Bengaluru — Henk Lategan’s overall lead was slashed as a road book note error caused many Dakar Rally drivers at the front of the field in Sunday’s stage seven to lose their bearings.
The South African’s lead fell to 21 sec as organisers erased any gains or losses for a 20km stretch of the desert rally due to the error.
Lategan finished 15th in the 419km special in Al Duwadimi. His closest challenger in the overall standings, local hero Yazeed Al-Rajhi, came seventh to throw the championship battle wide open.
Lucas Moraes, who lost nearly three hours on Saturday due to a shock absorber problem, bounced back to win the stage, as Mattias Ekström finished second to remain third overall.
“We didn’t have anything to lose today, so we pushed a lot,” Moraes said.
Five-time Dakar winner Nasser Al-Attiyah was fourth to the finish line, and maintained fourth place in the general rankings.
Daniel Sanders, the overall leader in the motorcycle category, made a late push to become the first rider to win five specials in a single Dakar race since fellow Australian Toby Price in 2016.
The Red Bull KTM rider extended his overall lead to 15 min 33 sec over second-placed Tosha Schareina.
“We had a lot of rain. But it was only at the start, so it was a pretty wet line to see in front,” Sanders said.
Stage eight of the Dakar Rally will take place on Monday.
Reuters
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