Do not judge a book by its cover. That is a perfect description for Stage 5. Its easiness could trick you. The length of the road section and starting early will prove to be demanding for the competitors. Moreover, the vast presence of dunes will prove incredibly delicate for everybody, even though the length of the special is shorter than normal.
Bikes
Before the start of Stage 5, it is important to remember that today’s final classification will be flipped to set tomorrow’s starting order for the 48H Chrono. That means that whoever finishes first today will start last tomorrow.
Quintanilla was the fastest at the first time check, ahead of Brabec and Luciano Benavides. There was only a minute between the top 9.
At the last time check, Quintanilla was still the leader, 43 seconds clear of Adrien Van Beveren and 1′ 19″ ahead of Price. Meanwhile, Luciano Benavides had issues with his engine in the last part of the stage but managed to reach the finish line.
Ultimately, Quintanilla remained the fastest for Stage 5, clinching his 7th stage victory of the Dakar Rally. Van Beveren was not too far away, just 37″ behind, while Toby Price completed the podium with a gap of 1′ 39″.
Despite finishing 3′ 40″ behind the leader, Ross Branch is now the leader in the overall standings, 1′ 14″ clear of Cornejo, who lost the lead today. Brabec is 3rd, with a gap of 3′ 47″.
Quads
Medeiros was fastest at the first checkpoint, just 4 seconds clear of Alexandre Giroud and 17 seconds ahead of Manuel Andujar. Juraj Varga followed not too far behind with a gap of 2′ 17″.
The top 3 remained unvaried until the checkered flag, with Medeiros winning Stage 5 ahead of Giroud and Andujar by 1′ 21″ and 2′ 26″. Andujar still leads in the overall standings, with Giroud 20′ 19″ behind, and Medeiros third with a gap of 21′ 41″.
Cars
Today’s stage will not be just a matter of speed, but also strategy. Tomorrow starts the 48H Chrono, and bikes and cars are going to follow two different routes. That means that following the tracks left by the bikes will not be possible, and navigation will be a key element. Therefore, some might think about “losing” some time today in order to “win big” tomorrow, as Sebastien Loeb said.
Al Attiyah dominated from start to finish, winning Stage 5 ahead of Guerlain Chicherit and Juan Cruz Yacopini. Peterhansel and Sainz were 14th and 15th, maybe hoping to have an easier job tomorrow. Loeb received a 15-minute penalty, dropping way back in the standings.
In the overall standings, Yazeed Al Rajhi is still the leader, 9′ 03″ ahead of Al Attiyah, and 11′ 31″ ahead of Sainz.