Although it was not so long as to be expected, as it slashed 50 kilometers, the decisive eleventh stage of the Dakar 2021 confirmed that it was going to be the toughest of this raid, as advised. Have been fringe still covering for the last day of competition, as the victory in the bikes, but unlike other years there has been a fight to the finish.
The great defeated of the day was Joan Barreda. The Spanish was forced to grit your teeth and look for the victory as the outside, with the intention of neutralizing the 15 minutes that took him out in the output, your partner Kevin Benavides. That made up the mile 267 of the stage of the day, when he had to be evacuated by a helicopter to the bivouac after being forced to leave.
Barreda came to go leading the race with nearly 12 minutes on Brabec and nine-and-a-half on Brabec. The jump of difference in the control point of the kilometer 215 with respect to the previous one did suspect that something was wrong and, in fact, it was the organization itself who announced it. The English had not stopped at the point of refuelling, for which he risked two things: either a penalty or a drop out for lack of fuel. 50 miles after it was confirmed the second. Barreda had two choices, either wait for the assists, I seen what was left of raid almost not worth the time lost, or withdrawn. He chose the latter, but with an addition: he asked to go to the hospital. Barreda did not understand that it would have to be clueless, it felt somewhat disoriented and asked for medical review.
He explained it in Instagram, with a photo in the hospital. “Sorry, folks. I am in the hospital doing a scanner in the head. The fall of two days ago in which I lost consciousness for a few minutes has happened to me a bill today. I really wanted to continue in the race and finish as best as possible, but has not been able to be. I want to thank my team and all of you for always being there”, was resigned. Will be a few more days for observation.
The victory was for Sam Sunderland, who was on the verge of starring in the mash of the day. The English, the only representative of the army KTM to beat the until now unstoppable men of Honda, catch a stage where you left everything. While argentina’s Kevin Benavides was rolling to the side of Ricky Brabec, his companion, for cover and that you will not rebasase, the british gritted his teeth to the point of staying at the edge of the neutralization total the stage. In the last point of control, it was virtually second in the overall standings just 46 seconds of salta. However, in the last 30 kilometres, Benavides pressed to leave that final difference in a little more than six minutes in the stage, which leaves it with a distance of 4:12 for the last stage. In bikes, the 225-kilometre timed to Jeddah will not be or much less ride.
Peterhansel tied the 14th Dakar
In the car, too bad you have to give Stéphane Peterhansel for not picking up this Friday, his 14th trophy Touareg. ‘Monsieur Dakar’ dedicated the stage to cover Al-Attiyah, its only rival in terms of pelearle the triumph in this edition, and did so to perfection. The qatari won the stage, and already five out of eleven contested, but the little difference that cut the frenchman left him feeling very bittersweet. Peterhansel will face the last day of this Dakar 2021 with 15 minutes and five seconds of the mattress, a distance that can be considered almost final, but that will have to confirm in just two hours we will arrive to Jeddah.
For Carlos Sainz will be a break to finish this Dakar in the that have not left the things that have nothing to well. To finish off the bad feelings, in this hard stage almost finished off, as he himself said. “We started well, but then we had two punctures in a row. Towards the end there was a sharp edge of a wire, not what I saw, and I got inside and ripped the entire roof. What has happened to us all in this Dakar, resigned.
The ‘Matador’ will deliver the crown this Friday to his companion and rival, and close a new chapter dakariano in his career, before thinking about the next year. Follow it or not.
The qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah won the fifth partial victory in this Dakar, 2021, the sixth if you count the prologue, in the eleventh stage, disputed on Thursday between Al Ula and Yanbu, in Saudi Arabia, although the test is still controlled by the French Stephane Peterhansel (Mini). The pilot is the Toyota traveled 470 kilometres of the special stage in 4 hours, 34 minutes and 24 seconds, coming into the finish in front of Peterhansel, 1 minute and 56 seconds, and Carlos Sainz (Mini), to 02 minutes and 26 seconds.
“After 11 stages, I’m happy to be here, without having suffered any technical problems with the car. Exactly the same as the last year we have had problems with the tires. I hope to be back next year with different rules. It seems to Me that 16 punctures too. But, well, tomorrow we will continue if there is luck. We’ll see,” said Al-Attiyah.
In general, ‘Mister Dakar’, as it is known Peterhansel due to their thirteen titles, in the rally-raid, has one hand on the trophy, with an advantage of 15 minutes and 5 seconds over Nasser Al-Attiyah, second.
“We failed at the first part. Then we advance to Nasser, so well. But in the last part of it had sand dunes with large rocks behind. We’ve given it a good blow and we failed again. We were afraid that there would be more. It seems that the car has endured. Even though we’ve lost some minutes, there has not been much. It has been a day of continuous stress. Nothing’s easy,” said Peterhansel.
Carlos Sainz is third in the standings, more than an hour. “We started well, but then we had two punctures in a row. Towards the end there was a sharp edge of a wire, not what I saw, and I got inside and ripped the entire roof. What has happened to us all in this Dakar,” said the spaniard.
Friday will be the return to Yedá of the participants, in the twelfth and final stage of this second Dakar in Saudi Arabia.
