Stage 7 of the 2022 Dakar Rally between Riyadh and Al Dawadimi. It is 400 km with difficult navigation. In motorcycles, Sanders opens the track and defends Sunderland leadership. In cars, Newfoundland will be the spearhead and Al-Attiyah is comfortable leader.
8:48: Backlight
ASO photo of a motorcycle racer passing in front of several onlookers
8:45: Trouble for Al Rajhi
Well, bad start for the second in the general of cars. Yazeed leaves 3:01 with Ekstrom, who has set the best time at km 42
8:41: Brabec relaunches
Ricky reaches km 221 and has greatly increased his lead over Walkner. Now it takes 1:08, almost a minute more. Likewise, your income grows with Quintanilla up to almost three minutes. Sunderland does not pass. GPS again? The American must be beaten by Cornejo, Price or Kevin Benavides, although he has made a great stretch
8:40: Sale Al-Attiyah
Nasser leads 50 minutes ahead of Al Rajhi and Loeb. Part tenth, a great place to go comfortable and buy time. Mind you, Seb starts even further back. Like Sainz and Peterhansel. We will have to wait to certify the classifications
8:34: First motorcycles at km 221
It has become long because there was no crossing point between the previous section and this one. They have been 100 km without references, but they are already beginning to arrive. Walkner, the first to do it. Sunderland troubles may give Austrian lead
8:28: The cars leave
I started Newfoundland first. Then at 3 minutes, Ekstrom. Then Al Rajhi, Baragwanath and Nani Roma
8:11: Balances at rest
ASO video with a balancing act that he subjected several pilots to on the rest day
8:07: Branch came out … even though he had left
The current Dakar regulations allow things like Ross Branch, who left after a fall in the previous stage, to be able to go out in this special. He no longer fights for the general, but he could achieve some partial victory, as happened with Petrucci. The one from Botswana, bombastically nicknamed ‘The Ferrari of the Kalahari’ is less than a minute from Price at km 77
7:57: Sunderland ‘reappears’
The British, at last, reappears in the times. He leaves 4:30 with Cornejo at km 121. His leadership is in danger, but he is already stuck with Walkner and he does not open alone
7:53: Cornejo surprises everyone
Incredible. The Chilean reaches km 121 and gets first. He gives Price 4 seconds. It is true that he had started very well, but at the previous point he was 42 seconds behind the Australian
7:50: Rodrigues, in the dunes
Beautiful photo of Joaquim goes ASO
7:36: Barreda relents
Joan has lost time on this section. It moves away from the head. At km 121 he loses 1:58 with Price. It was him because Kevin Benavides holds, more or less, and gives up just 23 seconds with Toby. Santolino also accumulates more loss: 4:22 with the ocean
7:28: Photos of the start of the special
This is how motorcycles began. Goes ASO
7:26: Price, to yours
The Australian is going with a very strong rhythm. So much so that at km 121 it increases its advantages. Now he endorses 55 seconds to Brabec. He gives Ricky and everyone another half a minute. Nothing yet about Sunderland
7:15 AM: No news from Sunderland
The organization does not announce anything about the leader in motorcycles, whose time does not appear either at km 121 where several have already arrived and left behind. So Ricky Brabec is first there – until Price passes, presumably – and increases his rent with Walkner, who yielded something. Now he takes 24 seconds to the Austrian (23 ms)
7:04: Phenomenal Barreda
Joan reaches km 77 and is even allowed to reduce rent with Price. It goes to just 11 seconds, taking him 14 in this stretch. Kevin Benavides also reduced the ‘aussie’ and is only 8 seconds behind him. Interesting
7:02: Santolino gives more time
The man from Salamanca reaches km 77 and loses 2:17 with Price. Almost a minute more
6:59: The sun over the desert
Photo goes ASO
6:51: Price increases rents
Toby reaches km 77 and his advantage grows. Brabec gets 27 seconds, only 8 ms. To Walkner, 28. To others it increases them much more. No news from Sunderland
6:50: The quads begin
In the general, the French Giroud commands with less than 5 minutes of rent over the American Copetti. The Spanish Lex Feli resists. South African Maksimov opens track
6:42: As the sore Barreda comes out
Vdeo de ASO
6:40: Trouble for Sunderland
Several who left after Sam did reach km 77. Brabec hits Walkener for a second. And the British does not appear. What we usually say: either there is an error in your GPS or it gives up a lot of time. Paint more the second
6:37: Barreda: no pain
Joan shows signs of going well. Reaches km 42 and only yields 25 seconds with Price. Let’s see as the kilometers go by how that fractured left clavicle behaves and, in general, the entire damaged left side
6:26: Santolino starts at his own pace
Lorenzo reaches km 42 and loses 1:24 with Price. He is not among the best. It usually goes from less to more
6:35: It’s Kevin Benavides birthday
He reaches 33 years old. Defend the victory achieved last year and celebrate it on the bike. Congratulations. For the moment, it starts well, 15 seconds behind Price at the first checkpoint
6:33: Santolino and Barreda, studying
ASO video of the Spaniards reviewing the ‘roadbook’ they were given before leaving
6:31: Price, a remontar
You always have to count on Price. He’s 39 minutes in general, but he’s a beast. Start this day at full speed. He takes the first position at km 42 and is 17 seconds ahead of Walkner. If Toby wants to win this Dakar he must attack and he is doing it
6:26: Sunderland already suffers
Sam begins to pay to open. At the first checkpoint, at km 42, Walkner, who started after him, already scored 1:17. Ricky Brabec and Klein are about the same as the Austrian
6:23: Sanders leaves for an unusual every
Enrique Naranjo goes, the details of Sanders’ KO: Abandon for an unusual each
6:13: Santolino and Barreda leave
In positions 12 and 13. Not a bad place. They can go back
6:08: More responsibility for Sunderland
The abandonment of Sanders puts more pressure on Sunderland. Yes, a tough opponent is removed, but now it will be the leader of the general who has to open the track. And KTM / GasGas loses a prop
6:05: Warm up, Kevin, you’re out
Kevin Benavides warms up his muscles in the cold before leaving
6:03: Sainz knows what to swallow dust
Carlos jokes in the networks with what awaits him and Peterhansel for leaving so far behind
6:01: Big loss for KTM / GasGas
It’s a shame the KO of Sanders. He was being one of the great entertainers of the race. It was his second Dakar and the former enduro rider had shown impressive speed. He still has to polish himself in navigation and temperance, but he has signs of a future winner. He is the natural replacement for Toby Price, who is looking to switch to cars. ‘Chucky’, as Daniel is called, must be hardened in other raids
5:57: SANDERS, KO ON THE LINK
Note: Important news: Sanders does not come out. The Australian suffered a strong fall in the link and is given the left arm. He had to be evacuated to a hospital. He’s out of the running, as the organization confirms. Stick for KTM and GasGas
5:51: Adis a Riyadh
The Dakar leaves the capital of Saudi Arabia. The route heads south
5:47: The motorcycles leave
Start the day on motorcycles. The first 10 depart every 3 minutes, every 2 from 10 to 20 and every minute after
5:37: A postcard from the desert
Dawn is always a game. Goes ASO
5:33: Motorcycles promise strong emotions
The general is more than balanced. He sends Sunderland, but with only 2:39 on Walkner. Sanders, who is showing up as the fastest – maybe not the strongest – is at 5:35. Van Beveren, at 7:43. Quintanilla is already 15 minutes away. Santolino is sixth at 18:22 and Barreda, ninth, at 25:59. It is a race of elimination and so it should be until the end
5:25: Today’s track
This is what the terrain on which to run the special of the day looks like
5:09: The helicopter takes off
Signal that this is moving. No terrorist threats or anything. To the race
5:04: Departure times
On motorcycles, the first to leave will be Daniel Sanders, at 5:40; by car, Orly Newfoundland, at 8:15
The second week of the Rally Dakar 2022 after the rest day. He does it with a long special, that of the stage 7, 400 km, between Riyadh, the capital, and Al Dawadimi, to the south. Navigation will once again be the protagonist, as the organization has warned. The special will have a fast first part to later give way to sandy tracks combined with small dunes. In the central part there will be areas of faster plains where dust can be a problem for those who start later. In the final part, dunes will be combined with valleys where navigation will be difficult … and more as a consequence of the recent rains having erased the traces. In cars, the race is very defined, with Nasser Al-Attiyah, with more than 50 minutes of advantage. On motorcycles, lead Sam Sunderland, but with great equality. Carlos Sainz He is only looking for stage triumphs. On the two wheels, to see the physical state of Joan Barreda, with his fracture in the left clavicle.
Reference-www.marca.com
