That’s stage 10 at the Dakar done and dusted for Daniel Sanders. With times at the top incredibly close due to today’s special being the shortest of the entire event, Sanders posted the 12th fastest time, finishing just over six minutes down on the stage winner. Perhaps not a great result on paper, it’s the overall time that matters most, and today Daniel clawed back vital seconds from the provisional leader while securing a perfect starting position for tomorrow’s first leg of the marathon stage. The race to the finish is just getting started.
Daniel Sanders: “Yeah, today was pretty much full send in the dunes so that was fun, but with it being so short, something like 115 kilometers, today wasn’t the day to be making up too much time. It seems like this part of Saudi missed the rain we had during week one as the sand is dry and a lot softer, so it took me a little while to adjust to it. But all is good. I didn’t want to finish inside the top 10 today because of the marathon stage starting tomorrow so we’re a little bit back in the pack. That was the game plan though, so yeah, looking forward to seeing what we can do over the next couple of days.”
Knowing full well that today’s super-short special offered little to no chance of reeling in the leading riders in this year’s Dakar by a considerable amount, Sanders rode tactically. Able to stay on pace and make up a small amount of time, Chucky got just what he wanted after completing stage 10 – a very favorable start position for stage 11.
With the race now heading into the rolling sand dunes of the Empty Quarter, there’s far less reliance on navigation, with many more opportunities to ride wide open by simply following in the wheel tracks of the leading riders. And starting from 12th tomorrow, Sanders has high hopes of taking a big chunk of time out of those in front in the overall classification.
Results (provisional): Dakar Rally 2023, stage 10
1. Ross Branch (Hero) 1:44:00
2. Adrien Van Beveren (Honda) 1:44:21
3. Michael Docherty (Husqvarna) 1:44:30
12. Daniel Sanders (GASGAS) 1:50:02
Overall Provisional Classification (after stage 10)
1. Kevin Benavides (KTM) 35:46:06
2. Skyler Howes (Husqvarna) 35:47:35
3. Toby Price (KTM) 35:48:16
9. Daniel Sanders (GASGAS) 36:09:46