The much-feared 48h Chrono, a stage over two days with a 1000 kilometer loop around Bisha, is already the scene of mishaps among the headliners in the car category. Carlos Sainz and his teammate Lucas Cruz were victims of an accident at km 327, just after passing PK 325.
The Spaniard rolled over a dune and his Ford Raptor ended up on its roof. They received help from American Mitch Guthrie and were finally able to leave after being immobilized for more than 20 minutes.
The organizers of the event, which Sainz has won four times, have given reassuring news regarding the state of health of the two men. Their vehicle, however, suffered significant damage, particularly to the rear according to information from the Spanish daily Marca, and the defending champion was almost three-quarters of an hour behind when passing the lead of the race at Km 343.
Electronic problem for Loeb
Sébastien Loeb is also experiencing problems, to a lesser extent. The Frenchman and his co-driver Fabian Lurquin were forced to stop for around a quarter of an hour shortly before PK 414. According to information from L'Equipe, the Alsatian was the victim of an electronic problem on his Dacia Sandriders . He was 29'54 behind the leader of the race when he passed this refueling point. He finally left after benefiting from the help of his teammate Cristina Gutierrez.
