The compact sand of the fifth stage has caused many problems today in the Rally Dakar 2023. The toughest endurance test that motorsport can offer is living up to its reputation in this fourth edition organized by Saudi Arabia. Even those leading the timesheet know that problems can arise at any time.
The fifth stage could not have had a better result for Nasser Al-Attiyah and his co-driver Mathieu Baumel in their Toyota GR DKR Hilux T1+. However, the stage victory to increase their lead in the overall car classification did not come without some headaches. The four-time Dakar winner knows that pushing to the limit is not a sustainable tactic for a 14-stage rally.
"It has been a very tough stage, not easy at all. We have tried to go all out and we have taken a lot of risks. Now we are tired after pushing so hard in the stage," confessed Al-Attiyah at the end of the day.
The reason why the Qatari felt he had to push so hard was the announcement last night by the race organizers that they will allow the Audi Sport team to increase the maximum power of their Audi RS Q e-tron E2 cars. Stéphane Peterhansel/Edouard Boulanger and Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz have taken advantage of this advantage to achieve the second and third best time respectively.
"It has been one of the toughest stages of my life, but I don't know exactly why! We have sore backs and necks," said Peterhansel, the most successful driver in the rally.
Illnesses and collisions have disrupted the classification in the motorcycle race. The race leader, Daniel Sanders, was forced to ride alone in the fifth stage after waking up feeling unwell. "It is frustrating to see how much time you lose, but I didn't even know if I was going to be able to race today when I woke up this morning," lamented the Australian.
As Sanders descended in the standings, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing riders Toby Price and Kevin Benavides moved up. Price is now second, just two minutes behind the new race leader, Skyler Howes. Meanwhile, Benavides is third overall after a dramatic fifth stage.
The Saudi odyssey from coast to coast continues tomorrow in the sixth stage. The timed special of 467 km will take place on a usual mix of terrains, including a flood of dunes during the last third of the day's route.
WHAT ARE THE STAGES OF THE RALLY DAKAR 2023?
- Stage 1 SEA CAMP > SEA CAMP 602.56 km total | 367 km special - January 1
- Stage 2 SEA CAMP > ALULA 589.07 km total | 430 km special - January 2
- Stage 3 ALULA > HA'IL 669.15 km total | 447 km special - January 3
- Stage 4 HA'IL > HA'IL 574.01 km total | 425 km special - January 4
- Stage 5 HA'IL > HA'IL 645.04 km total | 373 km special - January 5
- Stage 6 HA'IL > AL DUWADIMI 876.24 km total | 465 km special - January 6
- Stage 7 AL DUWADIMI > AL DUWADIMI 641.46 km total | 472 km special - January 7
- Stage 8 AL DUWADIMI > RIYADH 713.85 km total | 398 km special - January 8
- Rest Day - January 9
- Stage 9 RIYADH > HARADH 686 km total | 358 km special - January 10
- Stage 10 HARADH > SHEYBAH 623.94 km total | 113 km special - January 11
- Stage 11 SHAYBAH > EMPTY QUARTER MARATHON 428.27 km total | 275 km special - January 12
- Stage 12 EMPTY QUARTER MARATHON > SHAYBAH 376.46 km total | 185 km special - January 13
- Stage 13 SHAYBAH > AL-HOFUF 675.6 km total | 154 km special - January 14
- Stage 14 AL-HOFUF - DAMMAM 417.3 km total | 136 km special - January 15