The days follow each other and are not the same. After the punishing “48 hours flat” of almost 1,000 km of special, the drivers took part, Tuesday January 7, in a 3rd stage shortened due to the heavy rain expected on the route between Bisha and Al Henakiyah (Saudi Arabia) . After having limited the damage the day before, Sébastien Loeb (Dacia) rolled over and still seems as cursed on the roads of the Dakar. He may have already given up all hope of winning the famous rally raid. In motorcycle racing, Lorenzo Santolino, riding the French brand Sherco, put an end to the hegemony of Daniel Sanders (KTM), still leader of the event.
Sébastien Loeb rolls over and loses more than an hour overall
He thought, perhaps, that he had done the hardest part between Sunday and Monday during the terrible “48 hours flat” stage, conceding only around ten minutes on the leader Henk Lategan (Toyota). But the curse seems to fall on Sébastien Loeb. Victim of a violent crash at the start of the course (km 12), the Frenchman and his Belgian co-pilot Fabian Burgin were certainly able to leave but above all conceded when crossing the finish line more than an hour on the winner of the day, Saood Variawa (Toyota).
At the wheel of his Dacia, and almost 50 km after his accident, the nine-time WRC world champion was forced to stop again, this time for almost 40 minutes. An undoubtedly fatal delay in the race for the supreme coronation that he has been aiming for since his rally-raid debut in 2016. After only five days of racing, the Alsatian is 1h14'45'' behind the South African leader. Henk Lategan.
“We were able to continue but suddenly the steering link broke, I think because of the rollover […] Then we had a problem with the engine overheating. We tried to finish the stage. We got there but in the end we lost an hour”he regretted at the finish of the special.
Nasser Al-Attiyah takes time from Henk Lategan, precocity record for Saood Variawa
Henk Lategan didn't necessarily have a bad day, but he sees a formidable competitor emerging in his rearview mirror in the person of Nasser Al-Attiyah (Dacia). The Qatari, five-time winner of the Dakar, did well for the day by climbing into second place in the provisional general standings, now 7'17'' behind Henk Lategan. The latter lost almost four minutes on Tuesday to Sébastien Loeb's teammate.
-The very beautiful story of the day goes to young Saood Variawa. At only 19 years old, the South African scored his first career victory, alongside his French co-driver, François Cazalet. It thus sets a record for precocity. Just one year after his debut on the Dakar, Henk Lategan's teammate was rewarded for his panache-filled end to the special. He won by just a few seconds ahead of the Mini of Frenchman Guerlain Chicherit (33''), and the Toyota of American Seth Quintero (1'48'').
On a motorcycle, Lorenzo Santolino poses at the wheel of his Sherco
A Franco-Spanish victory. The one nicknamed “Santo” showed off his car from the French brand based in Nîmes, Sherco, on the demanding route of this shortened 3rd stage on Tuesday. Lorenzo Santolino was the most skilled during the 327 km special to win ahead of the Americans from Honda, Ricky Brabec (+4'01'') and Scott Howes (+4'10''). This is a first for the French manufacturer since 2019 and the victory of Frenchman Mickael Metge in Pisco (Peru).
It put an end to the insolent domination, since the start of the Dakar, of Daniel Sanders (KTM), undefeated until now on the roads of the rally-raid. The Australian nevertheless remains first overall ahead of Scott Howes (+1'57''). First French overall, Adrien Van Beveren conceded a little time on Tuesday, and is more than 16 minutes behind Daniel Sanders.
