Today, the crew of Sergei Remennik and Aleksei Ignatov has suffered a serious breakdown and a number of technical issues, but thanks to the help of their colleagues and careful driving, they’ve brought the vehicle to the bivouac, confirming that at the Dakar Rally, it's not just speed that matters, but also the ability to finish.
The tenth stage of the Dakar Rally proved to be a day of disaster and hope. Close positional fight and tactical play between teams rained down a barrage of breakdowns, penalties, and lost time on crews in almost all categories of the rally, reminding them how high the cost of error is, and this is just four days before the two-week competition finish.
Stage 10: Route and Conditions
The competitors left the bivouac shelter, where they spent the night in spartan conditions in the desert, and some were even repairing after the previous marathon stage. The next stop was the traditional bivouac in Bisha, but it still had 420 kilometers of sands to go! Navigation was a crucial factor in reaching the finish line, as the stage ran through the dunes with soft white sand, which didn’t hold the vehicle well and was blinding in the sun. As a result, the drivers and co-drivers had to work hard. All title contenders were under high pressure. It was crucial to complete the day without any serious mistakes and deliver their vehicles to the assistance teams for maintenance and repairs.
Day Timeline. Leaders’ Fight and Technical Issues
The tenth stage in the Challenger category began with a fierce battle. Paul Spierings, who once again showed strong pace yesterday, set out to open the rally for his category. Overall Challenger leader Pau Navarro, meanwhile, added further intrigue right at the selective section start. An unexpected breakdown delayed the Catalan by 12 minutes, incurring a time penalty, but his stability and precise navigation allowed him to maintain a comfortable lead and keep his closest pursuers in check.
In the opening kilometers of the stage, Kevin Benavides briefly took over the yellow jersey, setting the fastest time at the 46th km, but by the first third of the distance, he had handed it over to Saudi Arabian Yasir Seaidan. He held a comfortable lead at the 121st and 155th km waypoints, overtaking Spierings and Benavides and attempting to capitalize on his advantage. By the midway point of the competitive distance, it seemed like Seaidan was getting the hang of it. However, the decisive turnaround occurred in the final kilometers of the selective section. Paul Spierings, maintaining a high pace and concentration, managed to close the gap and, with a literal dash to the finish line, took the lead from Seaidan.
Ultimately, Spierings completed a hat-trick of stage wins during the rally, once again proving his prowess. Seaidan finished second, 2 minutes and 50 seconds behind, and 3 minutes and 22 seconds separated Spierings from Benavides, who rounded out the top three at the stage. Nicolas Cavigliasso proved the most successful pursuer, finishing just 40 seconds behind Benavides. Pau Navarro remained the overall leader, finishing tenth. His lead in the Challenger category remains, but it’s narrowed. Just 18.5 minutes separate him from Yasir Seaidan, with three stages still to go.
Breakdown and Colleagues’ Help
Sergei Remennik and Aleksei Ignatov planned to proceed at their usual steady pace, aiming for Navarro’s scheduled start time so they could accompany the leader if necessary. However, after 162.5 km, the crew experienced a breakdown of the rear differential, a key transmission component directly responsible for transmitting power to the wheels. Any malfunction disrupts torque distribution, causing the car to slip, stall, and lose speed, which, on soft sand, can lead to a complete stop.
Frenchman Kevin Rouvière arrived 40 minutes later to help replace the rear differential. The crew spent another 54 minutes on these repairs, and then they resumed driving along the selective section, carefully navigating the sands. Remennik and Ignatov finished the day in the dark, bringing their vehicle to the bivouac, where it was handed over to mechanics for full maintenance before the final stages of the marathon rally-raid.
Sergei Remennik, driver, “These two days were really interesting. It’s now my favorite part of the marathon, sleeping in a tent, it was awesome. Yesterday we did our job, not just raced. I think you already know we were helping Dania Akeel. Today, our job was to help Pau Navarro. But he had some problem at the start with the terminal, with the contact. So we drove part of the distance without him. By the way, there were some beautiful dunes there.
Then we finally met Navarro at the refueling area. He arrived, we stayed behind him, and… our rear differential broke. Actually, it took almost an hour to remove the rear differential. By that time, Kevin Rouvière arrived in his Can-Am, and we got everything back together. Then we discovered another problem with the jack, it looks like it’s time for a rebuild. And to top it all off, we were left with only fifth gear. So this time we brought the mechanics a whole bunch of small, not-so-pleasant tasks that would literally keep them up all night. I think more than one pair of hands will be needed here.”
Aleksei Ignatov, co-driver, “This marathon stage was challenging for us. While the first one went without any major incidents, although there were some repairs back then, this one really put us through our paces. During the evening service, we noticed a damaged rear-wheel drive boot. We replaced the drive (like last time), and everything else seemed fine.
Today, we’ve set off for the selective section ahead of some of our team’s crews. Accordingly, after the start, we stopped immediately to wait for them and then continue driving together. Everything seemed to be going as planned. But before reaching the 200th kilometer, a terrible noise and the characteristic smell of transmission fluid appeared. We discovered that the rear differential was damaged.
We had to stop. Some colleagues on the track had the necessary part. We started disassembling it gradually, and just then the guys arrived, helped replace the unit, put everything back together, and we continued on. But then some more minor technical issues arose: the front guard fell off, the rear shock absorbers started acting up, and there was an odd noise. The rest of the stage was a bit chaotic, but we’re glad we made it to the finish. So, everything’s fine.”
Today has been a demonstration of skill, endurance, and the ability to act strategically under pressure, but all the BBR Motorsport crews have made it to the team base.
BISHA > AL HENAKIYAH | Stage 11
The difficulty of this day’s stage does not lie in the terrain; the tracks on the route often allow for a brisk pace. However, with the number of intersections, forks, and junctions, the atmosphere can quickly become labyrinthine. Clarity and focus will be the best allies of those hoping to reach the Al Henakiyah bivouac unscathed. Especially since the total distance makes the stage gruelling.
Source: Bonnevie Baffeleuf Racing) Motorsport // Sergei Remennik official press release
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