Riders and drivers will encounter a very long special for Stage 11 – more than 400 km long – which will guide them from AlUla to Yanbu. It is set to be a tough physical challenge for the riders, and everybody – especially cars – will have to be aware of punctures.
The classifications in the general standings of every category are taking shape ahead of the final stage tomorrow. But this is the Dakar, and anything can happen at any moment.
Bikes
Nacho Cornejo was opening the stage with Ricky Brabec, but the former encountered mechanical issues after 115 km. He lost more than half an hour to the leader.
After 139 km, Ross Branch, Adrien Van Beveren, and Ricky Brabec were all close to each other. Branch was leading by 16 and 33 seconds, respectively.
Branch was still leading after 228 km, with Van Beveren 41 seconds back. Brabec was third, 3′ 39″ behind, but since he was opening the stage he had gained a bonus of 3′ 40″, putting him in the lead virtually.
At the finish line, Branch regained the lead and won Stage 11. Brabec was second by just 32″ thanks to his bonuses. Van Beveren occupies third, 3′ 17″ behind. In the general standings, Brabec is still the leader with a 10′ 22″ gap over Branch, and he is also 14′ 31″ in front of Van Beveren.
The last stage could prove to be crucial for the winner of the 2024 Dakar Rally in the bikes’ category.
Quads
Alexandre Giroud started strong, taking the lead of the first part of the stage. After 179 km, he was 39 seconds ahead of his main rival, Manuel Andujar.
Giroud managed to lead the whole stage and beat Andujar by 37 seconds. Juraj Varga was third, 21′ 32″ back. Giroud now sits in second position in the general standings, 8′ 14″ behind Andujar. The last stage will prove to be decisive.
Cars
Carlos Sainz took the lead in the early part of the stage, with Loeb not far behind (21 seconds). However, the latter suffered issues with his right-hand A-arm and lost a lot of time waiting for assistance. It seemed that Loeb would retire from today’s special, but he decided to keep going and fight to keep a spot on the podium in the final standings.
Meanwhile, at the 258 km mark, Sainz was still the leader, ahead of Guillaume de Mevius by 2′ 04″. Romain Dumas was third by 2′ 21″.
Sainz couldn’t hold on to his first place, and Chicherit went on to win the stage. De Mevius also overtook Sainz by 3 seconds, finishing P2, 5′ 32″ behind Chicherit. Sainz is still the leader in the general standings, with the win almost secured as Loeb suffered mechanical issues today.
It seemed that the Frenchman still managed to keep his second place in the general rankings, but at the time of publication, he was not shown in the classification.