Dakar 2021: Bad luck cost Van Loon top 3 ranking

The caution with which Erik van Loon and Sébastien Delaunay decide to ride the stage seems to be paying off. They are on their way to a time in the top three, until they are pushed off the track by a bike and have a puncture. From that moment on, bad luck piles up and Van Loon loses more than an hour.

"It went so well," says Van Loon. "The most important thing for us was not to have a puncture today. Sébastien and I were working on that, it paid off. We were second fastest time after more than 200 kilometers and it seemed nothing was wrong. Then we arrive at a bike who refuses to pull over and pushes us off the track, which caused a puncture, then the rim wouldn't come off the hub, so I drove a circle without lug nuts and the wheel comes loose. Later we punctured again, but there is a nut stuck because the bolt is damaged. We spent more than half an hour on that. After that it seemed to go well again."

However, the bad luck is not over for Van Loon. "20 kilometers before the finish, a driveshaft breaks and we have a small fire at the back. The fire was quickly extinguished, but the shaft would not come off. Again cutting and finally it came loose. What a drama, we lose more than an hour and twenty minutes while there was no actual reason for it. We have done nothing wrong and are still being punished. Hopefully tomorrow will improve, but we have to come from far."

The sixth stage goes from Al-Qaisumah to Hail and consists mostly of sand and dunes. The length of the stage is 448 kilometers, the first car will start at 9:30 am (7:30 am Dutch time) and is expected at the finish around 2:43 pm (12:43 pm Dutch time).

Source Van Loon Racing