We said stage 11 would be a pivotal day of racing at the Dakar, and, oh boy, it sure was! After losing a little time yesterday, the pressure was well and truly on Sam Today, who in no uncertain terms needed to deliver a flawless ride to keep his chances of a second Dakar win alive.
And that’s precisely what he did. Putting together a standout performance, Sam navigated perfectly, attacked from the start, and finished second on the stage, just four seconds behind the eventual winner. Now, with just one day of racing to go, the GASGAS Factory Racing ace sits at the top of the leaderboard with a near seven-minute advantage over his closest rival.
- Sam returns to the top of the provisional Dakar leaderboard
- Outstanding performance on penultimate stage from Sunderland
- One day and just 163 kilometres of racing to go!
Sam
Sam Sunderland: “Today was an adamant one. We were expecting it to be difficult, and even four kilometres in, there were lines everywhere in the sand. I had to focus on myself and stay on top of my roadbook from thereon. It is an option to follow the lines ahead.
Through the dunes, I was able to make up some time, which was good, and I just missed out on another Thetil now, the race has gone up until now really well, the whole team behind me has been fantastic, but the race isn’t over until it’s over. All I can do is hope for a clean run through tomorrow’s stage, and then we’ll see where we end up.”
In rally racing, starting any stage, a handful of riders behind the first rider generally proves to be an advantage, but with the navigation incredibly tricky on Today’s penultimate stage of the rally, it was every man for himself out there in the desert.
Opting solely on his roadbook throughout the challenging 345-kilometre special, Sam was in superb form, narrowly missing out on the stage win but, more importantly, now leads the rally heading into the final, decisive day of racing. It’s going time!
Results (provisional): Dakar Rally 2022, stage 11
- 1. Kevin Benavides (KTM) 3:30:56
- 2. Sam Sunderland (GASGAS) 3:31:00
- 3. Joaquim Rodrigues (Hero) 3:33:22
Overall Provisional Classification (after stage 11)
- 1. Sam Sunderland (GASGAS) 37:04:05
- 2. Pablo Quintanilla (Honda) 37:10:57
- 3. Matthias Walkner (KTM) 37:11:20
via GASGAS
