The seventh stage of the Dakar Rally 2021 in Saudi Arabia was held along the route Ha'il - Sakaka on Sunday, January 10.
Traveling of the rally caravan for hundreds kilometers a day and new points on the route map have become familiar to those who found themselves at the Dakar a long time ago. One thing remains unchanged on the race in 2021: due to strict rules on non-proliferation of coronavirus infection, all Dakar participants are restricted in their movement outside the racing stage. Outside the bivouac, it is recommended to minimize contact with outside people, while access to the camp itself is open only to the owners of a special Dakar bracelet. In this regard, all athletes must spend the night on the territory of the bivouac. It doesn't matter who you are: a 13-time winner of the rally-marathon, this year's off-road leader Stephane Peteransel or the Dakar novice, who decided to try his luck in the most prestigious rally-raid competition in the world - the rules are the same for everyone. This approach is because of the organizers’ desire to bring the race to the finish in Jeddah on January 15.
The legendary race for endurance reached the equator, leaving exhausting 4 400 km behind, and on Saturday tired athletes had the opportunity to gain strength before the speed march for the remaining part of the competition. The organizers decided to set the pace for the second week of the Dakar from the marathon stages - almost 1500 km of the total distance and 830 km of special stages in two days. Plus the absence of mechanics at the finish line of today's stage: the crews will have to repair cars and bikes on their own and by the forces of other Dakar contestants in the closed park.
The long-awaited rest day was in the city of Ha’il, the motorsport capital of Saudi Arabia. The place, where mountain ranges border the desert and its majestic dunes and sandy valleys, stretching for hundreds of kilometers, is ideal for racers. Since the middle of the last decade, the annual Hail International Rally Festival has been held here, which has received the approval of the International Automobile Federation (FIA). In the meantime, the attention of numerous spectators is riveted on the Dakar, whose number of contestants has decreased by more than a quarter.
Ready sports trucks, loaded with additional spare parts that may be useful at the marathon stage entered the start of the 453-km special stage under serial number 7 behind 25 cars at 10:21. Success at the previous stage, when the KAMAZ-master team took the first three places, allowed the Russian crews of Airat Mardeev, Dmitry Sotnikov and Anton Shibalov to go into the race in two minutes from one another. Andrey Karginov left the start behind Aliaksei Vishneuski and Ales Loprais, and insured his teammates. Taking into account unpredictable situations in the channel, the density in the starting list only played into the hands of the Chelny guys.
The Sunday course took the racers towards the most northern point of the Dakar 2021- Sakaka City - and varied sands and dunes with gravel areas that covered nearly 50 percent of the route. Wet after a heavy morning rain, sand caused an additional problem in the form of increased fuel consumption, especially closer to the finish line. While driving, the racing pace was constantly lost. Fast sandy plateaus made it possible to pass vast areas at a maximum speed of 140 kmh, but as soon as they found themselves in a dried-up river bed or on rugged terrain, the speedometer needle dropped noticeably. There was a danger of getting lost and a long 60-kilometer section in the second third of the distance, on some dunes there was a great risk of getting stuck or even putting a vehicle on its side.
All this turned out a can-do task for the trucks in the blue livery, which moved one after another and showed the best time till the very finish: Airat Mardeev, Anton Shibalov and Dmitry Sotnikov managed to try on the yellow jersey at the special stage. An interesting fact: at all waypoints only KAMAZ crewstook the first three positions. Representatives of other teams tried to keep up with the high pace of the Russians, leading the overall standings, but gradually the gap became bigger and bigger. And if at the 148th km the first and ninth crews were separated by a bit more than nine minutes, then at the 358th km the indicator reached 23 and a half minutes.
A tough struggle flared up for the fourth position between Airat Mardeev and Aliaksei Vishneuski. Hundreds of kilometers separated the racers were by seconds, but in the area of the 330th km the Belarusian crew lost about six minutes. Andrey Karginov also lost time: for a long time the winner of the Dakar 2020 was driving on pumping, but 30 km before the finish line he had to stop and change the wheel, where A. Vishneuski and Ales Loprais took the advantage of.
Dmitry Sotnikov won the stage already the fifth time at this Dakar - 4 hours 45 minutes 52 seconds.
Dmitry Sotnikov, pilot of crew No 507: "The special stage started with wet sand dunes, it looked like off-road. In one place we could not take a steep slippery climb: we had to go around and lose a little time. The first half of the section it was not easy to drive with full tanks and loaded spare parts. Then we found our pace, safely drove out of the dunes. We started to catch up with Airat and he let us ahead. In the neutralization zone we met the guys, drove further together, but a little later our caravan stretched out a little because of the dust. We did not risk to avoid puncturing wheels. I think the team tactics has proved itself today. "
Airat Mardeev was 3 minutes 23 seconds behind, Anton Shibalov lost another five minutes. Thus, the KAMAZ-master crews took the whole podium for the second time in a row!
Airat Mardeev, pilot of crew No 509: "A good and interesting special stage. A lot of sandy roads, there were dunes and impassibility. We attacked, drove at a fast pace. When the stony plateau began, we slowed down. We drove it carefully, we didn't want to lose wheels. At about the 200th km we met Dima and drove with him to the finish line. Everything went well, no complaints about the truck."
Anton Shibalov, pilot of crew No 501: “Today is a pretty fast day. Everything was fine until 170 km before the finish the wheel came apart at straight sections. At first we were driving on pumping, but then we had to stop and change it. At the very beginning there was heavy viscous sand. Although the organizers once again promised the absence of stones, they were on the track and we had to be careful. Now we will examine the truck at the bivouac and start preparing for the second marathon day. "
Aliaksei Vishneuski finished the special stage with the fourth best time, 10 minutes 29 seconds back. Andrey Karginov was fifth (+11 minutes 44 seconds), the sixth Ales Loprais finished three minutes behind the Russian.
Andrey Karginov, pilot of crew No 500: “The day was interesting, it started with sandy tracks, very loaded, viscous and loose. Having driven 50 km, we saw that the fuel consumption was 200 liters per 100 km, we understood that it would be hard for the truck and the engine. At the neutralization zone we met our guys. Then we went along winding roads, somewhere we hooked a wheel, coontinued on pumping and stopped 30 km before the finish line to change it. The truck arrived at the bivouac in good condition. "
In the overall standings KAMAZ-master team strengthened its leadership. Ales Loprais, who has risen to the fourth place, is more than 80 minutes behind Dmitry Sotnikov, and the Czech is separated from the third Airat Mardeev by more than 16 minutes. Andrey Karginov is ahead of Ignasio Casale and is stayng on the eighth line.
On Monday the rally caravan will travel along the route Sakaka-Neom to the west of Saudi Arabia. The length of the eighth stage will be 709 km, with 375 km of special section. Sands and stones together with navigation will test the crews and make it possible to win back time, lost in the previous days.
Truck category. Ranking of the 7th stage. Top-10
|
Pos.
|
№
|
Name
|
Make
|
Time
|
Gap
|
|
1
|
507
|
Dmitry SOTNIKOV
|
KAMAZ
|
04:45:52
|
00:00:00
|
|
2
|
509
|
Airat MARDEEV
|
KAMAZ
|
04:49:15
|
00:03:23
|
|
3
|
501
|
Anton SHIBALOV
|
KAMAZ
|
04:54:14
|
00:08:22
|
|
4
|
505
|
Aliaksei VISHNEUSKI
|
MAZ
|
04:56:21
|
00:10:29
|
|
5
|
500
|
Andrey KARGINOV
|
KAMAZ
|
04:57:36
|
00:11:44
|
|
6
|
504
|
Ales LOPRAIS
|
PRAGA
|
05:00:39
|
00:14:47
|
|
7
|
506
|
Martin VAN DEN BRINK
|
RENAULT
|
05:05:58
|
00:20:06
|
|
8
|
514
|
Martin SOLTYS
|
TATRA
|
05:11:46
|
00:25:54
|
|
9
|
517
|
Ignasio CASALE
|
TATRA
|
05:12:05
|
00:26:13
|
|
10
|
503
|
Martin MACIK
|
IVECO
|
05:25:20
|
00:39:28
|
