Defending champion Carlos Sainz took the direct in the Dakar Rally auto group immediately after successful Sunday’s initially appropriate stage in the Saudi Arabian desert ahead of Mini teammate Stephane Peterhansel.
The Spaniard was eight seconds clear of ‘Mr Dakar’ Peterhansel the Frenchman who has gained a history thirteen periods on two wheels and four general immediately after the 277-km timed stage from the port city of Jeddah to Bisha.
Overnight chief Nasser Al-Attiyah, who gained Saturday’s shorter prologue for the factory Toyota group, dropped back again to tenth and just about 12 minutes off the direct.
“We decided to get the prologue, and we anticipated to eliminate time opening the street now. Tomorrow’s stage is what truly matters,” mentioned the Qatari.
Sainz, a triple Dakar winner whose son and namesake is a Ferrari Method 1 driver, had began 28th immediately after a puncture in the prologue but came back again aggressively in his X-Raid Mini JCW buggy.
“We had a puncture and a problem with the roadbook manufactured us eliminate four minutes. Joyful with the P1 and with the direct tomorrow,” the fifty eight-12 months-aged mentioned on Twitter.
Peterhansel lost time with a puncture in the previous 50km.
9-periods earth rally champion Sebastien Loeb had a tricky day, the Frenchman suffering three punctures and dropping just about 24 minutes driving for the Bahrain Raid Xtreme group.
Spaniard Cristina Gutierrez led the way in the lightweight prototype group, turning out to be the initially feminine winner of a Dakar stage because Germany’s Jutta Kleinschmidt in 2005. Kleinschmidt gained the Dakar auto group in 2001.
Gutierrez, a four periods finisher in the Dakar, not too long ago signed up to compete in the new Severe E series for a group owned by seven periods Method 1 champion Lewis Hamilton.
In the bikes, Australian two-periods champion Toby Price tag was 23 seconds clear of Argentina’s Kevin Benavides general whilst American 2020 champion Ricky Brabec lost his way and ended up seventeen minutes adrift.
“Now (was) really tricky with the navigation. I got lost a minimal bit about 7km from the finish,” mentioned KTM rider Price tag. “I took a minimal bit of time just striving to get back again on observe listed here.”
The Dakar, a single of motorsport’s most harmful and grueling situations, is becoming held entirely in Saudi Arabia for the 2nd time, with competitors in a protecting bubble immediately after testing destructive for COVID-19.
The rally ends in Jeddah on Jan. fifteen.