Daniel Sanders: “We’ve got some good natural desert skills”

Dakar 2023 | Stage 3 | AL DUWADIMI > AL SALAMIYA
January 3 ^rd 2023 - 13:24 [GMT + 3]

The GasGas rider has taken the lead in the general standings as well as winning his 4th stage on the Dakar on the way to Ha’il.

“We struggled a bit at the start. It was really hard through the deep sand and rock. Then it was a case of pushing again. The goal was to get to refuelling and find out where everyone was and then sort of pick up. The guys out front were doing a good job opening. I ended up as the third rider through the stage at the end, so it was still important to keep focus on the navigation, because the guys out front had been opening all day. At one moment they can make a mistake and lose focus. It ended up okay. Me and Pricey pushed all the way to the end. We broke away from the guys in the dunes. I was surprised that the big kangaroo could still follow me! It was good, because we were two Aussies pushing through at the end and to pull away from some fast guys is pretty good. I hope my strategy yesterday was a good one. I waited a long time and slowed down a lot after the last refuelling. Jordi was telling us that today was going to be a tough stage. He said don’t win unless you can win by a lot. That’s what I was doing today. I thought, ok, if I go for the win, I’ll try and push the whole day and win by a lot, and now I’ll focus on tomorrow. Of course, the Aussies have the strongest spirit. We’ve got some good natural desert skills. I think me and Pricey have come from a good background, with a lot of fast racing in Australia and it’s paying off here on the Dakar”.