SA-built Hilux team in front
Saudi home hero Yazeed Al Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk’s South African built Toyota Hilux (above) moved into the Dakar car lead while Botswana’s former multiple South African Cross Country champion Ross Branch consolidated his bike lead for Hero yesterday.
Brazilian Lucas Moraes and Armand Monleon’s Gazoo Toyota and Honda rider Pablo Quintanilla meanwhile took the respective car and bike stages as Dakar 2024 moved onto its third day over 438km to Al Salamiya.
The car day, the first of this year’s two-day Marathon Stage, started as something of a privateer Toyota Hilux benefit.
French crews Guilaume de Mevius and Xavier Panseri, and former Le Mans winner Romain Dumas and Max Delfino led Saudi home hero Al Rajhi and Gottschalk.
Sebastien Loeb and Fabian Lurquin’s Prodrive Hunter was the only interloper in an otherwise all-Toyota top six. Kazakhstani Dens Krotov and Kamil Zhiltzov and Moraes and Monleon’s Gazoo entry were next up.
Frenchmen Mathieu Serradori and Loic Minaudier followed in the leading rear-drive South African Century from Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel’s Hunter.
Of the South African entries, SA rookies Saood Variawa and Francois Cazaletare’s Gazoo Hilux, Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer’s M-Sport Ranger, Guy Botterill and Brett Cummings in another Gazoo Hilux, followed in 13th, 15th, and 17th.
Veteran Giniel de Villiers and Dennis Murphy’s Gazoo Hilux sat 23rd.
Dumas was into the lead from de Mevius and Moraes by mid-distance. Overall leaders Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz, Mattias Ekström and Emil Bergkvist’s Audis and Al Attiyah chased ahead of a rapidly changing order behind.
Moraes continued his charge to move ahead from Dumas, Sainz and Al Attiyah at 310 km after de Mevius hit trouble and dropped back.
Under attack from Eriksson, Moraes held on to take his maiden Dakar day win by 15 seconds from Eriksson, a resurgent Al Rajhi, Attiyah, Dumas and Sainz.
In the bikes, American Mason Klein made up for a tough Day two aboard his Kove to lead Branch on his Hero, Argentine Kevin Benavides’ KTM, US rider Skyler Howes’ Honda and Spaniard Joan Barreda’s Hero.