The first part of the 2024 Dakar Rally has come to an end after the newly introduced 48-hour Chrono. Let’s revive some of the most crucial moments of the race so far.
The drivers finally have a day to rest after an incredibly demanding first part of the competition, which did not lack plot twists and unexpected turns of events.
After that David Castera called the 2024 edition of the Dakar the “toughest” one so far, many riders and drivers actually stated that they could not agree more, after being physically and mentally exhausted – especially after the 48-hour stage -.
Bikes
Already during Stage 1, the race lost one of the competitors that seemed able to compete for victory after winning the prologue. It was Tosha Schereina, who, after a crash, was forced to withdraw from the competition. He later said in an interview that he did not think he would crash as he “was riding so slow.” However, after trying to overtake Toby Price “I hit something with the rear wheel,” he said. “I was going slow, but I broke my wrist.”
After Stage 1, Ross Branch took the lead in the general classification.
“A nice and long day,” he said. “Really challenging. Like I said, they threw everything at us. Even starting further back, the navigation was tough, but I enjoyed it. It was good fun. The first 400 K, the first proper stage under the belt, and I’m feeling good.”
The latter kept it until Stage 3. Then, Nacho Cornejo dethroned him in Stage 4.
“The stage went good,” Cornejo said after winning the stage. “At the beginning, I made some little navigation mistakes and I thought I lost some time so I was pushing hard to try to recover. Then at refueling, I noticed I was doing very well. I’m happy with my riding, the navigation.”
Branch immediately fought back the day after, reclaiming the top of the standings. However, after the grueling 48-hour stage, Ricky Brabec became the new leader before the rest day.
“Two days in the desert was quite fun, honestly,” said Brabec after the end of the two-day stage. “The stage was long. I’m ready to go for the second week. My fingers are a little sore from the clutch over the last two days, but overall it was fun. I enjoyed it. I know some other guys are saying it’s too much but, hey, it’s the Dakar, it’s not easy.”
Meanwhile, during Stage 2, a nasty crash involved Carles Falcon. The rider reportedly was without any pulse after the accident. Luckily, the doctors revived him, and he was brought to the hospital. There, he was diagnosed with a “fracture in his C2” as the team reported. He was then transported to the Riyadh Hospital for further checks.
On January 10th, the team informed through social media that Falcon “is still in an induced coma and that follow-up checks did not show any change.” The rider will be transported to Spain these days.
Cars
Drama was a protagonist in the car’s category, too. De Mevius started strong, winning Stage 1, with some of the veterans that seemed to struggle.
“A great introduction,” said de Mevius. “I’m quite surprised, to be honest; we drove smart and avoided punctures, and I think that was the key today. But I’m quite surprised to finish so high up.“
However, Carlos Sainz immediately took the lead in the general standings in Stage 2. Yazeed Al-Rajhi entered the fight by stealing the 1st place from the Spaniard the day after. The former kept it until Stage 6, where an aggressive strategy cost him the race as he crashed and was forced to retire from the stage, shattering his hopes of winning the Dakar. That meant that “El Matador” gained the lead back.
“It was quite a difficult stage, but I think we managed to do a good job,” the Spaniard said. “In the end, I had a problem and got stuck in one place. We lost some minutes, but all in all the two days were good. We are happy at the moment. But there is still a long way to go. It’s still very open”.
Meanwhile, Lucas Moraes managed to claim his maiden Dakar win, while the veteran Nasser Al Attiyah struggled to keep the pace so far, winning Stage 5, but paying the price of opening the way for the arduous Stage 6.