Catch all the Dakar Day 5 action as it goes down right here on the Auto Live Ticker!
Thursday’s 456 km fifth Dakar 2021 stage from Riyadh to Al Qaisumah is a rough, tough, long and hard slog across a variety of terrains from rocks to dunes. Can Al Attiyah win his fourth stage on the trot? Is Barreda up to a third stage win this year on the bikes? Or will this be rookie Lategan’s big day on his fifth ever Dakar stage? And can Ross branch take his second ever stage win, his first as a factory rider? Be sure to come back here through the day to follow it all as it happens!
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15h00 All: Here’s your full Dakar 2012 Day 5 Report!
14h15 Cars: de Villiers has held on to take the day — his 17th stage win — by a minute from Baragwanath. Peterhansel ended up fourth from Al Attiyah, Prokop and Orlando Terranova’s Mini. Shameer Variyawa and Dennis Murphy’s fourth Gazoo Hiluxs was still running in 30th as we wrote.
13h55 Cars: Brian Baragwanath is the quickest car home. Now we wait for Giniel!
13h30 Cars: Its an all-South African battle up front as Brian Baragwanath continues to close in on Giniel de Villiers, who has had to fight through the dust as the day has worn on. Peterhansel has meanwhile beaten Attiyah home to open up his overall lead by just over two minute over the Qatari
13h00 Bikes Argentine Kevin Benavides picked his Honda up after a crash 100 km from home to bring it home to win the bikes and move into the overall lead despite a bloody nose sustained in his fall. He beat Honda teammate Jose Ignacio Cornejo Flormino, KTM ace Toby Price, Lorenzo Santolino’s Sherco, Sam Sunderland’s KTM. Husqvarna and KTM privateers Xavier de Soultrait and Skyler Howes, and Botswana hero Ross branch on his Yamaha. Benavides now leads the consistent Soultrait, Flormino, Price, Sunderland, Santolino, Hoews, Branch, Barreda and Luviano Benavides overall as the leaderbored continues to fluctuate wildly day-to-day. The only upside id that the to ten remain within fifteen minutes, so this rally is anyone’s game…
12h10 Bikes: Today’s surprisingly lengthy 120 km final sector means we must just wait and see how it all pans out…
12:00 Cars: it’s a South African 1-2 in the cars as Giniel de Villiers continues to dominate with Brian Baragwanath closing in slowly behind. Not that it makes up for Henk Lategan’s retirement earlier today. Marton Prokp is fourth in his Ford from Peterhansl, who has opened up a coupe of minutes advantage over AL Attiyah.
10h15 Bikes: No further major changes in the bikes as Kevin Benavides leads Flormino, Santolino, Soultrait, Rodrigues, Price and Branch toward the finish.
10h10 Cars: Giniel is opening the gap to 3 minutes over van Loon, Prokop, Roma Terranova and Baragwanath, with Attiyah and Peterhansel separated by seconds, albeit 10 minutes off the pace.
09h40 Cars: Toyota sources have confirmed that Lategan and Cummings have crashed out. The duo have been airlifted back to the start control with Lategan reported to have hurt his shoulder, while Cummings was unscathed but the Hilux has apparently suffered ‘destructive damage’.
09h30 Cars: Unconfirmed reports suggest that Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings’ Hilux has rolled out of the race. Will confirm as soon as we have news.
09h20 Cars: There’s drama in the cars too. Henk Lategan is stopped at 20km, while Sainz and Loeb have both lost around 30 minutes lost. Giniel de Villiers was provisionally quickest through WP 1 from Eric van Loon’s Hilux, Nani Roma’s Hunter, Prokop’s Ford, Peterhansel, Attiyah and Baragwanath.
08h25 Bikes: For the record: the first four bike starters on Day 1 came home 24th, 20th and 25th, while the 9th, 7th and 18th starters ended up on top. Day 2’s top 3 came home 28th, 24th and 69th, while the 20th, 24th and 22nd bikes ended up on the podium. Day 3 saw the first three bikes away finish 30th, 25th and 23rd,and the 29th, 24th and 22nd machines to start, end up in the top 3. And Day 4’s firs bikes away ended up 22nd, 14th and 23rd, while the 30th, 8th and 10th machines were yesterday’s 1-2-3. So far today, the top 3 starters were 19th, 15th and 12th at WP2 (and likely to drop out of the top 30 as the rst come by), while the 7th, 5th and 14th men were first through. Such a pity as this inability for the organisers to adequately show competitors the way, is making a great race into a nothing but a lottery on wheels…
08h00 Bikes: The 2021 Dakar curse on the bike front runners has struck again! Today the top three away have lost 18, 15 and 12 minutes respectively as Barreda, Sanders and Luciano Benavides struggle, while the fourth to seventh bikes away run in the top 5 with Flormino, Soultrait, Rodrigues, Benavides and Branch up front. Message to Ross Branch – drop to sixth, stay there all the way and you will win!
07h00 Bikes: The first machines are through WP1 and there seems a wide spread of times already as Honda duo Conrejo Flormino and first away Barreda Bort lead Husqvarna lan De Soultrait, Svitko’s KTM and Branch fourth on his Yamaha, over four minute back after just 43 km. Second and third starters Sanders and Benavides have lost eight and sis minutes respectively. Again…
05h30 Bikes: Today’s action commences 6am. The cars set off just before 8am SA time. Brace yourself!
05h00 Cars: Great news for Henk Lategan overnight, but not for Sebastien Loeb – a 5-minute speeding penalty drops the 9-time World Rally Champion from fourth to seventh. Which means that rookie Lategan is now fourth overall behind Peterhansel, Attiyah and Sainz and ahead of Przygonski, Serradori’s Century and Loeb, with those four still in a frantic race for fourth.