Keep right up to date with all the Dakar Day 3 action from Wadi Al Dawasir, right here
They tell us that Day 3 of the Dakar this year is the Day of the Desert Rats in a 403 km loop around the city of Wadi Ad-Dawasir. And considering that the dunes have already caused many a problem, today’s combination of both fast and technical sections, we can expect more drama. Southern African interest is at a high, with Nasser AL Attiyah lying third and first away ion the cars today aboard his SA-built Toyota Hilux and the Kalahari Ferrari, Ross Branch third in the bikes. Add the Century charge with Serradori fourth overall and Brian Baragwathath and Taye Perry eighth and the other SA Gazoo Hiluxes od Lategan finining his feet and de Villiers and Variyawa fighting back, and there’s plenty reason to keep tabs right here.
Click here to read yesterday’s race report
Re-live yesterday’s live action on the ticker here
DAKAR DAY 3 LIVE TICKER HERE:
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13h15 All: Here’s your full Dakar Day 3 Report
11h20 Bikes: Toby Price has won the day on two wheels by a minute and ten seconds for KTM. He beat Honda rider Kevin Benavides, KTM teammates Mattias Walkner, Skyler Howes and Sam Sunderland, and Xavier de Soultrait on a Husqvarna. Skyler Howes, who has quietly got on with it on the verges of the top ten each day, with 13th, 8th and 11th place finishes, now leads the race overall against all odds. Benavides, de Soultrait , Price, Sunderland, Branch, Barreda and Yamaha rider van Beveren complete to top eight, with all of them either starring or struggling each day as they are penalised by strong performances on the eve….
10h50 Cars: It’s a Toyota Gazoo 1-2 as Attiyah races to the finish with Lategan keeping pace ahead of Peterhansel and Loeb
10h45 Bikes: The first motorcycles are home, but with today’s leaders still to follow, the results will only become clear once they are in…
10h15 Cars: I seems the Dakar has a new hero as SA rookie Henk Lategan now sits second behind Toyota Gazoo Racing teammate Nasser AL Attiyah after 217 km as he fiends off Dakar legends Peterhansel and Loeb! Henk was also quickest through WP1, by the way.
10h00 Cars: South African Toyota rookie Henk Lategan continues to enjoy a brilliant run, provisionally equal third following that tricky fourth sector. And it’s provisionally all change up front as Attiyah leads Loeb, Laegan and Ten Brinke, Peterhansel, Han, Serradori and Przygonski with Sainz who lost 30, Al Rajhi who lost 42 and Baragwanath, who lost 25 minutes finding their way, with Roma, Quassimi and others also seemingly struggling through that sector
09h55 Bikes: Not much to report up front as the two wheelers race toward the finish, bar the first starters struggling up the order following the drama of the first sector
09h40 Cars: Leaders on the road, Carlos Sainz lost half an hour and Yazeed Al Rajhi also lost time when they took a wrong turn among several other cars that struggled with navigation in the dunes today, while Attiyah led Peter hansel and Loeb into the mid stage break…
09h15 Cars: The dunes are playing with the running order as it was all change at WP2 with Al Rajhi leading Sainz, Attiyah, Ten Brinke and Baragwanath, Loeb, Roma, de Villiers Prokop and Peterhansel…
09h00 Cars: It seems the car front runners are also having issues keeping pace up front as Toyota Gazoo Racing rookie Henk Lategan led Al Rajhi’s similar Hilux, Al Qassimi in the Peugeot, Serradori’s Century and de Villiers and Ten Brinke’s Hiluxes sat the first Waypoint, with with Attiyah losing 2 minutes, Peterhansel four and Sainz two minutes in the first sector.
08h40 Bikes: The first machines have passed the 235 km WP, but due to the early drama again, we need to look back to the 183 km mark, where Benavides continues to lead Price, with Walkner, Gonsalves, Caimi and Soultrait in pursuit. Barreda was 44th, Brabec 40th, Quintanilla 32nd and Branch least affected in 21st. Seems the trick will be to finish worse then fifth every day this year!
07h45 Cars: The first cars have entered the stage…
07h40 Bikes: Of the delayed frontrunners, Ross Branch seems to have got away least affected and has already fought back a minute or so. What all this has done, is bring the pack together overall. The Hand of God, perhaps…?
07h30 Bikes: In a twist of fate akin to a thriller novel, all the riders who were so severely delayed yesterday, have bounced back to lead the way today as today’s 24th starter Kevin Benavides led the way through WP 1 ahead of yesterday’s 29th placed man Toby Price. That while today’s top four away, Barreda, Brabec, Quintanilla and Branch struggled through in 33rd, 32nd, 26th and 31st, respectively. So, following the latest WP live results is once again futile today – it will take a while for the real picture to emerge.
06h30 Bikes: Dakar, do we have a problem? Yet again drama on the first sector! For the third day in a row, the top four bikers have lost time in descending order right off the bat. Overall leader Joan Barreda lost eight minutes, second man away Brabec five, third man Ross Branch three and fourth guy Pablo Quintanilla two minutes as they appeared to once again huddle to try find the way leading to the first checkpoint? Odd that this has now happened three days in a row…?
06h25 Bikes: A shake-up at the front again as the tenth man away, Xavier de Soultrait leads provisionally at WP1. The men behind him, van Beveren, Benevides, Flormino, Sanders and Svitko all started outside of the dreaded top four on the road.