Loeb loses out as Aussies stay out of trouble

The Australians enjoyed clean and productive days in the second stage of the 2023 Dakar Rally with Toby Price and Daniel Sanders staying out of trouble and Molly Taylor moving up the leaderboard. 

After a big first stage, it was an early start for riders, getting up before sunrise to cover 159km before the start of the second Special.

The 430km stage from Sea Camp to Alula featured some decisive dunes and canyons and caught out some big names including Stage 1 winner Ricky Barbec.

Barbec was disappointed to win the stage and be forced to be the pioneer on the tough stage and lost seven minutes through various off-track excursions.

The pace was set by American young gun Mason Klein, who managed to cling onto the stage win despite receiving a two-minute penalty.

The BAS World KTM Racing Team rider finished the stage in five hours, 24 minutes and 13 seconds, more than a minute clear of Sebastian Buhler, Styler Howes and Ross Branch.

Price rounded out the top five with a solid ride, two minutes and 16 seconds off the pace.

Toby Price battles through the rocks in Stage 2. Image: Marcelo Maragni / Red Bull Content Pool

But at one stage it appeared another Australian in Sanders would be sitting on top of the leaderboard with the Red Bull GasGas rider being first or second fastest up until the 386km mark.

However, with an eye on the upcoming sand dunes, Sanders decided to slow down towards the finish.

The decision to enjoy a better starting position for Stage 3, rather than chase glory in Stage 2 saw him lose more than three minutes and finish ninth.

But Sanders said it was all part of the plan, taking a long-term view.

“I decided to slow down a bit because I know that tomorrow is going to be a really tough stage and a big day so I didn’t want to win, even though the opening bonus is in there,” he said.

“I waited a few minutes and then I came across the line so far in fifth.

“Hopefully a few more fast guys come in and keep pushing, so it should give me a good starting position for tomorrow.

“There’s no point to push and risk a lot, just for opening tomorrow where anything can happen.”

Daniel Sanders said he deliberately slowed down to avoid winning Stage 2 of the Dakar Rally. Image: Marcelo Maragni / Red Bull Content Pool

Sanders also revealed he had a thorny ride through the stage.

“I had one long thorn go into my arm and it stuck in there,” he said.

“That was pretty painful, (but) physically I’m okay.”

Both Australians are well placed in the general ranking with Price second, just one minute and 41 seconds behind and Sanders in fifth, a shade under three minutes back from leader Klien.

Australia’s Molly Taylor enjoyed a productive day in her South Racing Can-Am car. Image: MCH Photography

Taylor fights back

After being held back by numerous issues in the opening stage, the second special was a much smoother ride for Molly Taylor.

Taylor and navigator Andrew Short managed to get through the tough stage in six hours, 10 minutes and 33 seconds, which was the sixth fastest time.

While Marek Goczal and Maciej Marton were comfortable nine-minute stage winners, it was a competitive fight for the minors places with positions four to 10 separated by less than 10 minutes.

Taylor and Short managed to show some strength amid the tough competition and bruising stage to rocked up the leaderboard.

The strong result has vaulted the South Racing Can-Am pair from 13th to ninth in the general rankings ahead of Stage 3.

Nasser Al-Attiyah of the Toyota Gazoo Racing was all smiles after winning Stage 2 of the Dakar 2023. Image: Red Bull Content Pool

Loeb loses an hour as reigning winner makes move

It was another dramatic day in the Car component of the Dakar Rally with top contenders experiencing contrasting fortunes.

Whilst Carlos Sainz retained P1, defending Dakar Rally champion Nasser Al-Attiyah made the decisive move of the second Special.

The Toyota star from Qatar was a man on a mission, overturning a 1m34s deficit to Erik van Loon inside the final split to win the stage in dramatic fashion.

Al-Attiyah edged 14 seconds ahead of van Loon, but more importantly gained five minutes on overall leader Sainz. Just two minutes and 12 seconds separated the pair at the top of the leaderboard.

But the man who sat second after Stage 1, Sebastien Loeb, had a day to forget.

The nine-time WRC champion suffered three painful punctures on his Bahrain Raid Xtreme machine, which say him lose almost 90 minutes to Stage 2 winner Al-Attiyah.

Sébastien Loeb endured a long and painful day finishing with many punctures and battles cars. Image: DPPI / Red Bull Content Pool

As a result Loeb dropped from second to 31st on the general classification and requires a miracle to get back into contention as he chases a matinee Dakar Rally win.

“It was a really bad day for us. We lost a lot of time with three punctures,” Loeb said.

“For me, there was absolutely no pleasure in the driving. It was really bad with a lot of stones.

“It was just a question of going very slow and trying to avoid a puncture. That was the only goal of the stage and in the end we had three.

“We had to try and repair one of the tyres and it took us a long time.”

A 447km stage from Alula to Ha’il awaits competitions in Stage 3 of the 2023 Dakar Rally.

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