Dakar, new stage format: 48 hours chrono

Dunes galore were on the programme in the Empty Quarter, through which the competitors are passing during two days as part of a new stage format: 48 hours chrono.

Over a special totalling 625 km for the FIM riders, each competitor had to stop at 4 pm at one of the seven bivouacs dotted along the route.

In the Empty Quarter, the conditions are nothing like anywhere else and the amount of soft sand to be swallowed up under the wheels has multiple consequences, for example on fuel consumption, which the competitors must know how to gauge.

Unfortunately, that was something that Pablo Quintanilla was unable to do.

The most advanced riders and drivers on the stage map will not necessarily be tomorrow’s winners, but so far the dunes have been tamed in the best possible way by Adrien Van Beveren on his bike and Carlos Sainz in his car.

They respectively have 112 km and 149 km left in order to complete this loop back to Shubaytah as winners.

When racing through the dunes, the ability to climb and to get over them is not the be all and end all.

It may seem obvious, but it’s essential to take mechanical aspects into account as well, and that starts with a basic parameter: managing how much fuel you have.

Pablo Quintanilla, who ran out of fuel ten kilometres before the first refuelling point, paid a hefty price for his negligence and, after 424 km, has dropped down the rankings by more than 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Several of his team-mates on the Honda team, for whom he will now be able to act as a water (or petrol!) carrier, were wiser as well as more efficient and can still envisage triumphing in Yanbu, notably Ricky Brabec who is now the virtual leader of the general rankings with an advantage of 2’48’’ over Ross Branch.

However, the same can be said for Nacho Cornejo and Adrien Van Beveren, the day’s quickest rider up to point F, located after 537 kilometres, where ten bikers will be spending the night tonight.

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