This year's Dakar Rally is back again in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is kicking off the new year right with a return to racing. Our ADVMoto Managing Editors - Justin W. Coffey and Kyra Sacdalan (WESTx1000) are on the ground at the event and sending us daily reports, updates, and photos of the action.

• 1/15/2021 - SS12 & Podium: Like the Very First Time

Honda Gives a 1-2 Punch, Americans Finish Strong and Peterhansel Nabs His 14^th Trophy

To win a race like Dakar is a privilege. It’s special. A dream for many, there are few elite men and women for whom rally is life. This year alone the attrition rate was almost 25% and this doesn’t include the number of teams who conceded to join the Dakar Experience class which allows a wayward competitor to finish the race without an overall score. They are also penalized 15 minutes every day for participating. The Amaury Sports Organisation (ASO) does whatever they can to break whoever dares to show up, so it’s a spectacular feat when an athlete can surpass all expectations and win the thing. Even a podium is impressive. Hell, just breaking the Top Ten is worthy of applause…

The 43^rd Dakar Rally has come to a triumphant end. And not without one last grand performance. A few of those stars of the show coming straight out of the U.S. of A. Beating the odds he’d set earlier in the week, 2020 Champion Ricky Brabec (#1, MONSTER ENERGY HONDA) may not have secured a second victory, he made a winning effort coming back to dominate three stages – including the Prologue and SS12 – and round out a 1-2 Honda victory with teammate and this year’s victor, Kevin Benavides (#47). Honda hasn’t had two riders end the rally at those positions since 1987. And although several pilots churned out some awesome results, like Red Bull KTM Factory’s Sam Sunderland (#5) and rookie Daniel Sanders (#21) who took P3 and P4 seemingly out of nowhere, it’s all-around nice guy Skyler Howes (#9, BAS DAKAR KTM) who’s a hard-working privateer from St. George, Utah. In the last edition, he stunned everyone by obtaining 9^th seed, a feat most find impossible without OEM support. But to come back for a third effort and place 5^th is just…Skyler. He lives and breathes off-road racing, and even when the big brands wouldn’t take a chance on him, he took a chance on himself. We’ll see if he’ll be snubbed again in 2022.

“It was absolutely crazy. I started third and after fifty kilometers I was in front opening the stage. I feel that everything was complicated, because Ricky started to catch up with me. I started to push a lot, all day, and stayed focused, so I did a good job today. Also, I went at one hundred and ten percent, but now it's true: I've won the Dakar - I'm so, so happy! I made some mistakes, for sure. I think it’s impossible to do a perfect Dakar. The important thing is to always continue, to stay calm and focused day by day and to work hard day by day. On stage 5 I was worried, because I crashed so fast and hit my head and my ankle and felt a lot of pain. On that day I said maybe the Dakar is finished for me. But I continued pushing. Now I still have some pain, but at the moment I am more happy than in pain, so it’s no problem. I think where I won the race was today in the last kilometers! You couldn't think of winning during this Dakar, you had to keep focused. You don’t think, you just concentrate on the action and nothing else, because everything can change in one second. I am really proud to be the first South American winner. My dream was also to make history and now I am the first South American guy to win the Dakar. That is amazing for me. For sure, we did a really good job all throughout the Dakar like team-mates. Nacho had a really bad crash and also Joan, but we did a really good job as a team.” – Kevin Benavides #47, MONSTER ENERGY HONDA TEAM 2021

Benavides put in the work. The whole Honda Factory team on average outdid the rest this iteration, attacking every obstacle the ASO put in their way with fervor. If it wasn’t Jose Cornejo (#4) in the top spot, it was Ricky. If not him, then Barreda and, of course, Kevin. Although he wasn’t as present on the podium as his teammates these last two weeks, Benavides saw an opportunity on the very last day, one where many become too lax, and seized it. Frankly, it wasn’t easy. Brabec also saw a window to the Winner’s Circle and gave the very last 225 kilometers every ounce of sweat he had left, and in the end, Kevin bested his mate by just under five minutes. Had the #4 bike not been putting in 110% or he’d had an incident, we’d be listening to Ricky’s sophomore album. He’d made up a ton of time, hungry for the next medal. And now that it’s over, he’s already thinking about his comeback. There’s a saying: If you’ve won one Dakar... You want to win them all. And frankly, why not? The beauty of Rally Raid is it’s ever evolving. The location, landscapes, the challenges, the challengers – the Dakar Rally, and those like it, never stay the same. So, to race one or a hundred, it never becomes monotonous, and winning them offers a different set of emotions and sense of glory every new edition. This is why official 14-time Dakar Rally winner Stéphane Peterhansel, this year with navigator Edouard Boulanger (#302, X-RAID MINI JCW TEAM) feels like this victory is as good as the first – and just as strenuous.

“It’s still the same emotion for the 14th victory. Like I said, to win the Dakar is always really complicated. There are no easy victories on the Dakar. This one from the outside maybe looked easy, but it was not easy every day to manage the small gap over Nasser. There was a lot of pressure on the body. We felt every day that we had everything to lose, so it was complicated to manage, but in the end, we did a really good job together with Edouard for his first race in a top car. It was a really incredible job, with good navigation but also, he was really calm. For sure, it is one or two more records for me: 14 victories, on three continents and also on the anniversary of my first victory 30 years ago today. It’s a long career in motorsport. Experience and being able to stay calm helped to win, I think, but I don’t know… The difference was probably that Nasser made the first mistake in the prologue. He won the prologue and I think it was his first mistake. He probably lost the Dakar because he wanted to win the prologue. The duo with Edouard is really fantastic, I have to say that. He has all the qualities to be the best co-pilot in rally-raids and he learned really quickly. He made no mistakes and he understood everything really quickly as well. We share the same passion because he was a biker in the past. He did the Dakar once on a motorcycle, but he also took part in ten or fifteen Enduro du Touquet races, so he’s really a biker and we have the same spirit a little bit. It’s nice to drive with him. The first victory on the motorcycle is my favorite, because it was the one that I dreamed a lot of and now it’s really a bonus. Winning is always a big emotion, but the first victory was the best one”. Darren Skilton, Polaris RZR Factory Team Manager

Of the band of warriors who battered their machines on the battlefield, few remained, and fewer still made it out with honors. Peterhansel in the end pulled away from the pack by over 13 minutes. While the closest car, #301 piloted by Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel, had possibly fought the hardest among them, but with several punctures (16) and opponents who were on their game, the Toyota Gazoo athletes just couldn’t keep the reign over the General Standings. Despite winning six stages! Carlos Sainz and Lucas Elena (#300, X-RAID MINI JCW TEAM) spent the entire competition flanking anyone who even looked at the premier seats, cutting them before they’d come close – except when the Spaniards were stuck in the sand or dirt changing tires or managing a malfunction. Sainz, the 2020 Dakar conqueror did his best to take the stages, but a few small mishaps make a big difference when you’re in struggle with the cream of the crop, there’s little margin for error.

“A podium finish is always important, but I cannot be one hundred percent happy, because we had the opportunity to fight for the victory, but we did not do such a good job with the navigation and the road-book. We didn’t understand it and we paid for it. On the other hand, I'm happy for the team and happy for Stéphane. He did a really fantastic job. That is why he is called “Mister Dakar”. It’s the same podium as last year but we are on opposite sides. It’s good, but I’ve not much else to say. We need to keep working. I don’t know if we will be here next year for the moment. We will see what opportunities there are.” – Carlos Sainz #300, X-RAID MINI JCW TEAM

 

KAMAZ-MASTER driver Dmitry Sotnikov (#507) has known this hardship for quite some time now. He, now with co-pilots Ruslan Akhmadeev and Ilgiz Akhmetzianov, started competing at Dakar in 2014. And although the KAMAZ tradition to win is strong amongst the team, Sotnikov had yet to claim it for himself, until 2021. It wasn’t enough to have #507 on the top step. KAMAZ needed to have every stop. And so, the Russian dream team relied on #501 Anton Shibalov, Dmitrii Nikitin and Ivan Tatarinov to occupy 2^nd – securing it even after an infamous collision with an organization helicopter – and #509 driven by Airat Mardeev, Dmitriy Svistunov and Akhmet Galiaudinov to close the door on Third. Formidable foes, MAZ-SPORTAUTO, BIG SHOCK RACING and INSTAFOREX LOPRAIS PRAGA, didn’t make this a clean getaway for the Russians, snapping at their heels anytime the KAMAZ pace slowed enough.  

“It was the best race in my career. It was my dream and a lot of work, many years of work since my first Dakar in 2014 and finally we have won it. Last year we had a failure due to a big stone, but this year everything was good. The first half was really fast for us and we got a good gap with our time. On the second part, it was just a case of reaching the finish every day. I think this tactic was the best for us. I’m full of emotions. All the crew, all the team, all the guys did a perfect job. I think it was a team job, not just me, I was just the driver, it was the whole team. I'm happy to drive this truck because it is the best truck in the world. We’re glad to continue our tradition of victory. Thank you to all the guys who support us all the time. A lot of people were waiting for our win and now I can tell them we've done it. There are a lot of other trucks that are close to us in terms of speed, but I don't know what happened to them, because on some stages they won, like Martin Macík, but they didn’t have enough luck maybe, I don’t know. It wasn’t an easy race and I think this Dakar was harder than the previous ones. The last stages like today and yesterday were really hard. We're looking forward to the next race here, it is a good place for the Dakar, I think.” – Dmitry Sotnikov #507, KAMAZ-MASTER TEAM

Quads too seemed to determine their pecking order early on – barely switching places out of the first ten spots. Manuel Andújar (#154, 7240 TEAM), Giovanni Enrico (#159, ENRICO RACING TEAM) and Pablo Copetti (#163, MX DEVESA BY BERTA) played Ring Around the Rosie with the fastest ATVs until most of them fell out of contention. With will and persistence being the mains essentials for success, Andújar finally managed to gain on the group a few days before the finish, finally triumphing in his fourth try. 

“It’s my fourth Dakar and my first win. I’m really happy to be here. It's really emotional too. I appreciate all the people that have helped me get to where I am today. The whole Dakar is difficult. My hands and everything, my whole body is really tired. But I’ve finished and I’m in first place and I’m very happy. I started to think I would win the Dakar four years ago. I started to think that on my first Dakar, but I had a lot of problems. This is the one race where I haven’t had problems. My family has given me lots of support and I am really happy now. I don’t know during the race when I thought I would win, maybe the start because it was the plan in the beginning to win the Dakar. I arrived here with that expectation. I really don’t know where I got the lead, but I think yesterday when I had a bit of a bigger gap, that's when I said okay, I am going to win. But you never really know until you have crossed the finishing line. I really don't know my plans for next year. I just want to go back to my hometown and rest there with my friends and family.” – Manuel Andújar #154, 7240 TEAM

Although none of the Americans behind the wheel took the ultimate prize, they collectively did a fine job. Francisco Lopez Contardo in #401 (SOUTH RACING CAN-AM), like most of his comrades, agreed this race was one of the most difficult in some time – with navigation at the center of Dakar’s ring of fire. He and co-pilot Juan Pablo Latrach Vinagre went head-on with several riders and outshone them all, to include top contenders like 2^nd Place winner, and American all-star, Austin Jones (#408, MONSTER ENERGY CAN-AM) with his Brazilian partner Gustavo Gugelmin gave the fans back home something to cheer about. Their teammates didn’t disappoint either, with MONSTER ENERGY CAN-AM’s Aron Domzala and Maciej Marton (#406) filing out the ranks in Third. The fresh-faced Polaris RZR Factory Team also made a great show of force. Kristen Matlock and Max Eddy Jr. #409 pushed themselves to the brink and toppled into the Experience class because of it. But they still brought their A-game the rest of the event, giving them the much-needed experience to prepare for next year. While Wayne Matlock and Sam Hayes – despite many small hurdles – completed their first Dakar, first rally ever, in P12 and P13 in the UTV classes. We hope that’s only a taste of what those RZRs can do in the contests to come! Even 18-year-old Seth Quintero and Dennis Zenz (#383, RED BULL OFF-ROAD TEAM USA) held the Stars and Stripes high, winning two stages and far exceeding expectations. If it wasn’t for a devastating mechanical issue in the second round, they would likely be accepting an award today.

“It was a very, very difficult stage. This year was very difficult for preparation due to the big problems with COVID all over the world. But I’m very happy for my sponsors, for my country and for my co-pilot Juan Pablo. Last year I finished on the podium, but the win was not possible, but this year I am very happy with the win. It's perfect. I think the difference was the navigation. It was a long, long race and a difficult race. With all the stones, the navigation and the sand, it was very complicated. It’s my best victory and I’m very happy.” – Francisco “Chaleco” López Contardo #401, SOUTH RACING CAN-AM

It’s hard to understand how each day, every new special outdid itself – not just in the complexity of the roadbook or difficulty of the obstacles, but the subtle, dramatic changes in landscape. From afar, the countryside can all blend in, looking like nothing, if not the same. But upon closer examination, a quiet breath with eyes open, when the atmosphere begins to soak in, you’ll see it. Sometimes you’ll even feel it. The absolute void of sound in the desert. Watercolors painting the horizon in blue, grey and purple then graduating to brown, tan, and sage as the gaze drifts closer. A soft veil of lightweight particles float over everything giving whatever it touches a glow. It’s a combination of these breathtaking views, exuberant locals, limitless challenges and, in the end, the chase for glory which keeps us coming back. According to Polaris Manager and multi-time Dakar winner, Darren Skilton, “The rule of thumb is, don't start thinking about Dakar for at least two months after arriving home.” Like an adrenaline hangover, the pain and delirium the race can cause – just by attending – lingers for a while. Like a piece of 80% dark chocolate. It's sweet and inviting at first. There's a hint of bitterness but nothing off-putting. But then the sweetness quickly wears off and you’re left with a pretty bad taste. Almost sour, the only options are these: continue stuffing pieces into your face, to savor the sugarcoated seconds before the foul finds its way back to your mouth – and repeat. Or be patient, live with the taste until it fades away, letting you forget the vulgarity just long enough to want to open up another package. Either way, you’re getting diabetes.   

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• TOP TEN STAGE RESULTS

 MOTORCYCLE

1. #1 Ricky Brabec (USA), HONDA ENERGY HONDA TEAM 2021
2. #47 Kevin Benavides (ARG), MONSTER ENERGY HONDA TEAM 2021
3. #52 Matthias Walkner (AUT), RED BULL KTM FACTORY TEAM
4. #9 Skyler Howes (USA), BAS DAKAR KTM RACING TEAM
5. #21 Daniel Sanders (AUS), KTM FACTORY TEAM
6. #15 Lorenzo Santolino (ESP), SHERCO FACTORY
7. #17 Joan Pedrero Garcia (ESP), FN SPEED – RIEJU TEAM
8. #27 Joaquim Rodrigues (PRt), HERO MOTOSPORTS TEAM RALLY
9. #74 Jaume Betriu (ESP), FN – SPEED KTM TEAM
10. #24 Sebastian Buhler (DEU), HERO MOTOSPORTS TEAM RALLY

• TOP FIVE GENERAL STANDINGS

 MOTORCYCLE

1. #47 Kevin Benavides (ARG), MONSTER ENERGY HONDA TEAM 2021
2. #1 Ricky Brabec (USA), MONSTER ENERGY HONDA TEAM 2021
3. #5 Sam Sunderland (GBR), RED BULL KTM FACTORY TEAM
4. #21 Daniel Sanders (AUS), KTM FACTORY TEAM
5. #9 Skyler Howes (USA), BAS DAKAR KTM RACING TEAM

• 1/14/2021 - SS11: Chopped

Teams Take on the Most Decisive Stage of the Race, Who Will Make the Cut?

Dakar is a thinking man’s race. An exercise of willpower, perseverance – a measurement of heart. There isn’t a person here who won’t be tested. Who doesn’t give a piece of themselves just to arrive at the bivouac (six PCR tests later…). And after 15 days of wearing the same two t-shirts, freezing to death at least one night, fending off heat stroke and diaper rash, slipping in and out of delirium and contracting just a tiny stomach bug – at the end of the race, so it’s ok – you’re transformed. At first it feels like you’ve morphed into some kind of oversized amoeba. But, when the dust settles, you’re on a plane headed home perhaps, you find it’s something else much more significant. Just as you have given a part of you to the experience, the experience also travels back with you. A bit of this race finds itself a home in your soul and stays forever, growing every rally, deepening its roots. This happens each time you come back, and every year you show up to the bivouac, you become more and more familiar, more at peace and then the race starts, and you get sucked into the chaos all over again. Before you know it, nearly three weeks of blood, sweat and tears comes to an end too fast. Ready or not, we all go home, dabbing, air hugging and air kissing (this year at least) our new and old friends, beaming with the type of joy which only comes from surviving something surreal, incredible, or terrible. If comfort is a drug, then rally is a lifeline.

“Today went absolutely amazingly. I’m not too sure where we started, but we were really just trying to pick cars off all day and run smooth and that’s exactly what we did…On my first Dakar I feel I've matured as a person and matured as a driver, because I've learned so much over these eleven days and that's going to last a lifetime. There's one more day to go and hopefully I can get one more stage win before I get out of this place, so we're going to charge hard again tomorrow, starting up front and see if we can get it done again one more time. I'm already looking forward to the next one. I fell in love with this race since day one. Just being here and being a part of it with the whole team has been absolutely amazing.” – Seth Quintero #383, RED BULL OFF-ROAD TEAM USA

For young athletes like Seth Quintero, challenging the Dakar can be the beginning of a long, eventful future. For veterans like Nasser Al-Attiyah and Stéphane Peterhansel, it’s securing a legacy. And for many others, it’s fulfilling a dream, or renewing a passion. For Polaris RZR Factory’s Sam Hayes, it’s a reminder that life is too short to procrastinate. Wayne Matlock (#420) had asked him to navigate at the coming Dakar Rally only months after Hayes finished chemotherapy – and with only half a year to train. In a different life, he could have said “no,” that it’s not enough time to commit to something this important. But knowing all too well that it all could end tomorrow, with no apparent reason, it seemed impossible to turn down. And today, despite the odds, they’ve managed to find themselves in the Top Ten by the end of several stages in the Lightweight and SSV classes. They have overcome flats and bend rods and being engulfed by a wave of silt when a wild Toyota cut them off at a turn. They may not have won stages (yet) like fellow Americans Quintero and his driver Dennis Zenz (#383, RED BULL OFF-ROAD TEAM USA) who took the stage today or Austin “AJ” Jones and co-pilot Gustavo Gugelmin (#408, MONSTER ENERGY CAN-AM) poised for a finish at 2^nd overall. But they still won many battles and plan to come back next year to test these boys and the current UTV leader car #401 captained by Francisco Lopez Contardo and Juan Pablo Latrach Vinagre (SOUTH RACING CAN-AM) which is at least 18 minutes ahead of the pack.

“We did a really good job with Ricky. It was a really hard day, very long with plenty of navigation, a lot of sand and dunes. I opened for about two hundred kilometers, so I think I did a good job. With Ricky we pushed together on the dunes. We tried to do our best. Today was really hard to be in front, but we are okay, and this is a really good point. I think I did a nice job and tomorrow we will see, on the last day…Tomorrow we will push like every day, no other strategy than that. There are no team orders and yes, the race is still open”. – Kevin Benavides #47, MONSTER ENERGY HONDA

It's debatable the Moto class has had the wildest ride of the whole event. There’s hardly been a front-runner who can hold onto their seat. First week, 2020 Dakar champion Ricky Brabec (#1, MONSTER ENERGY HONDA) doesn’t seem to have a chance at a sophomore title. Post Rest Day, he’s in 3^rd in the General Standings only about seven minutes from his teammate Kevin Benavides (#47) who’s favored to take the championship. But then again, only days before, their other teammates Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo (#4) and Joan Barreda (#88) were both in contention for the crown. And both were met with unfortunate endings. Cornejo, whilst in command of the rally, experienced an off-bike incident which removed him from the competition by way of heli-vac. Barreda too suffered a crash at one point but muscled through until SS11 where he, to everyone’s surprise, blew past a refueling station, ultimately running out of petrol in the sand. He since underwent a medical examination concerned that this very unusual mistake wasn’t caused by something more serious as a result of his accident. With so much red and black coloring in the premier group, it’s hard to see the usual bright orange uniform which is still very much present at this point.

Although patched and perked up now, Toby Price was brutally knocked out of the ring – having just secured the lead position – after sustaining game-ending injuries to his collarbone. He was the first hopeful for KTM Factory to earn back their place on the throne. But not to worry, previous DKR champs Matthias Walkner (#52) and Sam Sunderland (#5) are doing everything they can to block the way for Honda. (and Yamaha, and Sherco, and… Slovnaft?) In a grand production, Sunderland clawed his way to the top seed today, while Walkner concluded his work in 6^th. Even KTM rookie, Daniel Sanders (#21) did a tremendous job reaching 4^th at the A.S.S. all of whom contributed to pushing Brabec a little further from victory. It didn’t help that in opening the special, the Californian ran into some navigation troubles, but he’s come back from worse (did we mention last week?). Hey if all else fails, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna pilot Pablo Quintanilla (#2) is more than happy to pick up the slack, so the riders have no chance to relax and put their guard down. Although it’s a bit of a long shot with about an hour gap between him and Benavides, Utah native Skyler Howes has been outshining all the privateers (and many pros) this edition of Dakar. Finding himself first in the General this week, and now at 5^th behind Sanders, Howes is at least outdoing his outstanding 9^th place finish from the previous event. This is his third year, and he’s in the right position to land in one of the first five elite spots. If an OEM scoops him up (and the US would be furious if one didn’t), then who knows where we might see the 28-year-old in 2022? Our bet is on the podium.

“It really wasn’t easy. I don’t want to say anything, but I am really happy to be here on day eleven without any technical problems with the car. It’s exactly like last year, we are really struggling with the tires. I hope for next year there will be better rules for everybody. Sure, there’s still one day left, but this time we have really had a lot of punctures. I’ve had more than sixteen tires punctured. I am sure that sixteen tires times one minute and a half each change is a lot. But it's good to make it here on this Dakar and we are quite happy. We'll see what happens tomorrow.” – Nasser Al-Attiyah #301, TOYOTA GAZOO RACING

Due to complications with inclement weather, the ASO decided to cut down Stage 11 by 50 kilometers to avoid the affected area. This didn’t make the trials any easier, however, as dunes remained the backbone of this decisive stage. Before vehicles even set eyes on the ominous piles of khaki, they powered through silty, slippery sheets of sand through the countryside recognizable to the Americans as a second Baja California. Replace the palm trees with cacti and you’ve been transported back in time to Mesozoic Mexico – an otherworldly place presently called Catavina which looks like the home of the Flintstones. Great mounds of sandstone boulders, with brush growing at their bases. The path twists through these stone figures on hardpack and a layer of silt, into some deep fesh-fesh, or deep baby powder like sand, washes. But the rhythm of this race was remarkably varied, as a whole but especially today. Like a baroque masterpiece, Concerto Number Eleven elevated the heart rate through bedrock, and slowed it way down to a quiet, yet still abrasive staccato, rocky section which punctured many tires of those who tried to bring up the tempo. The dunes, of course, offered the climactic finish, with big sweeping crescendos, dropping a few octaves whenever a car sinks into the soft sand or a bike flies off a ledge unexpectedly. This is where the drama was and not even the most legendary drivers were immune.   

“I think it was one of the toughest days on the rally. The last dunes were the most complicated on the whole rally. It was not easy because they were very sharp. We got a puncture at the beginning because of the stones in the dunes. We had to take care of the tires and we tried to reach the finish, but thirty kilometers from the end we stopped to change a wheel and we lost six or seven minutes. It was not easy because it was a long day and really tough. To change a wheel, a truck wheel, which weighs one hundred and fifty kilograms, was not easy. But we’re happy because tomorrow is the last day and I think we have a big enough gap.” – Dmitry Sotnikov #507, KAMAZ-MASTER

Watching the Auto class duel for the trophy in Saudi, you could mistake these veteran all-stars as novices fighting tooth and nail to earn themselves a first grand accolade – and officially writing their name into the history books – much like Daniel Sanders in Bikes and Seth Quintero in a UTV. But instead, we have the privilege of watching our heroes duke it out like younger men, no trace of the complacency which can come with age and achievement. Stéphane Peterhansel has been fending off his assailants from Day One, hardly releasing his grip on the lead despite his rivals' best efforts. Nasser Al-Attiyah (#301, TOYOTA GAZOO RACING) is one of the greatest threats, today winning six stages of this race, yet falling short of the overall he's after. You'd never believe Carlos Sainz is almost 60 with the performance he and co-pilot Lucas Elena (#300, X-RAID MINI JCW TEAM) have been giving. For two weeks, these teams switched places, barely leaving room for other talent to debut in the Winner’s Circle. Overdrive Toyota, car #303 commanded by Saudi native Yazeed Al Rajhi and German navigator Dirk Von Zitzewitz have been putting the pressure on the elite group, undoubtedly mixing up the stats. Despite suffering endless flat tires and some mechanical issues, the Toyota Overdrive duo has risen on many occasions, swinging back again now into contention at 4^th place in SS11. Cyril Despres and Michael Horn (#314, ABU DHABI RACING) have been aiming to break the ten mark, but their inconsistency still makes that goal questionable. Dakar is a volatile beast, however, and there's still more rallying to do. 

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The quads too have had squabbles amongst themselves – not making way for any underdogs to slide into the varsity skirmish. It's been exciting to witness, nonetheless. Today Giovanni Enrico (#159, ENRICO RACING TEAM) achieved temporary greatness with head and shoulders over his adversaries, but Manuel Andujar (#154, 7240 TEAM) is still carrying the biggest sword and the most potential to become vanquisher of the ATVs. Argentine-American, Pablo Copetti (#163, MX DEVESA BY BERTA), has endured plenty of setbacks but isn't backing down yet currently sitting in the 3^r