By getting most of the hard work done on yesterday’s first leg of the new Dakar chrono stage, Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s Daniel Sanders has today completed the final 112 kilometers and posted the fourth-fastest time overall. After racing for just over eight hours in total over the two days through the special, Chucky was certainly impressive. And for his efforts, he’s knocking on the door of the top-five now as the race reaches the halfway point. Enjoy the rest day, Daniel, it’s been a tough first week!
The new chrono stage at the Dakar was certainly challenging for every rider. On the first day, Sanders, and 11 of his competitors reached the sixth temporary bivouac where they were provided with basic provisions for the night – a tent, sleeping bag, minimal food, and water. However, by completing 513 of the 626 kilometers on leg one of the chrono, Chucky could enjoy a relatively short sprint today to complete the special, which he did as the fourth-fastest racer and finished less than seven minutes from victory.
Sanders’ great result moves him up to seventh overall now and he’s close to the top-five in the provisional standings. Tomorrow, Daniel will enjoy the event’s rest day before gearing up for week two, kicking off with stage seven on Sunday, January 14.
Daniel Sanders: "Together, stages 6a and 6b were very long! Yesterday was definitely a tough one and afterwards I didn’t get much food or sleep. Luckily, I got a fair way through the stage yesterday, so it was a quick sprint to finish today which wasn’t too bad. I’m happy to make it to the finish line and looking forward to the rest day. It looks like week two will be just as hard, so we’ll see how we go."
Provisional Results: Dakar Rally 2024, stage 6
1. Adrien Van Beveren (Honda) 7:57:29
2. Toby Price (KTM) 8:01:42
3. Ricky Brabec (Honda) 8:02:31
4. Daniel Sanders (GASGAS) 8:04:24
Overall Provisional Classification (after stage 6)
1. Ricky Brabec (Honda) 27:11:21
2. Ross Branch (Hero) 27:12:12
3. Adrien Van Beveren (Honda) 27:20:42
7. Daniel Sanders (GASGAS) 27:47:11