LOOKING BACK ON THE FIRST WEEK

January 9 ^th 2023 - 18:00 [GMT + 3]

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Sunderland down and out as Sainz makes his boy proud

The contrast between the prologue on the beach and the first stage of the 2023 Dakar could not be starker. Today's special followed the outline of the coast from 30 km inland on its way to Yanbu and beyond. The entire field was on high alert in the first part of the 368 km course, featuring the scattered rocky sections where Sam Sunderland crashed out of the race. From there on, the faster stretches between valleys and sandy tracks enabled Carlos Sainz and Daniel Sanders to let their raw speed do the talking. As a reward for their efforts, the drivers, riders and crews are taking the coastal route back to the Sea Camp for more than 200 km.

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The kid, the baron and the losers of AlUla

After leaving the Sea Camp where the Dakar had been based for a long weekend, the riders, drivers and crews headed into the inner reaches of Saudi Arabia, where they were confronted with the morning coolness and terrain that was still damp. The day’s expedition included a part that was synonymous with racing in the mountains, requiring the competitors to tackle narrow tracks and climb up to an altitude of 1,300 metres through a pass at the midway point of the stage. Even though the weather conditions modified the expected nature of the ground under the wheels, making it stonier and trickier, a young man who is growing up quickly, Mason Klein, won in the bike category where many more experienced competitors in the car category, such as Loeb, Chicherit and Peterhansel encountered problems, though not Al Attiyah, the day’s winner.

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Sanders and Chicherit, highway to Ha’il

Today, the Dakar navigated through lands steeped in history, setting off from one of the centres of Nabatean civilisation on the way to Ha’il, which was a crossroads of commercial routes linking Europe to Asia. For the Dakar riders, drivers and crews, who had to tackle sometimes torrential weather conditions through the majestic canyons surrounding the sandy and sometimes rocky tracks, the challenge also involved having the capacity to focus on navigation where many criss-crossing tracks made it easy to get confused. Daniel Sanders proved to be a master at this game, displaying perfect regularity to win a fourth stage on the Dakar, just like Guerlain Chicherit, who began his roll of honour in 2006! Heavy rain shortened the stage to 377 kilometres for many of the riders, drivers and crews.

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Barreda and Loeb on the hunt

The fourth stage of the Dakar took place at altitude, with a profile that never dropped below 800 metres and sometimes climbed up to 1,300 metres. The cool weather accompanied the riders, drivers and crews on this 425 km long loop to the west of Ha'il. The previous day’s rain significantly changed the nature of the terrain, but not the beauty of the canyons and plateaux visited by the route of the day’s special. Tricky navigation in places was one of the challenges as were the dunes that made a plentiful appearance on the day’s programme. They were expertly managed by Joan Barreda, while Sébastien Loeb won by a whisker ahead of Stéphane Peterhansel in the car category.

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Van Beveren surges forth, Al Attiyah calmly collects

The exploration of the region around Ha’il continued with a journey south of the city, following a route for a special that was 100% sand, where long stretches of off-road driving forced the competitors to use their navigational skills. Their prowess in reading the roadbook also came into play when selecting choices of direction made tricky by the recent rain on the terrain. Adrien Van Beveren’s stage win was precisely built on such qualities, whilst Nasser Al Attiyah especially focused on his driving skill on sand to taste victory, perhaps the two keys to success on the Dakar!

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A sandy boulevard opens up for Al Attiyah

It was a special shortened to 357 kilometres that the riders, drivers and crews on the Dakar tackled, setting off to the southeast of Ha’il. The ultra-sandy programme, made slightly easier by the rain that had modified the solidity of the ground, allowed the riders, drivers and crews to get through the stage without too many mishaps, but the dunes held some nasty surprises in store when they were tackled without due caution. Even with the experience of Stéphane Peterhansel and Carlos Sainz, it is possible to come unstuck! The former’s co-pilot ended up in hospital, the latter’s car ended up in the workshop, with both losing their hopes of winning another Dakar this year. However, the day’s terrain was expertly tamed by Luciano Benavides on his bike and Nasser Al Attiyah, who now has a sandy boulevard before him. 

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Consolation prize for Al Rajhi

The bikers and quad riders took the shortest route from Riyadh to Al Duwadimi, a road section nearly 500 kilometres long, with no rain this time round. Meanwhile, a bit further south, the car and truck drivers went head to head in a special tailored to the masters of trajectories and changes of pace. The wily desert foxes came out on top on a course that alternated from sand to stones and from canyons to wadis. For once, the co-drivers were left with the burden of solving the navigation conundrum from scratch, without the clues left by the bikers. The scenario played into the hands of the lightning-fast Yazeed Al Rajhi, who posted the fastest time after starting from far back.

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Howes and Al Attiyah in charge at the halfway point

The final challenge before the rest day left no room for error. The loop south of Al Duwadimi, originally scheduled for the day before, was shortened to 345 kilometres to give the entire field time to take the long road section leading to the bivouac in Riyadh. Before that, the competitors wrestled with the devilish navigation of the stage, both on the gravel tracks at the start of the special and in the sequence of valleys and chains of dunes in the finale. The gruelling course took a heavy toll on the bikers tasked with opening the road, even with the time bonuses awarded to the first three. Ross Branch pounced on the opportunity to claim victory, as did Sébastien Loeb, but it is Skyler Howes and Nasser Al Attiyah who are in charge at the halfway point.