Sanders loses lead after dramatic Dakar opener

The 2023 Dakar Rally opened in dramatic circumstances after a bruising and eventful first special stage held over 368km.
There was high drama in the bikes category with the defending champion crashing out and Australians Daniel Sanders and Toby Price showing speed.
Despite their best efforts, Monster Energy Honda rider Ricky Brabec leads the way after completing the opening stage in 4:14:10.
Nineteens seconds back sits Argentine Kevin Benavides, while Price is third, a further 20 seconds adrift.
However, Sanders was the ultimate pacesetter, going a minute faster than Brabec, but lost the lead due to a penalty.
The Australian Red Bull GasGas star had two minutes added to his time after being penalised for speeding in sections of the public open to the public.
It dropped Sanders from a clear first, down to fifth. But he was not the only affected with Joan Barreda Born and Pablo Quintanilla also receiving speeding penalties in the Bikes GP category, while 43 were imposed in total.
Despite the chaos, Australians Price and Sanders are still in contention, inside the top five within 45 seconds of leader Brabec ahead of tonight’s second stage.

Defending Dakar Rally winner Sam Sutherland has been ruled out after being airlifted to hospital due to a heavy Stage 1 shunt. Image: Dakar Rally TV
Defending champion out of rally
Reigning bikes Dakar Rally winner Sam Sunderland has been ruled out of the 2023 event after being injured in a heavy fall in the opening segments of the first stage.
Sunderland led after 37km and crashed at the 53km and in similar circumstances to 2018, the British defending champion was dethroned early on.
The Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing rider was airlifted to hospital and was diagnosed with a broken shoulder blade and concussion.
Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing team manager Norbert Stadlbauer said Sunderland’s incident was caused by hitting a rock.
“Unfortunately, Sam crashed out of the race today after hitting a rock around 52km into the opening stage,” he said.
“He’s broken his shoulder blade and has a concussion so his time here at the Dakar is sadly over.
“It’s such a shame that this has happened as I know he had high hopes of making it back-to-back wins and we are lucky that he was not more seriously injured.
“It’s disappointing for sure but this is how racing goes sometimes.
“We are really pleased with Daniel’s performance today after he was off the bike for so long.
“The team wishes Sam a fast and full recovery, and we look forward to the rest of the rally with Daniel flying the flag for Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing.”

The opening stage for Australia’s Molly Taylor was hampered by numerous mechanical issues. Image: MCH Photography
More dramas for Taylor
After battling a couple of “gremlins” in the Prologue, Australian Molly Taylor encountered more dramas in the opening stage of her 2023 Dakar campaign.
Taylor and navigator Andrew Short suffered a number of problems throughout the 367km Sea Loop special loop.
Initially a road book drama hampered her ability to pass cars without the Push to Pass system before a broken front drive shaft and puncture made life even more difficult.
Eventually these dramas restricted them to P13, after battling away for South Racing Can-am for four hours, 29 minutes and 44 seconds.
The pair sit 17 minutes and 46 seconds behind T4 Modified Production SSV leader Eryk Goczal.
Taylor said the technical issues and damage hampered her enjoyment of the opening stage.
“Day 1 of Dakar under our belts and it was a beautiful and tough stage,” she said on social media.
There was amazing scenery we did not get too much time to look at. It started off great, but we had an issue with our electronic road book.
“We got in a bit of traffic, which was a bit frustrating, but then we did a front drive shaft and puncture.
“We did 250km with rear wheel drive, which was a was a good challenge and I was sure we were going to get stuck in the desert, but we managed to get through.
“Not as fast as we would have liked, but we did not lose too much time all things considered.
“Everything felt really good and the pace was great outside of those issues, so really confident heading into the rest of the two weeks. There is a long way to go.”

Carlos Sainz stormed to the lead of the Dakar Rally with a late charge in his Audi. Image: Marcelo Maragni / Red Bull Content Pool
WRC legends take control
A pair of World Rally Championship legends control the Car classification after a competitive opening stage.
At the age of 60, Carlos Sainz Senior continues to show his talent and leads the way after an amazing late charge at the back end of the 367km special.
Sainz’s Audi teammate Mattias Ekstrom looked on course to enjoy a lead after setting the pace for the majority of the stage.
However, Sainz clinched his 42nd Dakar stage win in dramatic circumstances, jumping from fourth to first and gaining more than two minutes across the final two checkpoints.
The two-time WRC champion was as low as 30th following the first 37km checkpoint, but launched an incredible fightback.
Sitting in second is another household rallying name in Sebastian Loeb, who starts Stage 2 10 seconds behind Sainz after a consistent effort.
Ekstrom finished in fourth, 33s behind the leader despite being more than a minute clear of his rivals early on, while Toyota star Nasser Al-Attiyah struggled in the sand dunes and could only manage eighth.
A 430km stage awaits the competitors in the second day of running.
Full results can be found HERE
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