While most pilots they had not crossed the penultimate Waypoint, Nasser Al Attiyah had already crossed the finish line. Stage victory that means much more than that. Loeb, the only one of the favorites that remains in the fight, finishes second to 12 minutes.
Sainz reached the finish line in twenty-fourth position, two hours and six minutes behind his great rival, Nasser Al Attiyah. The Madrid rider, like many of the favorites, got lost in the last stage. Nani Roma (12th), for example, left an hour and a quarter.
The Dakar is very expensive for Al Attiyah. Only Loeb, 12 minutes away, could follow him. From Villiers, seventh is more than half an hour away. Pilots like Prokop, Luciano Álvarez, Vasilyiev and Halpern.
Audi disaster. Peterhansel was left out after damaging his rear axle and EkstromLike Sainz, he got lost at the penultimate waypoint.
On motorcycles, stage win for Daniel Sanders. The Australian from GasGas has been intractable and repeats after also taking the prologue. Second was the Chilean Pablo Quintanilla, at 02:07.
It has been a dark day for many of the favorites. Barreda has lost 38 minutes, Benavides 3. 4, Price 44 and Brabec 56.
