2024-01-13 20:29:43
The Rest Day remained semi-calm until this Saturday followingnoon in the Dakar. However, when it was already night in Riyadh, around 6 p.m., The Federation of Sports Motorsports (FIA) publicly announced the disqualification of the leader in the Challenger categorythe 19-year-old pilot Eryk Goczalfor using a carbon composite clutch that did not comply with Article 286-23 of the appendix to the technical regulations.
This situation allowed the new leader of the series to be the American Mitchell Guthrie (Taurus) with 27 hours 54 minutes 20 seconds, followed by the Spanish Cristina Gutiérrez at 24’16”, from the Chilean Francisco Chaleco López at 24’34 and from the American Austin Jones at 47’54.
Not only was the duo made up of Erik Goczal and Oriol Mena disqualified, but they also suffered this determination Michal Goczal and Simon Gospodarczyk, for the same situation.
According to the affected team itself, “the technical regulations authorize the use of a free clutch, but another article establishes that carbon can only be used for an exhaustive list of elements in which the clutch does not appear… Although the carbon clutch did not provide additional performance, it probably did provide greater reliability.”.
Throughout the week, Eryk Goczal clearly dominated the 2024 Dakar Rally, with the Polish driver even reaching tenth position in the overall car classification. ahead of some of the cars in the Ultimate category, and leaders among the Challengers, with more than an hour ahead of their rivals.
Thus ended a relaxed Saturday day, in good spirits, recovery and supervision of his machine, which Francisco Chaleco López had with his navigator Juan Pablo Latrach (Red Bull/Can-Am Factory Racing). With third place in the general classification in the Challenger category, the Chilean pairing was 24 minutes 34 seconds behind the new leader.
After six stages and a total of eight days of racing, including the prologue in Al Ula, the 46th edition of the Dakar has been a roller coaster of groundbreaking performances, claims, debacles, plot twists, comebacks, disqualifications and surprises on the tracks and dunes of Saudi Arabia. The culmination of the first week, the new 48 Hours Chrono concept, dispersed drivers and co-drivers across the Empty Quarter, which kept its promise: almost every category saw a change in leadership when the sea of dunes emerged, just before the day of rest in Riyadh.
López Contardo, one of the most experienced drivers in the competition, set the best time in stage 5, beating Austin Jones, the current champion. With the changes in the general classification, things may continue to vary in the remainder of the Dakar competition.
STAGE 7 / RIAD – AL DUWADIMI / Link: 390 kms. Special: 483 kms. Total:
Despite the copious menu of the first days, which will probably have spread the riders a lot in the general classification, the second week offers real opportunities to improve.
But Stage 7 this Sunday the 14th will be so varied that it will not have anything like a smooth recovery. At the beginning of the route there are many changes in direction, so it will be difficult to find your way through the canyons.
And finally, the long stretches of dunes will help make the difference for the most experienced runners.
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