The 2022 Dakar entered its second week with leg seven, which saw the route leave the Saudi capital Riyadh and continue to Al Dawadimi. Jakub “Kuba” Przygonski (POL) and Timo Gottschalk (GER) ended the stage in 14th place in their MINI JCW Buggy. Their team-mates Sebastian Halpern and Bernardo “Ronnie” Graue (both ARG) finished 16th in the MINI JCW Buggy, one place ahead of Vaidotas Zala (LTU) and Paulo Fiuza (POR) who were 17th in a MINI JCW Rally. All three crews held onto their positions in the overall standings.
The Dakar picked up today where it left off on Friday: with difficult navigation. This time it was Przygonski and Gottschalk who lost a few minutes looking for the right way. Having been on course for a place in the top ten, they eventually had to settle for 14th place. They remain fifth overall.
Kuba Przygonski: “That was a really fast stage today. It was very stony at first, then we had a dune field, and finally tough terrain with lots of wadis and valleys. We had an opportunity to make up some time today, but we did not find the way immediately and so lost time. These things can happen on the Dakar. We must now look ahead and try to catch our rivals over the coming days.”
Halpern made it through today’s stage without any major issues, and his co-driver Graue’s navigational skills were virtually flawless. The two Argentineans are ninth overall, meaning they have been in the top ten for the entire Dakar so far.
Sebastian Halpern: “Today was a good day – no punctures and only minimal issues with navigation. We lost two minutes at most. We are a long way behind our opponents. We will continue to push hard and are determined to reach the finish in Jeddah.”
Krotov and Zhiltsov produced a magnificent fightback in the MINI JCW Buggy. After encountering problems on Friday, they were 43rd onto the route. However, they put pedal to the metal and reached the finish line in 24th place.
Denis Krotov: “That was not an easy day for us. We started well back and had to overtake a lot of trucks. However, we are very happy with our time and our result. Unfortunately, we had to stop once to change a tyre. We hope we can work our way further towards the front tomorrow.”
Spaniard Sanz is improving every day. Having switched from motorcycle to car, she has now found her rhythm and is able to go on the attack. She has also been able to slowly and surely work her way up the overall standings, and currently lies 23rd.
Laia Sanz: “We did a good job. However, the stage was very stony and we had to drive cautiously, in order to avoid risking any punctures. Navigation was also difficult, but we only lost a little time. Unfortunately, we still picked up two punctures just a few kilometres from the finish.
The drivers have a long day ahead of them tomorrow, as they head to Wadi ad Dawasir. The special stage itself is 395 kilometres long, but there are also 435 kilometres of liaison stage. The competitors will again be faced with a lot of sand and dunes, as well as faster sections.
Dakar Rally – Result of SS7
1. S. Loeb / F. Lurquin – BRX – 3h 09m 32s
2. N. Al-Attiyah / M. Baumel – Toyota – 3h 14m 58s
3. C. Sainz / L. Cruz – Audi – h 17m 15s
4. S. Peterhansel / E. Boulanger – Audi – 3h 19m 12s
5. Y. Al-Rajhi / M. Orr – Toyota – 3h 19m 35s
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14. J. Przygonski / T. Gottschalk – MINI JCW Buggy – 3h 28m 37s
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16. S. Halpern / B. Graue – MINI JCW Buggy – 3h 30m 57s
17. V. Zala / P. Fiuza – MINI JCW Rally – 3h 32m 32s
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24. D. Krotov / K. Zhiltsov – MINI JCW Buggy – 3h 37m 46s
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26. L. Sanz / M. Gerini – MINI ALL4 Racing – 3h m 27s
Overall standings after SS7
1. N. Al-Attiyah / M. Baumel – Toyota – 23h 52m 22s
2. S. Loeb / F. Lurquin – BRX – 24h 37m 21s
3. Y. Al-Rajhi / M. Orr – Toyota – 24h 45m 53s
4. L. Alvarez / A. Monleon – Toyota – 25h 07m 31s
5. J. Przygonski / T. Gottschalk – MINI JCW Buggy – 25h 22m 26s
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9. S. Halpern / B. Graue – MINI JCW Buggy – 25h 50m 46s
10. V. Zala / P. Fiuza – MINI JCW Rally – 26h 21m 13s
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23. L. Sanz / M. Gerini – MINI ALL4 Racing – 28h 36m 25s
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32. D. Krotov / K. Zhiltsov – MINI JCW Buggy – 30h 03m 42s
