Before the drivers can take a quick breather on tomorrow’s rest day, they first had to tackle today’s second loop around Riyadh. Vaidotas Zala (LTU) and Paulo Fiuza (POR) finished eleventh in the MINI JCW Rally and climbed to tenth place in the overall standings. Jakub “Kuba” Przygonski (POL) and Timo Gottschalk (GER), who at times opened the stage in their MINI JCW Buggy, ended the day in 16th place. They currently lie fifth overall.
Laia Sanz (ESP) and Maurozio Gerini (ITA) enjoyed a good day in their MINI ALL4 Racing and reached the finish in 22nd place. Sebastian Halpern and Bernardo “Ronnie” Graue came home 32nd in the second MINI JCW Buggy and ended the first week of the Dakar in ninth place in the overall standings. Denis Krotov and Konstantin Zhiltsov struggled with technical issues shortly after the start. They are still on the stage as this report is being written.
The stage to the west of Riyadh once again posed some challenging navigation. Many drivers in the leading group went the wrong way, leaving Przygonski and Gottschalk to suddenly open the route. However, they were not rewarded with a good position in today’s standings. Crews that started later were able to use their tracks, allowing them to go faster.
Kuba Przygonski: “That was a good day for us. We did not make any navigational mistakes, unlike our rivals ahead of us. We are obviously pleased with that. In the dunes, we suddenly found ourselves in a group of five. That was fun – for all of us, I believe. I am looking forward to the rest day and a chance to recover a little.”
Spaniard Sanz was fast from the word go today and only dropped a little time compared to the leading group. Unfortunately, they lost a few minutes as the result of a puncture. Despite this, they still finished a fine 22nd. That catapulted them into 25th place in the overall standings.
Laia Sanz: “I think we did a great job today. It makes a huge difference if you can start further up the field. We had a lot of fun. Of all places, we suffered a puncture in the final 100 metres before the dunes. That was a real shame.”
Starting his first Dakar in the MINI JCW Buggy, Halpern lies in the top ten overall at the end of the opening week. He struggled with the pitfalls of today’s stage, losing a few minutes searching for the right route and as a result of two flat tyres. As such, he crossed the finish line in 32nd place.
Sebastian Halpern: “That was a nice stage today, with some tough navigation. We lost about seven minutes around kilometre 94, as we did not find a canyon. We also had to stop for two punctures. However, we are still in the top ten after the first week.”
The cars remain in the bivouac in Riyadh tomorrow. The teams will spend the rest day preparing them for the second week of the Dakar.
Dakar Rally – Result SS6
1. O. Terranova / D. Oliveras – BRX – 3h 06m 45s
2. M. EksEkström / Bergkvist – Auditröm / E. Bergkvist – Audi – 3h 07m 51s
3. Y. Al-Rajhi / M. Orr – Toyota – 3h 08m 34s
4. B. Baragwanath / L. Cremer – Century – 3h 09m 51s
5. N. Roma / A. Haro – BRX – 3h 10m 19s
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11. V. Zala / P. Fiuza – MINI JCW Rally – 3h 13m 38s
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16. J. Przygonski / T. Gottschalk – MINI JCW Buggy – 3h 19m 02s
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22. L. Sanz / M. Gerini – MINI ALL4 Racing – 3h 22m 27s
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32. S. Halpern / B. Graue – MINI JCW Buggy – 3h 28m 25s
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tba D. Krotov / K. Zhiltsov – MINI JCW Buggy
Overall standings after SS6
1. N. Al-Attiyah / M. Baumel – Toyota – 20h 37m 24s
2. Y. Al-Rajhi / M. Orr – Toyota – 21h 27m 43s
3. S. Loeb / F. Lurquin – BRX – 21h 27m 49s
4. L. Alvarez / A. Monleon – Toyota – 21 44m 22s
5. J. Przygonski / T. Gottschalk – MINI JCW Buggy – 21h 53m 49s
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9. S. Halpern / B. Graue – MINI JCW Buggy – 22h 14m 49s
10. V. Zala / P. Fiuza – MINI JCW Rally – 22h 48m 41s
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25. L. Sanz / M. Gerini – MINI ALL4 Racing – 24h 54m 58s
