Mário Franco and Daniel Jordão today completed the sixth stage of the Dakar 2024, the 48H marathon stage. This innovative challenge in the Dakar Rally held in the Empty Quarter, starting and finishing in Shubaytah, was particularly demanding for drivers and machines, involving a timed sector of 549 km.
The Portuguese duo who are competing in the world's premier off-road race at the controls of a Yamaha YXZ 1000R Turbo T3, registered in the Challenger category, spent 13H 28m 22s to complete the very demanding and long selective sector entirely contested on dunes .
“This stage was very interesting. It was completely different from what we have done to date. We liked a lot. It was effectively an experience that the organization should repeat. The car is very good. We abused it a little more on a dune, we bent a triangle and broke a transmission. We had to change the material and lost some time. Navigation was difficult, but we managed to reach all the waypoints. Near the end of the stage, we had a problem with a thread that melted, which happens with any machine. Fortunately, the team spirit within X-Raid ended up prevailing: We gave Ignacio Casale a helping hand. Annette also ended up providing us with assistance again, which we are grateful for. Everything went well, we reached the end, which is the most important thing. We are very satisfied. Now you need to rest and prepare the car. The next few days will be decisive. Our objective is to complete the race”, highlights Mário Franco at the end of the stage.
At a time when the 46th edition of the Dakar 2024 is halfway through, Mario Franco and Daniel Jordão have already completed more than 50 hours of competition riding the Yamaha and are 25th in the Challenger ranking.
The machines will be transported to Riyadh, the pilots will travel today by plane to the capital of Saudi Arabia where tomorrow they will be able to enjoy a well-deserved day of rest that will give the teams the opportunity to repair whatever is necessary on the machines, carrying out their respective maintenance. The 2024 Dakar Rally continues on Sunday, with the seventh stage.
Automatic translation of the Portuguese version available on www.todoterreno.pt
Source: Franco Sport's official press release
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