Following on from his debut rally world championship stage victory yesterday, Daniel Sanders opened stage three of the Silk Way Rally and led the special from start to finish. Learning from another important situation, Daniel delivered a mistake-free ride on his GASGAS RC 450F, losing little time on the riders behind who were able to follow in his wheel tracks. Ending the stage as the sixth fastest rider, Sanders now sits sixth in the provisional standings and with things tightening up at the top of the results, it's very much far from over!
Daniel Sanders: “It was an awesome experience to lead out today and I stayed up front for the whole stage. It was a great experience and really good for my confidence knowing that I can lead and not lose too much time. It was a fun stage today with a bit of everything. Technical sections, high speeds, and a few river crossings as well. A few people had some bad luck today, which is a shame, but myself and my GASGAS finished the stage in good shape. I’m looking forward to the final couple of days where my plan is to make some time up on the leaders and see where we end up.”
Sanders’ confidence received a notable boost today as the Australian lead the stage from start to finish. Relying on his ever-improving navigational skills to successfully complete the special without any major mistakes, Daniel ended the stage in sixth place and well among the leading riders.
With event organizers revising the route to avoid entering Mongolia due to a rise in Covid-19 cases in the country, today’s special remained in Russia and formed leg one of the event’s marathon stage. Arriving at the temporary bivouac in Kosh-Agach safe and sound, Sanders then prepared his bike for the second leg tomorrow, which will be a re-run of today’s stage. Once that’s completed, his team will prepare the bike for the fifth and final stage on Tuesday.
Results (provisional): Silk Way Rally 2021, stage 3
1. Matthias Walkner (KTM) 1:32:21
2. Skyler Howes (Husqvarna) 1:34:24
3. Franco Caimi (Hero) 1:35:36
6. Daniel Sanders (GASGAS) 1:39:14
Overall Provisional Classification (after stage 3)
1. Matthias Walkner (KTM) 3:49:24
2. Franco Caimi (Hero) 3:51:47
3. Skyler Howes (Husqvarna) 3:54:33
6. Daniel Sanders (GASGAS) 3:59:27