The tenth stage of the Dakar Rally 2024 saw another great performance by Laia Sanz, who was on the verge of pulling off the upset and achieving a result that has not been seen since she switched to the car category in 2022. The KH-7 rider was even in fourth place overall, but two punctures due to a technical problem with the auto-inflation system of the tires delayed her progress. Finally, the Spanish astara Team rider finished 23rd, as the best Spanish rider, and third in T1.2.
Setbacks aside, the day has left two good news. The first: Laia Sanz is capable of riding in the Top 10 when the circumstances allow it, read terrain characteristics and condition of the vehicle, in this case the astara 02 Concept. The second is that the 13-time Dakar finisher and her co-driver Maurizio Gerini have recovered 6 minutes and 25 seconds to the second classified in the two-wheel-drive category, Frenchman Christian Lavieille, who is now only 45 seconds behind them. The same distance now separates them from the absolute Top 15 in the general standings, after they lost one position today.
The special stage got off to an excellent start for the Catalan rider, who felt very comfortable with the car and the terrain from the beginning, and was able to attack to the maximum: "We started very well; I felt confident and Maurizio navigated perfectly. We went very fast, but safe, taking care not to puncture and not to make any mistakes".
At the 39th kilometer, the Spanish-Italian duo was fourth fastest, 34 seconds behind Guerlain Chicherit, who was leading the race at that point and ended up winning. Shortly after, the setbacks that affected the rest of the special stage began.
"At about kilometer 50, we stopped to change a wheel, and after about 90 kilometers, we had to replace the other one on the same side. That's when we saw that we had a problem with the auto-inflation system and we had to disassemble it. Between one thing and the other, we lost about 12 minutes. In addition, the last 200 kilometers, we had to go slower and with a lot of stress to avoid another puncture, because we had no more spare tires. It's a pity and we have a bittersweet taste, because we did very well, and today was one of those days to finish in the top ten, but sometimes there is no prize. Even so, we are happy, because we were able to solve the situation well and, despite everything, we were able to recover enough time to Lavieille", said Laia Sanz.
For the KH-7 and Gerini rider, there is no choice but to keep fighting tomorrow, on the penultimate day of the race, to put in another good performance and regain second place in the T1.2 category. The 11th stage, between Al-Ula and Yanbu, will be the last major highlight of this Dakar, perhaps the toughest and most demanding of the five stages held in Saudi Arabia. The 480-kilometer special stage is expected to be very tough, with a broken and rocky terrain that will force the riders to take great care of their tires to avoid punctures.
Automatic translation of the Spanish version available on www.todoterreno.pt
Source: KH-7/ Sport / Laia Sanz's official press release
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