Over and out from Rally Kazakhstan! Securing his second consecutive third place finish, Daniel Sanders has elevated himself up to fourth in the event’s overall provisional classification. Clearly a quick learner, the young Aussie overcame a tough couple of days at the beginning of the rally to turn things around and finish just shy of an overall podium result.
Daniel Sanders: “Another good day for me today and I feel like I’m back to where I belong. My navigation was on point today. The stage was shortened but up until that point I didn’t make a single mistake and got into a good rhythm. It’s a shame the stage was cut short as I felt awesome on the bike today. But anyway, that’s my first world championship race done, and I learned a lot this week. The focus now is to work on a few things before the next round so that I can start strong and be up the front from the beginning.”
Finding his rhythm during the second half of Rally Kazakhstan, Sanders delivered a pair of back-to-back third place finishes on stages four and five to rocket up the leaderboard and end the rally in fourth overall. Sanders will now line up for the Silk Way Rally next month safe in the knowledge that he can compete with the best rally riders in the world.
Jordi Viladoms – GASGAS Rally Team Manager: “Overall, it’s been a really positive rally for Daniel. Not a great start with the high speeds and a few mistakes with his navigation, but nothing major. Daniel showed that he is a quick learner and can adapt though, and he showed great pace from stage three onwards. I think from the next round we will see him up front earlier on and he’ll be in a better place to challenge for the podium.”
Results (provisional): Rally Kazakhstan 2021, stage 5
1. Joaquim Rodrigues (Hero) 1:19:51
2. Ross Branch (Yamaha) 1:20:58
3. Daniel Sanders (GASGAS) 1:21:22
Overall Provisional Classification (after stage 5)
1. Ross Branch (Yamaha) 14:39:02
2. Matthias Walkner (KTM) 14:44:09
3. Adrien Van Beveren (Yamaha) 14:49:18
4. Daniel Sanders (GASGAS) 15:10:36