The weather changed in 2023 Dakar as it reached the “Empty Quarter” area, the largest desert on the Arabian Peninsula and one of the most inhospitable areas in the world.
After several days of rain and cold, the sun shone in the desert that Saudi Arabia shares with Oman, Yemen and the United Arab Emirates.
And the weather has changed too Kevin Benavideswhich came from a delay that seemed significant to once again take the lead in the general classification among the bikes.
The 34-year-old rider from Salta finished fourth in stage 10 and is now ahead of Skyler Howes (Husqvarna) by 1m29s and Toby Price (KTM) by 2m10s.
“I’m happy with today’s stage. At some point I fell, I moved forward. Right there I had passed Nacho Cornejo, he passed me and I passed him again later. I was checking the stage against the rivals and everything went well,” Kevin explained to Clarín.
“There’s no more room for speculation, so we’ll give everything from here to the endl”, I anticipate you, given the possibility of opening the track in these days.
His brother Luciano was 13th in the stage, and is 8th overall, while Franco Caimi was 9th in the stage and is now 13th, ahead of his younger brother, Stéfano, who is making his debut and is 28th.
In cars, another victory for Sebastien Loeb (Bahrain), even if the Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota) continues to dominate the general classification with a wide gap (1h21m). Juan Cruz Yacopini (Toyota) of Mendoza, 25th and 10th overall, while Sebastián Halpern, respectively 22nd and 12th.
Among the lightest vehicles, in Side by Side, Jeremías González Ferioli finished 5th and maintains that position in his category; Juan Manuel “Pato” Silva was 16th and is 15th, while Nicolás Cavigliasso, 2nd and 25th. David Zille is 32nd in his discipline.
In the quads, the Argentines fail to cut the difference of the Frenchman Alexander Giroud, who holds 1h17m compared to Francisco Moreno, Mau Andujar and Pablo Copetti. Carlos Verza and Alejandro Fantoni march further back.
Thursday there will be the dreaded “Marathon Stage” inside the “Empty Quarter”, where the pilots will spend the night in a camp reserved for them, without the assistance of their respective teams. It will be a route of 425 kilometres, of which 275 of special stages.
SHAYBAH, Saudi Arabia
Source: Clarin
Jason Root is the go-to source for sports coverage at News Rebeat. With a passion for athletics and an in-depth knowledge of the latest sports trends, Jason provides comprehensive and engaging analysis of the world of sports.