Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s Daniel Sanders has successfully made it through the first leg of the all-new chrono stage at the Dakar Rally. As one of 12 riders to reach the sixth temporary bivouac on the special, Sanders is running up front and provisionally ranked fourth-fastest as it stands. With racing resuming tomorrow, Chucky is well-placed to complete the unique special in a strong position with just 113 kilometers to go before he reaches the stage’s finish line. Let’s get this thing done, Daniel!
Year on year, the Dakar gets tougher and tougher, and today saw all competitors take on the first-ever chrono stage. Covering a whopping 626 kilometers over two days and with no outside assistance available to any rider after the first day of racing, there was the added element that riders had to stop at the next temporary bivouac on stage when the clock struck 4pm local time.
For Sanders, well, he was running up front from the start and covered an incredible 513 kilometers in a little over six and a half hours to reach the sixth bivouac. Currently fourth on stage and moving up to seventh overall as it stands, we think Chucky might be a fan of these chrono stages. We’ll ask him when we catch up with him tomorrow!
Andreas Hölzl – Rally Team Manager: "It’s been a great day for Daniel. He delivered a mistake-free ride and reached the sixth temporary bivouac on the stage today with no problems. The stage started a little later than normal, which meant that the temperatures were a little higher than usual, so it’s been a really long and tough stage. Overall, I’m happy with Daniel’s performance. We’re almost halfway through the race now and once tomorrow’s second leg of the stage is complete, we’ll certainly enjoy the rest day."
Provisional Results: Dakar Rally 2024, stage 6a
1. Adrien Van Beveren (Honda) 6:30:39
2. Ricky Brabec (Honda) 6:32:00
3. Toby Price (KTM) 6:32:28
4. Daniel Sanders (GASGAS) 6:34:11
Overall Provisional Classification (after stage 6a)
1. Ricky Brabec (Honda) 25:40:50
2. Ross Branch (Hero) 25:43:38
3. Jose Ignacio Cornejo (Honda) 25:47:27
7. Daniel Sanders (GASGAS) 25:53:52