Good news for Carlos Sainz on the Dakar: cut the last stage in half

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French rider Stéphane Peterhansel (Mini) won the eleventh and penultimate stage of the Dakar on Thursday, followed by Nasser Al Attiyah (Toyota) and Spaniard Carlos Sainz (Mini), leader of the race, who finished the day with enough advantage to be able to win the rally in the last stage.

Sainz, winner of the Dakar in 2010 and 2018, will face the last stage, of 374 kilometers, with 10 minutes over Al Attiyah, which managed to keep the second place of the general classification for only 6 seconds against Peterhansel.

The Madrid was reduced the advantage of more than 18 minutes over his two direct rivals with which he began this day to be the first car to start at a complicated stage, 379 kilometers timed, where the first 77 were of pure dunes, so that it was his turn to open a track and that took advantage of those who came behind.

In this way, the Spanish rider was planted in the twelfth stage, the last, of the Dakar Rally with a ten-minute advantage, a wide distance to win the championship. Things have gotten better for Carlos Sainz after the last stage of 374 to 166 kilometers was cut.

"We had to change the beginning of the stage, but the part that remains is the most complicated navigation, five minutes can be lost as ten, many things can happen. Surely they will be lost," said the test director David Castera.