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Ryad (AFP) – The battle on Sunday between Sébastien Loeb and Carlos Sainz turned to the advantage of the Alsatian winner of the 8th stage of the Dakar 2023 on the eve of a much-awaited day of rest following a trying first week of rally-raid.
Relegated to oblivion in the general classification due to a 29-hour delay due among other things to his accident during the 6th stage, Sainz (Audi) nevertheless spent the day attacking and resisting Loeb.
He was once announced the winner of the stage with 1 min and 29 sec ahead of Loeb. But a 5-minute speeding penalty was held once morest him and robbed him of what would have been the 43rd victory in this event.
Loeb (Prodrive) therefore won, according to the provisional classification, with a 2 min and 11 sec lead over Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota) and 3 min and 31 sec over Sainz’s hybrid Audi following 822 km of race drawn in valleys and sand between Al-Duwadimi and Riyadh.
“Everything was perfect today, except for a puncture: no noise on the car, no small lap, no gardening”, commented Fabian Lurquin, the Belgian co-driver of Loeb.
This 18th stage victory for Loeb does not change the delay accumulated on the “Prince of the dunes” and defending champion. Loeb remains 1 hour and 52 minutes behind Al-Attiyah, sole boss of the race in the provisional general classification.
The Qatari is indeed 1 hour and 3 minutes ahead of his South African teammate Henk Lategan, and 1 hour 20 minutes over the Brazilian Lucas Moraes, a temporary podium still 100% Toyota.
Al-Attiyah, barring an accident, is therefore heading for a fifth title in this event.
“Nasser and Mathieu are far ahead. And if they don’t have any minor problems like we had, we won’t go looking for them, but the podium is accessible”, wants to believe Lurquin.
In motorcycling, the Bostwana Ross Branch rider won the event on Sunday with his Hero, with Mason Klein (USA / KTM) at 1 min and 33 sec hot on his heels, who virtually took the lead in the provisional general classification before the lose penalized 2 min for speeding.
After the cancellation of stage 7 on Saturday due to torrential rains which damaged the bodies and the state of the bivouac roads, the bikers resumed the race on Sunday invigorated.
Third place in today’s stage goes to Australian Daniel Sanders (GasGas), ill during stage 6 and who recovered, only crossing the finish line with a gap of 3 minutes and 15 seconds on Branch.
The American Skyler Howes (Husqvarna) retains the provisional first place in the Dakar ahead of the Argentinian Kevin Benavides (KTM) and the Californian Mason Klein who are both at 1 min and 13 sec.
The young Californian Klein benefits from 8 min 31 seconds accumulated bonuses for having often opened the track.
The new rules for daily bonuses reward the first three who open the road to the supply. Sunday, the one who opened from the start to the refueling might receive 5 min 13 sec of bonuses.
The riders will hit the road once more on the 10th for a second and final week of racing before the finish on January 15 in Dammam.
© 2023 AFP
