The ninth leg around Wadi ad Dawasir did not prove to be a happy hunting ground for the X-raid team. Argentineans Sebastian Halpern and Bernardo “Ronnie” Graue ended the 287-kilometre stage in 15th place in a MINI JCW Buggy. Laia Sanz (ESP) and Maurizio Gerini (ITA) finished 28th in the MINI ALL4 Racing. Jakub “Kuba” Przygonski (POL) and Timo Gottschalk (GER) suffered a technical issue in their MINI JCW Buggy, after which they had to settle for 30th place. Denis Krotov and Konstantin Zhiltsov were 33rd in a MINI JCW Buggy.
Halpern was satisfied with his ninth stage. With navigation proving tricky, the two Argentineans did go the wrong way a few times, but they hardly lost any time in the process. That aside, they covered the 287 kilometres against the clock without any major issues and remain ninth overall.
Sebastian Halpern: “I liked today’s stage. The dunes were soft but easy to negotiate. There were also some very rocky sections with difficult navigation. Ronnie did a good job there. Just three legs to go to the finish – so it will be full throttle tomorrow!”
Spaniard Sanz also avoided any major problems and set consistent times throughout the ninth leg. However, there was a lot of dust in the air, which made driving on the very rocky surface even more difficult. Despite this, they still made it through to the finish and ended the stage in 31st place.
Laia Sanz: “Today was very dusty and it was not easy. We were more cautious on the rocky terrain, in order to look after the tyres. I think we did a good job.”
Luck deserted Przygonski today. A technical issue, which he and co-driver Gottschalk were able to repair on the stage, cost them almost 15 minutes. That saw them drop to sixth place in the overall standings. However, they remain within striking distance of the top five, just a few minutes between the crews in fourth and fifth place.
Kuba Przygonski: “Today was not a good day for us. We had a technical issue and had to stop to repair it. I think that cost us about a quarter of an hour. However, we still have three days ahead of us.”
Tomorrow’s tenth leg takes the competitors to Bisha and features a total of 759 kilometres, 375 of which are against the clock. According to the organisers, this is the fastest stage on the entire Dakar – and again includes some tricky navigation.
Source: X-Raid Team
