2023 WRC and Off Road Discussion *includes 'Dakar' *

[Everso Biggyballies]

Time to open a 2023 thread for WRC and off road stuff, which of course includes DAKAR..... I must confess Dakar has crept up on me this year. Indeed it has already started with the Prologue taking place on New Years Eve.

So from the prologue it moves on to stage 1 (maybe they call it stage 2? ) of the event proper today, 1st January 2023.


Anyway this is the thread for all things off-road.

[Everso Biggyballies]

As I mentioned in the opening post Dakar is on now.

Usual sources for info: https://www.dakar.com/en
Links there for social media, entries, and news.

As with everything these days there is a Free App.>> https://www.dakar.com/en/mobile-application



Here is a link to a vid entitled Dakar for newbies. Most at TFL reading this now I am sure are not newbies, but the video does have a bit on the history which is good. You might want to skip the intro bit.

(EDIT I found a much better albeit longer "History of the Dakar)
(Note: to me the Dakar lost a lot when it left Africa, and lost a bit more when it moved from South America to the Middle East in recent years.)
Anyone else feel the same??




The much better version of the HISTORY OF THE DAKAR






The ROUTE





The news for us in Aus has not even mentioned cars trucks or buggies.... its all about the bikes, with the two principal Aussies, Dan Sanders and Toby Price leading the bike field.

As mentioned, full links to the entries on the Dakar website linked above, but a bit of inf....
In the cars, the usual culprits, Audi Toyota Mini etc

'Car' entries include:
Toyota Gazoo: Nasser Al-Attiyah, Giniel De Villiers, Henk Lategan.
Toyota Overdrive: Yazeed Al-Rajhi, Erik Van Loon, Lucas Moraes.
Toyota Rebellion: Romain Dumas, Alexandre Pesci.
Audi: Stéphane Peterhansel, Carlos Sainz, Mattias Ekström.
Mini: Khalid Al Qassimi, Jakub Przygo?ski, Denis Krotov, Sebastian Halpern.
BRX by Prodrive: Sébastien Loeb, Guerlain Chicherit, Orlando Terranova, Vaidotas Žala.
Ford: Martin Prokop.
Astara: Carlos Checa, Laia Sanz, Óscar Fuertes.
BAIC: Guoyu Zhang, Zi Yunliang.
Century: Brian Baragwanath, Mathieu Serradori, Tim (and Tom) Coronel, Sergio Vallejo.


In the trucks as one would expect no Kamaz this year.... that should give others hope.

Iveco: Martin Van Den Brink, Mitchel van den Brink, Kees Koolen, Martin Macikk, Janus van Kasteren, Victor Versteijnen, Richard de Groot.
Tatra: Martin Soltys, Jaroslav Valtr, Tomáš Vrátný, Vaidotas Paškevi?ius.
Renault: Pascal de Baar, Gert Huzink.
Praga: Aleš Loprais
MAN: Mathias Behringer, Gerrit Zuurmond, Jordi Juvanteny.
Ford: Albert Llovera.
Hino: Teruhito Sugawara.
Scania: Rafael Tibau Maynou, Alberto Herrero, Miklós Kovács


In the Bikes.....

Gas Gas: Sam Sunderland, Daniel Sanders.
Honda: Ricky Brabec, Joan Barreda, Adrien Van Beveren, Pablo Quintanilla, José Ignacio Cornejo.
KTM: Toby Price, Mason Klein, Kevin Benavides, Matthias Walkner, Stefan Svitko.
Husqvarna: Skyler Howes, Luciano Benavides.
Sherco: Lorenzo Santolino, Rui Gonçalves.
Yamaha: Antonio Maio

Two classes of Buggies as well



As I mentioned the prologue is just a short blow the cobwebs out sprint . This time round, the 45th edition got under way on the Red Sea coast near Yanbu, which hosted a 13 km prologue on a winding sandy track packed for the occasion.

No-one expected a ten-minute effort representing about 0.3% of the special mileage from here to Dammam to provide a clear snapshot of the state of play, but it did buoy the morale of those who put their speed and skills to good effect. Toby Price, for example, bounced back after two painful exits from rallies, one due to a car fire in the Baja 1000 and another due to a crash in the Rallye du Maroc. The Australian, who was not tipped as KTM's safest bet, scored his sixteenth Dakar stage win by a single second over his compatriot Daniel Sanders, while Botswana's Ross Branch took the bottom step of the podium behind the two men from Oz.


Any way, why read about it when you can watch highlights...... Best thing for me is to upload the Prologue video highlights Less typing for me.

Extended highlights of the prologue - Dakar 2023




Cars Top Moments from the Prologue





Bikes and Quads Top Moments




Trucks

Trucks Top moments - Prologue





Now I know that Tim and Tom Coronel are very popular competitors in the Dakar as far as TFL is concerned so here is their own Prologue highlights.




Bad luck story for today.... When you day starts like shit.....

Someone must have put a jinx on Nacho Cornejo. The Chilean received a devastating blow in 2021, when he crashed out of the lead with two days to go.

Today, Nacho got his seventh Dakar off to an inauspicious start with a crash on the first turn of the prologue.
No broken bones, no serious injuries, but the time loss will leave him as salty as the breeze on the shores of the Red Sea. He finished 79th on the day and his actual deficit of 1′15″ to Toby Price was turned into a difference of 6′15″ by the coefficient of 5 applied to the prologue to dissuade competitors from sandbagging.

OK thats enough of an intro to Dakar 2023.

Discuss away and add your thoughts and news.



For Aussies SBS continue their habit of running a Daily 30 minute highlights package. It strts on Monday at 5PM and is usually on at the same time every day. (Noticed the opening episode on Monday is 1 hour long. I guess it will include Prologue and Stage 1.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Forgot to mention. There is a Dakar Classic section run in conjunction with the main event




With my love of any Historic Motorsport I will be following this section with interest.


More details here : https://www.dakar.com/en/dakar-classic


Jacky Ickx one time Dakar Champion is back on board, not driving, but as Ambassador.
However he will find it difficult not to feel nostalgic when he comes across Giuseppe Pozzi in the bivouac, as the Italian will be driving a Mercedes 280 GE identical to the one Ickx drove to victory on the banks of Lac Rose in 1983, with Claude Brasseur as his co-driver.

The second edition of the Dakar Classic laid bare the big differences in performance between older cars and models from the late 1990s. An additional speed group, “H0”, has therefore been introduced with lower average speeds tailored to cars with less raw power. Two new challenges have also been created to encourage the Dakar Classic crews to follow the example of the pioneers.

The “Authentic Co-driver Challenge” is for vehicles entering the race without modern consistency instruments, who will be competing, as a general rule, with no more than a stopwatch to calculate their pace.

The “Iconic Classic Club” classification, meanwhile, will be reserved for original vehicles that physically took part in the Dakar in the 20th century, i.e. no replicas. About ten crews have signed up for this one.

Here is a video highlights video of last years Classic.




ANother video which migh be of interest,,,,

Dakar 2023 has some incredible machines… the fastest, the oldest, the most technologically advanced in the world. But the ones that catch your eye are the classics trying to complete the most gruelling rally in the world. How much does it cost to race this class?

[Everso Biggyballies]

Sam Sutherland crashes out of the Dakar on Stage 1 whilst Carlos Sainz wins the car Section for Audi.


The big news in stage 1 is that British hope and two time Dakar winner Sam Sutherland has crashed and is out of this Dakar.

Sunderland, has thus missed his second chance of back-to-back Dakar crowns after breaking a shoulder blade in a crash just 52km into the first stage proper. Obviously a broken shoulder blade is not something you can strap up and jump back on a bike at an event like the Dakar.

You cant win it on the first stage but you can lose it seems to fit.

Toby Price by his own admissiontook a conservative approach to Stage 1 seeing the stricken Sunderland.

Price won the Prologue and now sits third overall, 39 seconds off the pace, although that deficit would have been two minutes greater if not for Daniel Sanders’ (Red Bull GasGas) penalty.

It seems that the Dakar has been struck by the F1 disease of throwing penalties around like confetti. 43 competitors receiving penalties on stage 1 . And that is being suggested as just in the bikes section. It seems officials are being particularly strict on overspeed in the none special stage sections.

Aussie Daniel Sanders has lost the overall lead of the Dakarafter he was among those several riders to be penalised following Stage 1. With various sanctions now applied, Sanders drops to sixth on the day at 1:50s behind new stage winner, Ricky Brabec.

In the overall standings, he is fifth, 45 seconds behind Brabec, who also becomes the new leader in that classification at 19 seconds over Kevin Benavides. nToby Price moves to third overall, 39 seconds behind Brabec, having initially been classified 1:54s off the pace before Sanders, among others, were hit with time penalties.


Overall classification: Bikes Top 10, Updated

Pos Rider Nat Team Time/Gap
1 Ricky BRABEC USA Monster Energy Honda Team 04:14:10
2 Kevin BENAVIDES ARG Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +0:00:19
3 Toby PRICE AUS Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +0:00:39
4 Joan BARREDA BORT ESP Monster Energy JB Team +0:00:45
5 Daniel SANDERS AUS Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing +0:00:45
6 Mason KLEIN USA BAS World KTM Racing Team +0:01:14
7 Pablo QUINTANILLA CHI Monster Energy Honda Team +0:02:07
8 Adrien VAN BEVEREN FRA Monster Energy Honda Team +0:04:17
9 Skyler HOWES USA Husqvarna Factory Racing +0:05:12
10 Matthias WALKNER AUT Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +0:05:26

In the Cars Sainz fights back from puncture to win Dakar Stage 1

Interesting to see Carlos Junior on hand to support Dad in his F1 break

Carlos Sainz leads the 2023 Dakar Rally in the Cars after driving his Audi RS Q e-tron to victory on Stage 1. Mattias Ekstrom was setting the pace early in the stage, although much of that lead could have been delays to Sainz for a puncture.

The battle f on the first stage proper become a duel between Sainz and Sebastien Loeb by the end of the stage after Ekstrom missed a waypoint

In the end, Sainz and Loeb were separated by 23 seconds on the day, and just 10 seconds at the top of the overall classification.

Ekstrom was classified third on stage and overall before a 15-minute penalty for Car #211 as punishment for missing a waypoint put him down to 13th in the event standings, 15:33s behind Sainz.

Overdrive Hilux driver Yazeed Al Rajhi thus inherits thirds while factory Toyota man Nasser Al-Attiyah is a little further back, as he sits sixth overall, 7:17s off the pace, after getting “lost a little bit” near the end of the stage.

Stephane Peterhansel is eighth overall in the other hybrid Audi, 8:51s behind his team-mate, after two punctures forced him into a conservative approach.

Overall classification: Cars Top 10

Pos Driver Co-driver Team Time/Gap
1 Carlos Sainz Lucas Cruz Team Audi Sport 03:28:55
2 Sebastien Loeb Fabian Lurquin Bahrain Raid Xtreme +0:00:10
3 Yazeed Al Rajhi Dirk Von Zitzewitz Overdrive Racing +0:02:01
4 Guerlain Chicherit Alex Winocq GCK Motorsport +0:02:03
5 Orlando Terranova Alex Haro Bravo Bahrain Raid Xtreme +0:07:05
6 Nasser Al-Attiyah Mathieu Baumel Toyota Gazoo Racing +0:07:17
7 Brian Baragwanath Leonard Cremer Century Racing Factory Team +0:07:51
8 Stéphane Peterhansel Edouard Boulanger Team Audi Sport +0:08:51
9 Jakub Przygonski Armand Monleon X-Raid Mini JCW Team +0:08:54
10 Henk Lategan Brett Cummings Toyota Gazoo Racing +0:11:45




Anyway some video highlights





The Classic Stage 1





SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS>. Of course there are others. Add them if you find them

https://www.dakar.com
https://www.facebook.com/Dakar
https://www.twitter.com/Dakar
https://www.instagram.com/DakarRally

[Everso Biggyballies]

OK Stage 2 out of the. way now. A few more tales of woe.

As there seems to be limited interest and comment other than me, i'm just going to list the top tens and video highlights.

BIKES STAGE 2

Klein leads, Price second after Dakar Stage 2

Mason Klein is the new Dakar Rally leader after taking out Stage 2 in the Bikes as fellow KTM rider Toby Price moved to second overall.

Klein (BAS World) was quickest on the 430km special from the Sea Camp to Al Ula, which featured canyons and then a chain of dunes, and now holds sway in the overall classification by 1:41s. As usual the bikes seem fairly close on times. It could all change very quickly.

IMO Sanders is the one to watch. After his early penalty of several minutes he is catching up.

Overall classification: Bikes Top 10

Pos Rider Nat Team Time/Gap
1 Mason KLEIN USA BAS World KTM Racing Team 09:38:28
2 Toby PRICE AUS Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +0:01:41
3 Joan BARREDA BORT ESP Monster Energy JB Team +0:02:03
4 Kevin BENAVIDES ARG Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +0:02:25
5 Daniel SANDERS AUS Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing +0:02:55
6 Ricky BRABEC USA Monster Energy Honda Team +0:04:21
7 Skyler HOWES USA Husqvarna Factory Racing +0:05:11
8 Pablo QUINTANILLA CHI Monster Energy Honda Team +0:05:16
9 Matthias WALKNER AUT Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +0:08:18
10 Sebastian BÜHLER GER Hero Motorsports Team Rally +0:08:34


CARS STAGE 2

Al-Attiyah wins Dakar Stage 2 as Loeb drops an hour

Punctures seemed to be the main trouble with many drivers complaining of the rocks. Loeb suffered three punctures was his loss of time.... they only carry two spares and he had to sit and wait in the wilds for a support truck to rescue him with more rubber.

Overall classification: Cars Top 10

Pos Driver Co-driver Team Time/Gap
1 Carlos Sainz Lucas Cruz Team Audi Sport 08:34:26
2 Nasser Al-Attiyah Mathieu Baumel Toyota Gazoo Racing +0:02:12
3 Mathieu Serradori Loic Minaudier Century Racing Factory Team +0:24:55
4 Simon Vitse Frederic Lefebvre MD Rally +0:25:40
5 Giniel De Villiers Dennis Murphy Toyota Gazoo Racing +0:26:38
6 Yazeed Al Rajhi Dirk von Zitzewitz Overdrive Racing +0:27:59
7 Martin Prokop Viktor Chytka Orlen Benzina Team +0:35:24
8 Stéphane Peterhansel Edouard Boulanger Team Audi Sport +0:36:08
9 Brian Baragwanath Leonard Cremer Century Racing Factory Team +0:39:13
10 Henk Lategan Brett Cummings Toyota Gazoo Racing +0:39:52



15 Mattias Ekstrom Emil Bergkvist Team Audi Sport +0:48:11
31 Sebastien Loeb Fabian Lurquin Bahrain Raid Xtreme +1:21:43


Extended (10 minute) highlights Stage 2





Dakar Classic Highlights - Stage 2






Plus the Tim and Tom show....

With a broad smile, Tom Coronel climbed out of the Century at Al Ula’s bivouac. On the driver’s side this time, because in the second stage of the 2023 Dakar, Tim and Tim had switched positions: Tom at the wheel, Tim with the roadbook..... 22nd overall in the results.

Toms journal for the day

“It was nice to get behind the wheel again, instead of navigating”, said Tom after the 430-kilometer special stage. “It went super well, we drove on nicely. It was a very nice stage, with lots and lots of stones and some dunes at the end. There should also have been two WRC stages, but I didn't see them. Only stone paths.”
Twice Tom had to let go of the gas. Once to drive back to retrieve a missed waypoint (a digital measuring point), once to change a flat tire, at the end of the stage.
“We were a little bit off the mark,” admitted Tim, who was also having a great time with the road book. “We only had to go back 3 kilometres. That wasn’t much of a problem. Tom did a great job driving: straight ahead through the bends, hardly touching the stones.”
“The trails were already seriously messed up,” Tom saw, “so I think we can be happy with the position we have.” Riders like Terranova and Loeb, who had started the day in the top 10, finished behind Tim and Tom. Loeb had suffered three punctures. “We know this game by now,” adds Tim. “On days like these, with all those stones, it is a matter of survival and certainly not pushing the limits. I am very pleased with today.”
Tuesday’s stage is 669 kilometres, 447 of which against the clock. The end is the bivouac in Ha'il. On the menu are sand, tracks and stones.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tom.Coronel
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TomCoronel
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomcoronel/

[Everso Biggyballies]

STAGE 3

Bikes

There was a bit of confusion over bike times but these are the updated times.
As I predicted yesterday watch out for Daniel Sanders..... he now leads the classification
Another couple of high profile crash outs

Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Daniel Sanders is the Dakar Rally leader after all following an amendment of the results of Stage 3.



Cars

Al-Attiyah takes Dakar lead as Sainz suffers major blow

Nasser Al-Attiyah has moved into the overall lead of Dakar 2023 despite finishing 13th on Stage 3, thanks to an awful day for Carlos Sainz.

The Spaniard dropped from first position to 33:11s off the pace in eighth in the overall classification after suffering mechanical and navigational dramas.

Sainz was initially delayed by an issue with the left-rear suspension cup and, while he navigator Lucas Cruz were able to repair the Audi RS Q e-tron E2, they lost 45 minutes then, and more time subsequently.

While he was 56:21s slower than stage winner Guerlain Chicherit, the loss relative to Al-Attiyah was 35:23s after the Toyota Gazoo driver also struggled in what was a tricky 447km special stage between Al Ula and Ha’il.

In fact, the Cars did not complete all 447km, with the stage cut 70km short due to rain and even hail in a stage which ended in Ha’il, coincidentally.

Overall classification: Cars Top 10

Pos Driver Co-driver Team Time/Gap
1 Nasser Al-Attiyah Mathieu Baumel Toyota Gazoo Racing 12:20:33
2 Yazeed Al Rajhi Dirk von Zitzewitz Overdrive Racing +0:13:20
3 Stéphane Peterhansel Edouard Boulanger Team Audi Sport +0:20:45
4 Simon Vitse Frederic Lefebvre MD Rally +0:24:53
5 Brian Baragwanath Leonard Cremer Century Racing Factory Team +0:26:16
6 Mathieu Serradori Loic Minaudier Century Racing Factory Team +0:27:19
7 Giniel De Villiers Dennis Murphy Toyota Gazoo Racing +0:32:08
8 Carlos Sainz Lucas Cruz Team Audi Sport +0:33:11
9 Lucas Moraes Timo Gottschalk Overdrive Racing +0:33:45
10 Martin Prokop Viktor Chytka Orlen Benzina Team +0:35:10

12 Mattias Ekstrom Emil Bergkvist Team Audi Sport +0:41:21
28 Sebastien Loeb Fabian Lurquin Bahrain Raid Xtreme +1:35:49


A bit of wet in the desert.




Extended Highlights




Top moments.... Trucks Stage 3



Dakar Classic

[Everso Biggyballies]

Audi get mid event BOP Power Boost mid Dakar.

Other competitors are not happy! Of course the Audi and others in their class are pretty pleased. Personally I think it is wrong to change these sort of things mid race. The upgrade is valid from Stage 5 which is toda.


Al-Attiyah furious at Audi Dakar power boost "for killing the race early"

Toyota’s Nasser Al-Attiyah has lashed out at the decision by Dakar Rally organisers to increase the power output of his Audi rivals ahead of Stage 5, accusing them on social media of “killing the race early”.

The FIA World Rally-Raid Championship’s Committee announced an immediate change in the Balance of Performance to give cars in the T1.U class for prototype cars using renewable energies – which includes Audi’s RS Q e-tron E2 – an extra 8kW, which is believed to be worth 11bhp.

A statement read: “Following the data analysis of the vehicles entered in the T1.U and T1+ categories on the first three stages of the Dakar Rally 2023, the W2RC Committee has decided, in accordance with Article V1 13.3 of the regulations, to increase the maximum power of the T1.U cars.”

After having analysed the data of the vehicles in the T1.U and T1+ categories on the first three stages of the Dakar Rally 2023, the W2RC Committee has decided, in accordance with Article V1 13.3 of the regulations, to increase the maximum power of the T1.U cars.”

Audi’s Carlos Sainz welcomed the decision – saying he was “happy about the measure” – after complaining before the event about a 100kg weight penalty being added to the renewable energy class’s cars.

Sainz, speaking to a group of media said: “They can measure it and see it. And so much that the Audi was running [at an advantage], it turns out it wasn't running so much. Welcome to that.

“They have all the data to measure what accelerates one car and another, and I imagine that if they give us 8kW, which is 11 horsepower, then they will have seen that we are missing something.

“I have always said that I don't want to carry more power, what I want is for the cars to be equal – the power and the weight.”

Al-Attiyah has opened up his Dakar Rally lead to over 18 minutes, while Sainz is 32m55s behind after a disastrous Stage 3 in fourth overall.

Stephane Peterhansel is the best-placed Audi in third, 18m52s behind reigning champion Al-Attiyah.

[Everso Biggyballies]

STAGE 4

Bikes

Daniel Sanders continues to lead the Dakar Rally after a late technical problem cost Mason Klein victory on Stage 4. Klein suffered a fuel intake problem and lost around 10 minutes.

The drama meant that the Monster Energy JB Team’s Joan Barreda Bort won the day by a 16-second margin over fellow Honda rider and factory counterpart Pablo Quintanilla.

Sanders lead the rally overall by a 3:33s margin over Skyler Howes , from Kevin Benavides, Barreda Bort, and Toby Price , the latter rounding out the top five at 7:17s off the pace of Sanders.

Overall classification: Bikes Top 10

Pos Rider Nat Team Time/Gap
1 Daniel SANDERS AUS Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing 18:40:03
2 Skyler HOWES USA Husqvarna Factory Racing +0:03:33
3 Kevin BENAVIDES ARG Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +0:04:05
4 Joan BARREDA BORT ESP Monster Energy JB Team +0:04:30
5 Toby PRICE AUS Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +0:07:17
6 Mason KLEIN USA BAS World KTM Racing Team +0:10:05
7 Pablo QUINTANILLA CHI Monster Energy Honda Team +0:11:05
8 Adrien VAN BEVEREN FRA Monster Energy Honda Team +0:18:00
9 Luciano BENAVIDES ARG Husqvarna Factory Racing +0:21:16
10 Matthias WALKNER AUT Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +0:28:25



Cars

Al-Attiyah extends Dakar lead as Loeb wins Stage 4

Nasser Al-Attiyah has extended his overall Dakar Rally lead in the Cars as Sebastien Loeb picked up his first stage win of the event despite a power steering failure. Peterhansel came 2nd in the stage from Sainz who made it two factory Audis in the top three although tCarlos is similarly 32:55s behind Al-Attiyah in fourth overall thanks to his nightmare on Stage 3.


Yazeed Al Rajhi (Overdrive Toyota) retains second overall after Stage 4, 18:18s behind Al-Attiyah and 34 seconds ahead of Stephane Peterhansel, with Carlos Sainz fourth at 32:55s off the pace.

Overall classification: Cars Top 10

Pos Driver Co-driver Team Time/Gap
1 Nasser Al-Attiyah Mathieu Baumel Toyota Gazoo Racing 16:34:13
2 Yazeed Al Rajhi Dirk von Zitzewitz Overdrive Racing +0:18:18
3 Stéphane Peterhansel Edouard Boulanger Team Audi Sport +0:18:52
4 Carlos Sainz Lucas Cruz Team Audi Sport +0:32:55
5 Henk Lategan Brett Cummings Toyota Gazoo Racing +0:45:25
6 Lucas Moraes Timo Gottschalk Overdrive Racing +0:45:27
7 Giniel De Villiers Dennis Murphy Toyota Gazoo Racing +0:48:13
8 Mattias Ekstrom Emil Bergkvist Team Audi Sport +0:50:00
9 Martin Prokop Viktor Chytka Orlen Benzina Team +1:14:43
10 Erik Van Loon Sébastien Delaunay Overdrive Racing +1:15:40

14 Sebastien Loeb Fabian Lurquin Bahrain Raid Xtreme +1:33:43


Extended highlights of Stage 4




Dakar Classic Highlights - Stage 4





Tim and Tom Coronel onboard




EDIT: Just noticed Tim and Tom are having their best year ever.... currently running 3rd in the 2WD class they are running in, and 16th overall..

[Everso Biggyballies]

STAGE 5

BIKES

Howes into Dakar lead as Sanders slumps to eighth on Stage 5

Skyler Howes is the new overall leader of the Dakar Rally in the Bikes after Adrien Van Beveren won the stage and Daniel Sanders lost well over 20 minutes. The reason for Saanders loss of pace were illness..... he revealed that a bug which left him with no energy was behind his poor performance on Stage 5 of the Dakar Rally.

Daniel started the day as the overall leader and was eighth in the road order, which should have been highly favourable so far as navigation was concerned. However, rather than extending his margin or at least maintaining top spot, he slumped to eighth overall at 17:50s off the pace after setting only the 21st-fastest stage time.

Overall classification: Bikes Top 10, Updated

Pos Rider Nat Team Time/Gap
1 Skyler HOWES USA Husqvarna Factory Racing 23:16:37
2 Toby PRICE AUS Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +0:02:07
3 Kevin BENAVIDES ARG Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +0:05:16
4 Mason KLEIN USA BAS World KTM Racing Team +0:06:12
5 Adrien VAN BEVEREN FRA Monster Energy Honda Team +0:08:54
6 Joan BARREDA BORT ESP Monster Energy JB Team +0:09:24
7 Pablo QUINTANILLA CHI Monster Energy Honda Team +0:10:26
8 Daniel SANDERS AUS Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing +0:17:50
9 Jose Ignacio CORNEJO FLORIMO CHI Monster Energy Honda Team +0:22:04
10 Luciano BENAVIDES ARG Husqvarna Factory Racing +0:25:03



Al-Attiyah triumphs on Stage 5 to open up lead
Nasser Al-Attiyah has held off Audi’s power boost to win his second stage of the 2023 Dakar Rally and extend his overall lead to more than 22 minutes
He had to defend his lead to the finish from Sainz and Peterhansel, but the fight at the front for the stage lost Sebastien Loeb around 18km from the end of the stage when Seb rolled his car, which cost him over a quarter of an hour while trying to get going again. (pic below)



Classification after Stage 5:

Overall classification: Cars Top 10

Pos Driver Co-driver Team Time/Gap
1 Nasser Al-Attiyah Mathieu Baumel Toyota Gazoo Racing 20:47:36
2 Stéphane Peterhansel Edouard Boulanger Team Audi Sport +0:22:36
3 Yazeed Al Rajhi Dirk von Zitzewitz Overdrive Racing +0:27:01
4 Carlos Sainz Lucas Cruz Team Audi Sport +0:34:52
5 Henk Lategan Brett Cummings Toyota Gazoo Racing +0:57:58
6 Lucas Moraes Timo Gottschalk Overdrive Racing +1:01:43
7 Giniel De Villiers Dennis Murphy Toyota Gazoo Racing +1:07:57
8 Mattias Ekstrom Emil Bergkvist Team Audi Sport +1:35:56
9 Martin Prokop Viktor Chytka Orlen Benzina Team +1:52:05
10 Romain Dumas Max Delfino Rebellion Racing +1:52:10



Extended highlights of Stage 5





Tim and Tom Coronel

Tim and Tom Coronel get their mojo working
There was some surprise in Tim Coronel's voice after the fifth stage, when he told how well things are going. “It's really starting to roll. We are well attuned to each other, the car feels better and better, we have a good rhythm. We really found our way this Dakar.”

They are still currently running 3rd in the 2WD class they are running in, and 16th overall.


Helping friends in the Dakar Rally, that's the spirit! | Dakar 2023



DAKAR CLASSIC

[Everso Biggyballies]

STAGE 6

Howes extends lead over Price on Dakar Stage 6

Skyler Howes has extended his overall lead to Toby Price as both finished in the top three on Stage 6 of the 2023 Dakar Rally.

Howes is now 3:32s to the good after he was second-quickest in a shortened, 358km special from Ha’il to Riyadh, which was won by Luciano Benavides
After dropping well over 20 minutes due to illness on Stage 5, Daniel Sanders, is still eighth overall at 19:48s behind Howes. His illness may have been from a poisonous thorn which embedded in his arm during a stage a day or so ago.... but maybe its food poisoning. His problem is the bikes are so close in times set that recovering 20 minutes is nigh oin impossible unless all ahead strike problems.

Early leader Mason Klein fell twice during the day and dropped to sixth overall at 12:42s off the pace

Toby Price says he took a conservative approach Stage 6 of the Dakar Rally after hurting his back and shoulder in a crash on the day prior.

Overall classification: Bikes Top 10, Updated

Pos Rider Nat Team Time/Gap
1 Skyler HOWES USA Husqvarna Factory Racing 26:31:52
2 Toby PRICE AUS Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +0:03:31
3 Kevin BENAVIDES ARG Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +0:07:01
4 Joan BARREDA BORT ESP Monster Energy JB Team +0:10:57
5 Adrien VAN BEVEREN FRA Monster Energy Honda Team +0:12:20
6 Pablo QUINTANILLA CHI Monster Energy Honda Team +0:12:22
7 Mason KLEIN USA BAS World KTM Racing Team +0:12:46
8 Daniel SANDERS AUS Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing +0:19:54
9 Luciano BENAVIDES ARG Husqvarna Factory Racing +0:24:07
10 Jose Ignacio CORNEJO FLORIMO CHI Monster Energy Honda Team



CARS


Al-Attiyah in command as disaster strikes Audi on Stage 6

Nasser Al-Attiyah made a major step towards winning the 2023 Dakar Rally after he took victory on Stage 6, while Audi rivals Carlos Sainz and Stephane Peterhansel suffered costly crashes. Mr Dakar co driver Edouard Boulanger suffered back injuries and needed to be airlifted for medical treatment, forcing them to abandon the stage.

Al-Attiyah now leads the Dakar Rally by over an hour.... Both Mr Dakar and Sainz are now out of the top 10 with the only Audi still in isEkstrom, who had such a terrible start to this Dakar, now back up to 5th nearly two hours of the lead. But Toyotas fill 1st to 4th.

Stage 6 was shortened as Dakar organisers modified the route due to flooding at a bivouac,

Overall classification: Cars Top 10

Pos Driver Co-driver Team Time/Gap
1 Nasser Al-Attiyah Mathieu Baumel Toyota Gazoo Racing 24:00:48
2 Henk Lategan Brett Cummings Toyota Gazoo Racing +1:06:50
3 Lucas Moraes Timo Gottschalk Overdrive Racing +1:13:19
4 Giniel De Villiers Dennis Murphy Toyota Gazoo Racing +1:44:38
5 Mattias Ekstrom Emil Bergkvist Team Audi Sport +1:46:55
6 Sebastien Loeb Fabian Lurquin Bahrain Raid Xtreme +1:57:10
7 Romain Dumas Max Delfino Rebellion Racing +2:13:07
8 Martin Prokop Viktor Chytka Orlen Benzina Team +2:13:30
9 Brian Baragwanath Leonard Cremer Century Racing Factory Team +2:20:33
10 Wei Han Ma Li Hanwei Motorsport Team +2:49:



Extended Highlights Stage 6






Classic Highlights stage 6

[Everso Biggyballies]

STAGE 7 FOR BIKES & QUADS CANCELLED

Stage 7 of the Dakar Rally has been cancelled for the Bikes and Quads competitors after flooding at a camp forced a change to the route.

Stage 6 of the event had already been shortened given the Al Duwadimi bivouac was underwater, while Stages 7 and 8 have been swapped around and also modified.

However, on Saturday morning (local time; Saturday night AEDT), the motorcycle riders will take a road section from Riyadh to the Al Duwadimi bivouac before re-engaging in competition on Sunday. Then Monday is the official rest day.

It will be of some help to Sanders I suspect as it should give him time to recover from his mystery bug and hopefully give him time to regain his strength.




Official Statement

Dakar statement on new route

With the weather conditions preventing the installation of the bivouac at Al Duwadimi in complete operating conditions for the entire caravan, stages 7 and 8 have been rearranged in marathon mode in order to propose an equivalent sporting programme that is relevant for the competitors. Based on the initial route, the specials for stages 7 and 8 have been exchanged, with shortened distances making it possible to have a manageable road section on each of the days.

Faced with the weather problems experienced again today and the level of tiredness observed among all the riders in the category, the Dakar organisers have decided to cancel the special for stage seven between Riyadh and Al Duwadimi.

The bikes and quads will therefore be invited to leave the bivouac in Riyadh from 10 AM tomorrow morning and take the road section to Al Duwadimi. On Sunday 8th January, they will then contest stage 8 as rescheduled, i.e., with the special of stage 7 from the initial route, reduced to a length of 345 kilometres.

However, stage seven will be contested by the crews in the car and truck categories as well as by the competitors on the Dakar Classic.

For stage 7, which will take place on Saturday 7th January (Riyadh > Al Duwadimi), the special will take place over 333 kilometres. Since the competitors were not expecting a genuine marathon stage at this point in the race, an assistance zone will be set up after the finishing line of the special (via a 94-km road section), for a maximum time slot of two hours. The riders, drivers and crews will then head towards Al Duwadimi (via a 240-link route) where their vehicles will be parked in a secure enclosure.

Stage 8, on Sunday 8th January, will take the return journey to Riyadh, with the loop initially planned for stage 7 on the programme, but shortened by 128 kilometres. The race against the clock will therefore take place over 345 kilometres and then the competitors will head to the bivouac in Riyadh.

The rest day will take place at the site in Riyadh on Monday 9th January and the Dakar will then resume its initially planned schedule… In the sunshine!

[erwin greven]

Tim and Tom are out of the race.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Tim and Tom are out of the race.

A shame.... I must admit my interest certainly in the car section, is waining now with Al Attiyah and the Toyotsas the only ones in with a shout.
When the two Audis went out with their crash in convoy any chance of a challenge went out of the window. I see Mr Dakar's Navigator BoEdouard Boulanger, has been diagnosed with a broken vertebra after their hard landing off a dune on Stage 6 and will need surgery

Sainz actually has rejoined but by not completing the stage he crashed he carries an 18 hour penalty which has dropped him out of the top 100.

Stage 7 was not good for Audi either ...... Sainz and Ekstom were fighting for the stage win but Ekstrom hit a rock which damaged his suspension.... Carlos stopped to assist and transferred suspension parts from his car so Mattias (Ekstrom) could continue, thus adding further hours delay to Carlos, who had to waait for the service truck, and who says now his part is purely to allow the team to learn and assist Ekstrom to maximise his position.

Carlos Sainz escaped penalty over father-son Dakar door-closing incident though.... Sainz Snr was investigated for an incident on Stage 3 when Sainz Jnr, who is a guest at the event rather than a member of the Team Audi Sport crew, “helped close” his father’s door in the Selective Section.

Stewards ultimately opted to take no further action given it was “not an initiative of the team” in a decision handed down after the conclusion of Stage 5, although they did issue an unofficial caution to Sainz and the field about such actions.

Seriously WTF is that even an issue.... would they prefer the risk of Snr taking to the stage with the door not properly latched? Penalties

Al-Attiyah is now in cruise mode, finishing stage 7 down in 14th but still holding a 1 hour lead over his team mate. The lack of bikes (their stage 7 cancelled) gave him, as first car running, no navigation clues to follow.

Overall classification: Cars Top 10

Pos Driver Co-driver Team Time/Gap
1 Nasser Al-Attiyah Mathieu Baumel Toyota Gazoo Racing 27:26:23
2 Henk Lategan Brett Cummings Toyota Gazoo Racing +1:01:04
3 Lucas Moraes Timo Gottschalk Overdrive Racing +1:11:24
4 Giniel De Villiers Dennis Murphy Toyota Gazoo Racing +1:36:47
5 Sebastien Loeb Fabian Lurquin Bahrain Raid Xtreme +1:54:17
6 Romain Dumas Max Delfino Rebellion Racing +2:12:30
7 Brian Baragwanath Leonard Cremer Century Racing Factory Team +2:14:40
8 Martin Prokop Viktor Chytka Orlen Benzina Team +2:17:26
9 Wei Han Ma Li Hanwei Motorsport Team +2:51:38
10 Lionel Baud Rémi Boulanger Overdrive Racing +3:17:59

Ekstrom is now 20th overall, 4:49:41s behind leader Nasser Al-Attiyah and Sainz 104th.


No bikes today with their stage 7 cancelled as mentioned.

Extended highlights of Stage 7




Dakar Classis Stage 7

[Everso Biggyballies]

Tim and Tom are out of the race

It seems they managed to get their car repaired overnight and took part in Stage 8, but had a very troublesome day with various failures.
I guess they are in it now just to try and be there classified as a finisher. They have a rest day now so can work more to repair the car.

This is their video of Stage 8 and their troubles (Their big rollover was Stage 7)




Their comment on the day

Car Tim and Tom Coronel not yet recovered from somersault
The damage was considerable after the four-way rollover of Tim and Tom Coronel's car on the seventh stage of the 2023 Dakar Rally. Much could be repaired in the limited time available, but on stage 8 it turned out that the car was not fully recovered from the crash. “Everything falls off or breaks down”, Tom Coronel sighed after the finish, with tears in his eyes.

Stage 8
The Coronel brothers got off to a good start – from the back of the field, but glad they were still allowed to start at all. But already after 100 kilometres in the 346-kilometer special stage, the engine started to stammer and the car lost power. “Somewhere along the way the exhaust fell off,” says Tom. “We only had half the power.”
That turned out to be just the beginning of a day full of misery. “The front right shock broke off. It was launched straight through the hood and through the water pipe of the engine cooling. I provisionally repaired that line and Tim moved the shock from the rear right to the front right. We were able to continue with that, but we had to ask for water and coolant from other participants along the way.”
And it was not over yet, because after 20 kilometres the right front wheel flew off. “We probably forgot to tighten the nuts in our haste”, thought Tom. “From the friction and force, the wheel bolts had rotted, so we took the bolts off the spare wheels to put them on.”
Tim and Tom didn't have the necessary tools with them, but Ad Hofmans, from Team De Groot, did. “They helped us and stayed behind us with their truck for 95 kilometres to the finish to help. We wouldn’t have made it without those guys.” In the pitch dark it was quite frightening in the dunes, with only a compass heading. “It reminded me of the 2017 Dakar,” says Tom, a bit emotional. “We had so much shit and we still made it to the finish line every time. That’s such a cool feeling.”
Due to the succession of events, there was little rhythm. “It was a junkyard along the way, with damaged cars everywhere,” Tim saw. “With very beautiful landscapes again, but we were not able to really enjoy it. I am just happy that we made it to the finish again and that there is now a rest day.” Especially the Century is really ready for that, Tim and Tom know. “After that somersault, everything just falls off. That is consequential damage that we were unable to prevent due to a lack of time. So the rest day is more than welcome.”

[Everso Biggyballies]

So after stage 8 and we reach the half way point of Dakar 2023, with a well earned day of rest.


Here are the Stage 8 extended highlights for the rest of the field.



and the Classics Highlights for stage 8





Rankings after the stage 8. Bikes.... The top 6 are covered by under 3 minutes so its all very close at the top. Top 3 covered by 13 seconds

1 #10
(USA) SKYLER HOWES
HUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING 30H 34' 16''

2 $47
(ARG) KEVIN BENAVIDES
RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING 30H 34' 29''
+ 00H 00' 13''
3 #9
(USA) MASON KLEIN
BAS WORLD KTM RACING TEAM 30H 34' 29''
+ 00H 00' 13''
4 #8
(AUS) TOBY PRICE
RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING 30H 36' 14''
+ 00H 01' 58''
5 #7
(CHL) PABLO QUINTANILLA
MONSTER ENERGY HONDA TEAM 30H 37' 01''
+ 00H 02' 45'' '
6 #42
(FRA) ADRIEN VAN BEVEREN
MONSTER ENERGY HONDA TEAM 30H 37' 05''
+ 00H 02' 49''
7 #18
(AUS) DANIEL SANDERS
RED BULL GASGAS FACTORY RACING 30H 41' 19''
+ 00H 07' 03''
8 #5
(ESP) JOAN BARREDA BORT
MONSTER ENERGY JB TEAM 30H 41' 37''
+ 00H 07' 21''
9 #11
(CHL) JOSE IGNACIO CORNEJO FLORIMO
MONSTER ENERGY HONDA TEAM 30H 53' 48''
+ 00H 19' 32''
10 #52
(AUT) MATTHIAS WALKNER
RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING 30H 56' 51''
+ 00H 22' 35''


Sebastien Loeb has won Stage 8 of Dakar 2023 thanks to a Carlos Sainz penalty but Toyota’s Nasser Al-Attiyah extended his overall lead in the Cars race.

Overall rankings cars



Pos Driver Co-driver Team Time/Gap
1 Nasser Al-Attiyah Mathieu Baumel Toyota Gazoo Racing 31:02:58
2 Henk Lategan Brett Cummings Toyota Gazoo Racing +1:03:46
3 Lucas Moraes Timo Gottschalk Overdrive Racing +1:20:22
4 Sebastien Loeb Fabian Lurquin Bahrain Raid Xtreme +1:52:06
5 Giniel De Villiers Dennis Murphy Toyota Gazoo Racing +2:04:20
6 Romain Dumas Max Delfino Rebellion Racing +2:27:11
7 Martin Prokop Viktor Chytka Orlen Benzina Team +2:37:00
8 Brian Baragwanath Leonard Cremer Century Racing Factory Team +2:42:06
9 Wei Han Ma Li Hanwei Motorsport Team +3:15:03
10 Juan Cruz Yacopini Daniel Oliveras Carreras Overdrive Racing +3:40:2