Home » Anja, Ben, and Jan conquer dunes in the dark, Erik and Hein start strong after rest day

Anja, Ben, and Jan conquer dunes in the dark, Erik and Hein start strong after rest day

The sixth stage of the Dakar Rally was a true transition stage, shifting from fast rocky terrain to towering dunes. The first section was very fast, but the dunes in the second half proved challenging. Anja van Loon, Ben, and Jan van de Laar started the stage well but lost some time after getting stuck on a dune, ultimately finishing in ninth place. Erik van Loon and Hein Verschuuren had a good day, performing well in the regularity tests.

Anja, Ben, and Jan were relieved to reach the finish. “What a stage!” said Anja. “The first part was filled with rocks again, but we got through that without any issues. Then we hit the dunes, and that went pretty well too. We got stuck on a small dune, just off a track. That cost us about 45 minutes.”

Despite the delay, they were very satisfied. “It went well today. We had to tackle the dunes in the dark, which was incredibly tough, but we’re happy to have made it to the finish. The result is solid, and there are still plenty of competitors on the course. On to tomorrow!”

Erik and Hein were equally pleased with their performance. “It was another great day. Opening in the dunes went well and was awesome. The car was in perfect condition, thanks to the excellent work by the mechanics during the rest day. Our strong point is the regularity tests, and we scored well again. In the last test, we only received two penalty points, finishing narrowly in second place. It’s incredible—opening in the H4 class and then being just one point shy of first on that test.”

Tomorrow, the seventh stage takes place—a loop of over 400 kilometers around Al Duwadimi. The challenge lies in the fact that cars and trucks will follow a different route than the motorbikes. The stage will feature difficult navigation, a mix of fast and slower sections, and more dunes.

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