Home » Dakar Rally Stage 10: Loprais Secures Second Consecutive Stage Win, Podium Battle Heats Up

Dakar Rally Stage 10: Loprais Secures Second Consecutive Stage Win, Podium Battle Heats Up

Aleš Loprais claimed his second consecutive stage victory in a challenging route through the dunes, completing the stage in 2 hours, 22 minutes, and 41 seconds. Mitchel van den Brink followed closely, just 48 seconds behind, while Martin Macik finished third with a gap of 2 minutes and 23 seconds. The general classification remains unchanged, but the gaps between the top three have tightened once again.

From fourth place onward, the time differences grew larger. Martin Soltys finished fourth, 11 minutes and 9 seconds behind Loprais. Sugawara claimed fifth place, 14 minutes and 43 seconds back. Ben van de Laar was the best Dutch finisher after Mitchel van den Brink, securing sixth place, followed by Maurik van den Heuvel and Richard de Groot in seventh and eighth positions, respectively. Vaidotas Zala, competing in the Saudi dunes with a truck for the first time, ended in ninth place.

Disappointments of the Day

Two Dutch top-ten contenders faced significant setbacks today. Kees Koolen lost 48 minutes and 25 seconds, a considerable gap given the relatively short stage, landing him in 12th place for the day. However, the entrepreneur from Vorden still holds a respectable fifth position overall.

Martin van den Brink must have experienced severe difficulties, finishing with a delay of 1 hour, 24 minutes, and 28 seconds, losing nearly an hour and a half to stage winner Loprais. Overall, he thus gave up a position to Vaidotas Zala, who has now taken over sixth place.

Communication Challenges

Due to poor connectivity in the Empty Quarter, communication with the participants was limited today. As a result, the usual rider comments are unavailable, and the reasons for the time losses of Koolen and Martin van den Brink remain unclear.

Provisional Results Stage 10:

1. Aleš Loprais – 2h22m41s
2. Mitchel van den Brink +0:48
3. Martin Macik +2:23
4. Martin Soltys +11:09
5. Teruhito Sugawara +14:43
6. Anja van Loon +16:07
7. Maurik van den Heuvel +18:49
8. Richard de Groot +20:02
9. Vaidotas Zala +25:13
10. Pep Sabaté +45:02

General Classification After Stage 10:

1. Martin Macik (CZE) – 52h39m23s
2. Mitchel van den Brink (NLD) +2:22:07
3. Aleš Loprais (CZE) +2:26:15
4. Martin Soltys (CZE) +5:17:05
5. Kees Koolen (NLD) +6:08:39
6. Vaidotas Zala (LTU) +7:16:56
7. Martin van den Brink (NLD) +7:30:03
8. Richard de Groot (NLD) +8:46:23
9. Anja van Loon (NLD) +10:50:07
10. Teruhito Sugawara (JPN) +12:08:09

Looking Ahead

Tomorrow, participants will again face the massive dunes of the Empty Quarter. The grueling stage includes 275 timed kilometers and is likely one of the last opportunities to create significant time gaps. Title defender Martin Macik appears to be in a strong position for another victory, but the unpredictable nature of the Dakar Rally means surprises may still arise. Meanwhile, the battle for the other two podium spots remains incredibly close. Loprais has been increasing the pressure in recent days, and Mitchel van den Brink will need to give it his all to defend his second-place position.

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