7:52pm – Stefan Schwyz today, after finishing the stage, he revealed that a stone broke the clutch on the tank. While fixing it he wasted time and some gas, also had to slow down and barely made it to the gas station. So good luck with bad luck.
3:04pm – Juraj Varga at the finish line today in 7th place, loss of +30 min., in the order of the overall quads, he is in 8th place. Stefan Schwyz today he took a loss of 21 min 38 sec, at least half of which was due to the repair of technical problems at the start of the stage. Overall it is Stefan Schwyz in 21st place.
2.30pm – Juraj Varga in quads, he is just ahead of the finish line of WP9 and holds the 7th place in today’s stage.
12:44 – adj Stefan Schwyz at the finish, a loss of 21 minutes, of which around 8-10 minutes were lost at the start to fix a bike breakdown. It is provisionally 24th, but things can still change.
12:40 – Martin Michael 15:44 defeat at the finish line and 19th place so far. It should come right away Stefan Schwyz.
12:37 – 18 runners at the finish line, we are waiting for our…
12:25 – At the finish Daniel Sanders he admitted that he slowed down in the last part so as not to have to open the road tomorrow. With “Chucky” still not fully recovered from his previous injuries, he decided to play strategically.
12:24 – So I didn’t want to speculate that Sanders didn’t also make some strategic slowdowns in the crash, but now he confirmed at the finish that he slowed down so as not to win the stage.
12:22 – Stefan Schwyz on PR9 increase in defeat by 3 min and continuous 24th place.
12:21 – Juraj Varga it is on the WP6 tank. He currently holds 8th place in the stage, but his loss is already 20 minutes.
12:16 – Martin Michael on WP9 an increase in loss of less than 2 min, provisionally 20 pos. We are waiting Stefan Schwyz.
12:14 – 14 riders at the finish and the order has changed: 1. M.Klein 2. SEBASTIAN BÜHLER 3. SKYLER HOWES
12:10 – Sanders upon arrival but had problems in the last stretch. During the stage he led the general classification for a long time and now there are almost 6 minutes lost between WP9 and the finish line alone.
12:06 – Ours on WP8. Martin Michael loses again by 14 minutes and drops to 20th place. Stefan Schwyz he did not increase the loss and thus continuously improves up to 25th place.
11:48 – The first four at the finish line of the 2nd stage: Klein, Kevin Benavides, Joan Barreda Bort a Ricky Brabeck.
11:37 – Martin Michael aj Stefan Schwyz they went through WP7 immediately after the refueling, there the split times hardly changed.
11:31 – 16 riders covered WP9 348km, ours should also have some time and will be first across the finish line… Sanders is still in the lead.
11:29 – Since the refueling was repeated, the riders “vegetated” for 15 minutes, so we have no split times 😉
11:00 am – Vargas in quad on WP4 he holds 7 provisional place, loss of 13 minutes from the leading rider today.
10:59 – Three Knights Klein, Kevin Benavides a Ricky Brabeck passed WP8.
10:42 – Martin Michael aj Stefan Schwyz on WP6:
Martin Michael he has been gradually losing for 11 minutes and is falling to 21st place
Stefan Schwyz has a leak after those problems and added 2 minutes between the final split times, currently 25th place
10:31am – The first six flew over WP7, Sanders he started sixth and that’s why he benefits and will probably win the stage…
10:27 – WP6 – 269km is also the 2nd refueling stage of today’s stage, the riders have a 15 minute break and then go to the last section of the stage where there should be more sand and some dunes.
10:25 – Sanders still leads even after 269 km, 2. Toby Price +3:46 3. Ross branch +5:11 After yesterday’s unfortunate crash of last year’s winner Sunderland, Sanders is making the Gas Gas brand feel good.
10:12 – Stefan Schwyz also on WP5 loss of 18 min and currently 30th place.
10:04 – Martin Michael in WP5 he suffered a slight loss of about 4 minutes between intermediate times and dropped out of the TOP10, provisionally in 13th place. It should pass in a moment Stefan Schwyz.
09:57 – Vargas in quad, he climbs to 7th place in WP3.
09:56 – the first six have already covered WP6 269 km.
09:52 – Michael Docherty, rookie driving the Rally 2 class, has just completed the 186 km of WP2. He set the 2nd fastest time 27” behind Sanders and maintained impressive pace. Behind them are three Hero Motosports, Buhler a minute behind, they follow Rodrigo a Caimiwhich is three minutes behind the leader of the stage.
09:39 – 13 runners on WP5 230km 1. Sanders, 2. Toby Price 3. Klein: This order will change, they should pass soon Martin Michael a Stefan Schwyz.
09:21 – Vargas in quads go to WP2 in 9th place instead of losing 7 min.
09:20 – Ours also passed WP4: Martin Michael he is now riding ahead of Števo – he overtook him when Števo was fixing his bike and is currently in 8th place +3:30, Stefan Schwyz +15:16 24th provisional place.
09:18 – 6 riders have already passed WP5, it seems they have made up ground Hunt and formed a group at the head. Brabec is already losing 11 minutes in today’s stage
09:14 – Rally 2 driver takes first place in WP3 – Filling station 150 km Michael Dochertynewcomer to the Dakar, first in the lead sanderson or 14 sec. 3. Buhler
7. Martin Michael +2:45
41. Stefan Schwyz after the technology. problems +14:07
08:39 – Juraj Varga today he only passed WP1 and with a loss of 9 minutes he is currently 10th.
08:37 – Stefan Schwyz on WP3 150 km he loses 14 min, but he seems to keep up the pace… Fingers crossed.
08:36 – The top six riders have already passed WP4.
08:35 – Split times skipped for Martin Michaelin WP2 a loss of only 2:39, currently 10th place, and in WP3 so far a loss of 2:45. Martin Michael so had no problems, just order tracking didn’t work…
08:33 – Except for Stefan Schwyz this year we also have another Slovakian at the start, in the quad category. Juraj Varga he will be among, if not best, podium contenders soon after his first Dakar appearance. The Slovakian has become a benchmark in the quad world, taking second place in the FIM World Cup behind last year’s Dakar winner Alexandre Giroud. It’s time to battle it out in the biggest and toughest of all rallies. The Dakar has really been his obsession for the past year. He could have decided to register for the 2022 edition, but he felt he was not yet ready to compete with the best. That’s why Varga has covered as many kilometers as possible in long rally-raids or short Baja events all over the planet.
08:28 – 19 riders passed WP3 and we are already looking forward to it Stefan Schwyz, who lost more than 10 minutes after those problems. Also a Czech pilot Martin Michael it probably has problems and does not appear on the splits…
08:17 – Michael Docherty still leading in WP2 after 105 km with an advantage of 8 seconds Daniel Sanders. The Australian is followed by three representatives from the Hero team: Frank Caimi, Sebastian Buehler a Joaquim Rodriguez. Ross branchfell yesterday, is just under 3 min behind Docherty.
08:10 – Stefan Schwyz in WP2 with a loss of 11 min after technical problems at km 72 he was repairing the bike. The loss is not tragic and Števo continues. Michek hasn’t passed WP2 yet.
07:57 – Meanwhile, the top 6 runners have already completed WP3 at 150km, Ricky Brabeck he’s been losing significantly since he first started today.
07:44 – Stefan Schwyz has technical problems. He stopped today after 72km to work on his KTM. After 48 km he was 18th, last year, during the 9th stage, he had bad luck and had to change the engine.
07:35 – New arrival Michael Docherty a sensational performance today, setting the preliminary fastest time after 48km ahead of his Rally GP colleagues; the closest follower of him is Tosha Shareina riding Jorge Martinez’s Aspar team, four times GP world champion (on 80cc and 125cc bikes).
07:30 – 40 riders have already passed WP1 and it is confirmed that riders who start later have an advantage. Docherty leads, 2nd Schareina 3rd Buhler. Stefan Schwyz 18th defeat 2:25 but broke into the top 10 Martin Michael – 10th place +1:34
07:18 – The rain that has fallen in the region in recent days has made the sand still very wet. The tracks left by the riders ahead are therefore very visible and should be of great help to the riders following them…
07:16 – 4 riders passed WP2 e Ricky Brabeck holds the best time 18 seconds ahead of Klein and 25 seconds ahead Kevin Benavides.
07:07 – Ricky Brabeck already completed WP2 at 105 km.
07:04 – Stefan Schwyz he covered 48 km in 9th place, losing 1:45.
07:00 – Sebastian Buehler (Hero) set the provisional fastest time after 48km, with Daniel Sanders and Lorenzo Santolin both on the Sherca close on his heels. The three leaders can boast an advantage of more than 1’10” over the current fourth driver Mathias Walkner. Stefan Schwyz it should pass anytime now.
06:50 – 12 riders passed WP1, 1. Sanders but only 1 second before Santolin3. Matthias Walker. We are waiting Stefan Schwyz.
06:30 – The first runners covered 48 km, currently achieving the best time Kevin Benavides Before Ricky Brabc, by Joan Barred a Masonom Kleinom.
06:15 – Stefan Schwyz he is just starting the second special stage as 19th.
05:55 – Last year Sam Sunderland he triumphed in the Dakar, while his teammate Daniel Sanders he fell and badly broke his elbow. The Australian had to undergo six operations to repair such a nasty injury. This Dakar is his return to riding and he almost made it to the top step of the podium during the first stage, but was denied a penalty for speeding. “It’s good to be back, especially in the Dakar” he said yesterday. “I had a lot of surgeries last year, so I’m trying to take it easy at the moment.” It’s not always perfect, but I’ll see what I can do step by step.”
05:28 – Ricky Brabeck yesterday he took advantage of the penalties handed out to some of his rivals, including Daniel Sanders, to win the first stage. The Californian, who admitted that “it will be difficult to start first”, starts the special first.
05:00 – A trip to Al-‘Ula never fails to bring something unusual. Closed tracks make up the lion’s share of the track, so well-honed driving skills pay off handsomely. Runners who lose time due to failed navigation in the fiendish boulder fields or for some other reason will also be rewarded as they enjoy the beautiful canyons and beautiful scenery near the finish line. The stage will be decided on the dunes, while some of the majestic Nabatean temples will be visible on the horizon.
