And it comes down to this – Dakar 2012 finishes today – follow it right here!
So this is it – two weeks and 4500 km of racing later, there’s just 227 km left en route to the finish of Dakar 2021 in Jeddah today. Stephane Peterhansel seem set for his incredible 14th Dakar win after leading all the way from the get go. Take nothing for granted though. The bike race can go three – or even more ways if form is anyone to go by. Can Sunderland and KTM grab glory back from Benevides and Brabec,? It really is anyone’s race! So be sure to follow the action this morning. We found the fat lady. And she’s ready to sing…
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14h00 All: And that’s the wrap guys! It’s been a privilege keeping you posted the past two weeks – keep coming to Auto for your regular fill of car and race news ’till we get at it again for Dakar 2022! Meanwhile, here’s your full Dakar 2021 race report!
12h15 Cars. Ouch. Al Rajhi suffered an engine failure while fighting for the stage win just kilometres from the finish… That Dakar tail never fails to sting.
10h50 Cars. It is done. Stephane Peterhansel has won his fourteenth Dakar for Mini Nasser Al Attiyah ended second for Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa ahead of Carlos Sainz, whose second Mini led Atiyah and Peter home in Friday morning’s stage.
10h15 Cars: Status quo at Dakar 2021’s final Dakar waypoint as Atiyah trails Peterhansel ny a minute.
09h35 Cars: Peterhansel is in complete control, over a minute quicker than attiyah at WP1. Number fourteen is looking good. Sainz was provisionally quickest at that point.
09h15 Bikes: Kevin Benavides has won Dakar 2021 for Honda on two wheels. The Argentine came home second behind 2020 winner, Californian Ricky Brabec in Friday’s short 227 km run to Jeddah to keep ahead of his teammate to make it a Honda 1-2 after KTM rival and former Dakar winner, Brit Sam Sunderland’s late charge fizzled out Friday morning. Sunderland ended up third as Brabec overhauled him in the final stage.
08h50 Cars: The top ten cars are racing. Is there a sting waiting in the tail? Judging by the bike field spread, that not completely out of the question…
08h30 Bikes: Benavides is in control of the bikes – he was shadowing rival and Honda teammate and sat 30 seconds off Brabec at WP2 to take a handy 6 minute 43 advantage into the final 80 km sector of Dakar 2021. Sam Sunderland meanwhile lost another minute as he opened the road.
07h45 Bikes: The fight is on` as the first machines power through today’s long first sector as Sunderland loses 11 minutes to dash KTM’s hopes. Up front Brabec takes a minute and 15 seconds out of Benavides to trim the gap to a second under six minutes as he passes Sunderland into second overall. Is that enough? Meanwhile Yamaha’s last hope van Beveren is in trouble…
07h30 All: There are only two waypoints today and the sectors are longer than usual so bear with us!
05h30 All: It’s an early start and it will be over in a flash today. The bikes are off 06h25, cars 08h15.