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.
SSVs
The dunes throughout the stage were easy on no one and it showed in the SSV category. Leader Gerard Farres Guell halted 85 kilometers into the special as he suffered mechanical issues. At the time of publication the Spaniard was still waiting for his support crew, and has not finished the stage yet. Dakar has provided no further information.
It seemed to be a happy day for De Soultrait as Dakar had crowned him the provisional winner of the Stage after marking fastest in the time sheets, but the Frenchman was penalized with an additonal minute and dropped to sixth.
De Soultrait’s penalty allowed Jerome de Sadeleer to claim his first stage victory. The Swiss national was also penalized, but to a lesser extent – only 20 seconds. He is also the new category leader.
In second place it was Brazilian Rodrigo Varela with Team BBR. He received a penalty of 17 minutes, but was still enough to secure his spot in the provisional podium. Behind him is fellow countryman Cristiano Batista, by only 9 minutes and 20 seconds.
Trucks
Martin Macik claimed the opportunity to win his second stage this Dakar following his triumph two days ago. The Czech national found time where Ales Loprais and Janus van Kasteren didn’t, as they both struggled throughout the Saudi Arabian desert.
Van Kasteren was only able to achieve second place, which is not a bad thing – but the Dutch driver had become accostumed to the sweet taste of stage victory. He was 22 minutes down at the finish line. Loprais was behind him.
The podium at the truck category hasn’t changed much, at least for now. The Dakar is unpredictable and anything can happen.