Daniel Sanders, Austin Jones and Nasser Al-Attiyah had days to remember during Tuesday’s Stage Three at the 45th edition of motorsport’s toughest test of endurance, the Dakar Rally. Here is all you need to know:
January 3 | Stage 3 | Aluha – Ha’il | Distance – Total/Special: 669.15km/447km
– Rain disrupted Stage Three with the last 100km of the race track washed away, however defending car champion Nasser Al-Attiyah built on Monday’s Stage Two victory with a solid day to claim the overall lead as Carlos Sainz was halted for almost half an hour in his Audi RS Q e-tron E2.
– Australian Sanders excelled again as the Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing bike rider won to cut Mason Klein’s overall lead to 1m48s. The 28-year-old – known in the bivouac as Chucky – said: “The idea was to win the stage by catching the guys in front and it’s worked out really well.”
– Red Bull KTM Factory Racing are also in the overall bike top five thanks to Argentine Kevin Benavides, while team-mates and fellow former Dakar winners Toby Price and Matthias Walkner are in the top 10.
– Good news continued for the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team USA presented by BFGoodrich as American Austin Jones won the stage, while compatriot Seth Quintero took the overall T3 lead with Lithuanian Rokas Baciuška’s third place in T4 boosting him up to fourth overall.
– Wednesday’s Stage Four will turn up the heat with 425km against the clock, the loop stage around the Ha’il bivouac starting with a chain of dunes measuring over 100km and then several navigational pitfalls.
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