After a couple of days to forget for Carlos Sainz which saw him slip to over an hour behind race leader Nasser Al-Attiyah, the Spaniard played out a fine redemption song. El Matador weaved through the traffic to clock up the 23rd stage win of his Dakar Rally and now has the chance to top Stephane Peterhansel’s record tomorrow.
At the top of the leader board Nasser now looks set to crowned champion following tomorrow’s leg to Buenos Aires. After another strong showing from Giniel De Villiers, it seems nothing can stop of a repeat of last year’s Volkswagen one-two-three in the final standings.
On the bikes, Marc Coma’s procession towards his third Dakar title continues after he picked up yet another stage win. Marc’s closest rival, Cyril Despres, pushed hard but ultimately the joint task of opening the road and looking to shave off the minutes proved too much.
Expect a fully focused Marc to complete the task tomorrow with his crash in 2007 which cost him the race still fresh in his mind. Chaleco Lopez looks set to complete a Red Bull infested podium.
Over in the truck class the Kamaz of Vladimir Chagin continues to press towards the finish line. After a 7th stage victory of 2011 and a 63rd of his Dakar career, The Tsar enjoys a lead of over 30 minutes over his team-mate Firdaus Kabirov ahead of tomorrow’s jolly into Buenos Aires.
The crowds in the Argentinian capital will of course be out in great numbers to welcome the competitors over the line but the biggest cheer of the day will no doubt be reserved for local lad Alejandro Patronelli.
Ale-Ale-Alejandro, the elder brother of last year’s winner Marcos Patronelli, has a comfortable hour lead over his compatriot Sebastian Halpern in second place.
Spotlight on Red Bull riders
With his seventh Dakar title locked in his sights I managed to prize a few words out of The Tsar himself, Vladimir Chagin.
“There’s always something interesting on the Dakar. Luckily, this time everything has been fine for us and we have managed to pick up seven stage wins along the way.
“This Dakar is not finished yet however. There’s still one day left and we must make sure the whole team is still feeling the pressure to succeed.”
Also on hand for a quick chat in the Cordoba bivouac was The Tsar’s lieutenant, Firdaus Kabirov.
“Since the beginning, it's been a battle between myself and Vladimir. We’re both experienced drivers who have both won the Dakar. We have the same vehicle and have the same distance to drive. Over the final 180km we know it can all still change.”
Dakar’s Just Deserts
A look at the leader board in the car class shows Nasser Al-Attiyah enjoys a comfortable advantage going into the final day. However, The Fresh Prince of the Dakar is fully aware of the pressure on him to deliver his first title of the desert classic.
“It’s a very difficult feeling because you need to stay concentrated from start to finish. These stages are the toughest I have ever driven in my life. We are trying so hard not make any mistakes but at the same time we must remember to keep our speed up.”
Since competing in South America, the army of Nasser fans continues to grow and hopefully the man from Qatar can give the multitudes plenty to smile about tomorrow.
Word from the Waypoint
“This morning we set off to attack, we really wanted to make a fight of it. We had more problems though. It never rains, it only pours." - BMW driver Stephane Peterhansel is left bemoaning more bad luck as he had to stop four times once again on a stage due to various problems.
Today’s Dakar Lucky Number: 54.9
When Carlos Sainz crashed and broke his suspension on stage 11 along with his co-driver Lucas Cruz and team-mates Mark Miller and Ralph Pitchford, he was forced to carry out the repairs at a blistering 54.9 degrees Celsius.
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