The twelfth and penultimate stage of the Rally Dakar 2018, which takes place this Thursday between Chilecito and San Juan, was diminished by the cancellation of the route for motorcycles due to the flooding of the rivers. And with the outstanding note of Federico Villagra, who extends his lead in the standings and consolidates himself at the top of the general classification in trucks.
The Cordoban pilot, aboard an Iveco, dominates the first three way points of the stage over the Dutchman Ton van Genugten (+05m11s) and the Czechs Martin Kolomy (+07m08s) and Martin Macik (+8m15s).
Federico Villagra advances in a new stage of the Dakar. (Photo: Reuters)
The most significant fact was the performance of Eduard Nikolaev, Villagra's runner-up in the general classification. After the 15-minute penalty against the Argentine, the Russian was unable to maintain the one-minute difference and now is 32 minutes behind the Cordoban in the stage.
It should be noted that only cars and trucks compete on this day, who will complete their route as planned, with the longest special of the entire rally, covering 523 kilometers.
Rally Dakar 2018: 12th stage for motorcycles and quads canceled due to bad weather
Motorcycles and quads had ahead a special stage of 375 kilometers, different from that of trucks and cars, but the Dakar race management decided to change it due to the forecast of adverse weather conditions in the area.
The canceled stage was the second part of the "marathon" stage that motorcycles and quads started this Wednesday, from Chilecito, La Rioja, where they were forbidden to receive assistance or mechanical help unless it was from another pilot.