In a calculated move, Toscha Schareina eased off the throttle of his Monster Energy Honda towards the end of today’s special stage to avoid opening tomorrow’s route.
The Spaniard was happy to settle for second place, just 15 seconds behind the stage winner, prioritizing the advantage of following a “control track” during the second part of the marathon stage.
That control track will now be laid by Daniel Sanders, who claimed his fourth stage victory of this Dakar (counting the 48-hour stage as two separate wins) aboard his KTM. Sanders also extended his lead in the general classification to over 13 minutes. The Australian hopes to handle the challenge of opening the stage better than yesterday when he lost significant time and missed a top-10 finish.
Chilean rider José Ignacio Cornejo secured third place in today’s stage, marking a milestone in his 10th Dakar Rally appearance. The 30-year-old, formerly with Honda, is now competing with his new team, Hero Motorsports Factory Racing, showing promising results early in the rally.