PERFORMANCE OF THE DAY: MULEC TAKING NO PRISONERS
Toni Mulec is racing in his fourth Dakar. After cracking the top 25 in 2023 and finishing fifteenth and then thirteenth in the last two editions, the amateur rider is hungry for more. The Slovenian stands tenth overall as the top-ranked privateer and is closer to the Rally2 lead than at any other point since the race left Yanbu. Preston Campbell, the newly minted Honda factory rider, has held the top spot ahead of Mulec since stage 6. The BAS World KTM rider slashed his deficit from 17′28″ to 2′31″ today, triggering a red alert for the American. The fight for the second division of the motorbike category will come down to a battle between these two, with the rest of the field more than 1 h 45 back. Campbell is discovering the Dakar and is a shoo-in for top rookie honours. Until now, his team had encouraged him to ride conservatively. A change of strategy may be in order, as Mulec is taking no prisoners as he readies himself to board the HRC ship.
