Completing another stage of the 2021 Dakar Rally successfully, Laia Sanz keeps on pushing towards the end of this year’s event and secured a 29th place finish on stage 10. A small navigational error early on in today’s special wasn’t exactly part of the Spaniard’s strategy, but as is sometimes the case in rally racing, working a little overtime is all part of the job! Riding in dust for much of the stage, Laia was able to make up some of the ground she’d lost, going on to bring her GASGAS RC 450F home safely and just inside the top 30. A solid result considering the minor mishap, but more importantly, Sanz maintains 20th in the provisional standings as she edges closer to the event’s finish line in Jeddah.
Laia Sanz: “A frustrating day today. I felt good early on, but then made a mistake with my navigation. A lot of riders then passed me and there was so much dust it was difficult to make up time – it was so hard to pass people as the canyons were just full of dust. But, overall, I reached the finish and that’s important and I hope for a better day tomorrow.”
Not the most enjoyable day for Laia, but successfully completing stage 10 of the 2021 Dakar Rally is another important step that takes her closer to the event’s finish line. Reaching the first waypoint of the 342-kilometer special in 18th, Laia’s navigational error then derailed what could have easily been her best stage result of the rally so far. Enduring a long and frustrating day in the saddle, most importantly however, Laia reached the finish in one piece and will now prepare herself for tomorrow’s longest special stage of the rally.
The 11th stage of the 2021 Dakar Rally is set to provide perhaps the toughest test of the event so far with riders jumping straight into the event’s longest special following a short liaison. At 511 kilometers, stamina will play a huge part in the outcome of the stage, especially with it including a physically demanding stretch of sand dunes that extends to almost 100 kilometers, where time can easily be won or lost. Upon completion of the stage, riders will arrive back on the Red Sea coast in Yanbu, with just one stage left to run.
Results (provisional): Dakar Rally 2021, stage 10
1. Ricky Brabec (Honda) 3:12:33
2. Joan Barreda (Honda) 3:15:48
3. Kevin Benavides (Honda) 3:17:44
29. Laia Sanz (GASGAS) 4:16:12
Overall Provisional Classification (after stage 10)
1. Kevin Benavides (Honda) 40:20:08
2. Ricky Brabec (Honda) 40:20:59
3. Sam Sunderland (KTM) 40:30:44
20. Laia Sanz (GASGAS) 45:42:59