end is right in front of us, as the big competition will end on Friday.
And although there are 328 kilometers left, of which 175 will be special tests,
each discipline seems to have an early ruling
.
It's true, talking about definitions when the Dakar has not yet concluded is daring, since here one blow changes everything, like in boxing.
But if there was a category that seemed to culminate in the emotion of uncertainty, it was the car category, as
Sebastien Loeb cut times against the leader
, also former world rally champion, Carlos Sainz.
Stage 11 passed.
We already knew how many stones we were going to find and we went with great caution.
Tomorrow we have 175 km of special ahead of us and we will do everything in our power to reach the end!
Thank you all very much for your support!
💪🏻… pic.twitter.com/jl7rdfkLd3
— Carlos Sainz (@CSainz_oficial) January 18, 2024
But in the middle of the penultimate stage, between AlUla and Yanbú,
the French driver hit the stones and broke the right front suspension arm of his Hunter
.
As soon as he got out to see what had happened, he realized that the Dakar was over for him.
In fact, after a while the Spaniard Sainz passed by, to whom he signaled with both hands as if he had nothing more to do.
It took him more than 90 minutes to continue in the race, arriving 36th and saying goodbye to the dream of getting his first Touareg.
“When I saw Loeb stopped, I realized that it was very complicated, and I dedicated myself to taking care of the car. But the truth is that I don't know if there is a way to take care of these rocky terrains, since we have also had a puncture
,” commented Sainz,
who if he wins on Friday will go down in history for being the first driver to win with a hybrid vehicle, since The Audio RS Q e-tron is powered by electric motors
, which in turn receive energy from a combustion impeller.
The one who is closing a good Dakar, despite all the problems he suffered, is
Juan Cruz Yacopini
from Mendoza , who was 7th with the Toyota Hilux and occupies 20th place overall.
Juan Cruz Yacopini with his Toyota Hilux.
(EFE)
Argentina has a new partial victory.
Once again Nicolás Cavigliasso won the Challenger category,
the light vehicles, and has good points for the World Championship of the specialty, since he is 7th overall, far from the vanguard, occupied by the North American Mitch Guthrie.
Among the national representatives,
the one who has every chance of claiming victory is Manuel Andújar
, in the quadricycles.
He was second, 37 seconds behind Frenchman Alex Giroud, and ahead of him in the table by 8m14s.
“My body was full of questions in the middle of the stage, because I broke the chassis in the middle. I wanted to die, so I came taking care of everything. Now it will have to be repaired for the last stage
,” the Lobos pilot confessed to
Clarín
, and that if he wins it will be his second
statuette
obtained from him, and here in Saudi Arabia.
In motorcycles,
the North American Ricky Brabec
was second, just 32 seconds behind Ross Branch (Hero), whom he surpasses in the general standings by 10m22s.
“We did things well, everything went perfectly.
I hope that on the last day I can maintain the pace
,” said the leader.
Beyond the fight for the Dakar in the premier category,
the Benavides brothers try to complete the race
, saddened by the superiority of rival brands.
Kevin, who defends last year's victory, was 7th in the stage and remains 5th overall, 42 minutes from the lead, and Luciano, with Husqvarna, was fourth, but 7th, 55 minutes from the lead. .
“We know that we are not with the same weapons. That discourages. But we are here to put our best foot forward, satisfied with what we have been doing in these conditions
,” said Kevin, who underwent surgery 45 days ago for a fracture in his left leg.
Luciano Benavides with his Husqvarna motorcycle.
(EFE)
Great performance by Diego Llanos from Rioja, who was 13th in the stage and is 19th overall (“My goal is to be among the best 20,” he confessed);
The debutant Santiago Rostan was 39th and is 38th in the table, while the Cordoban Santiago Urquía was 71st and occupies 70th place overall.
After 15 days of vertigo and adventure, the Dakar ends the 2024 edition on the shores of the Red Sea.
So convulsed in the south with the conflict in Yemen, the most demanding race in the world ends “the toughest competition since it arrived in the Middle East in 2020,” according to the general director of the event, David Castera.
Although it seems that everything is defined, we have to wait.
Everything is never said in the mythical and great adventure of motor sports.