The last 48 hours on the Dakar Rally have been extremely grueling for the competitors. They faced two days in the empty quarter with minimal rations, no mechanical support and minus the comforts of the bivouacs.
In the car class, Sebastien Loeb claimed the lead for stage 6, navigating beautifully through the dunes in the empty quarter. Carlos Sainz hangs onto the lead in the overall standings. Nasser Al-Attiyah had a rough go breaking suspension parts on his vehicle. Over in the SSV class, Saudi favorite Yasir Seaidan took the win, even with a five-minute penalty. Sara Price came in second. She was also assessed a 1-minute penalty. Eryk Goczal has managed to hold onto the overall lead ahead of Mitch Guthrie Jr in the Challenger class.
Adrien Van Beveren came out ahead of the Empty Quarter chaos in the bike class. Toby Price finished second, finally getting a spot on the podium this rally. Ricky Brabec has found himself in the overall lead ahead of Ross Branch. Brabec will have his work cut out for him the last stages of the rally.
The competitors will get a much-needed rest day on Saturday.
Images courtesy of A.S.O.