Dakar 2023: Stage 13 - Laia Sanz aims for the Dakar finish line

• Despite a stomach upset that complicated her day, the KH-7 rider was able to reach the end of another 13th stage that was not very favorable for 4x2 cars in 38th position overall (19th in T1).
• Only one day remains for the Spaniard to complete her 13th consecutive participation.
• "I got very dizzy. I must have some stomach virus, and today in the dunes I had a bad time, because we were just going up and down, and you couldn't see the relief."
• "In the bad years is when you learn the most and I'm doing a master's degree on this Dakar that will help me a lot for next year".

It hasn't been an easy Dakar, but she's getting through it. Laia Sanz only has one more day of competition to complete her 13th consecutive participation, the second in a car. The feat has merit, especially because it is costing her much more than expected, after having to face many adverse situations every day in this 45th edition of the toughest rally in the world. And the 13th and penultimate stage was no exception. The KH-7 rider had to pull out all the stops to bring her ASTARA 01 to the finish in 38th place overall (19th in T1), after suffering from an upset stomach, on another day of dunes not very favorable for the rear-wheel drive cars, but not for the side-by-sides.

"I got very dizzy. I must have a stomach virus, and today in the dunes I had a bad time, because we were just going up and down, and you couldn't see the relief, which made me even more dizzy. It's the first time something like this has happened to me, and I had a hard time, but I had no choice but to keep going", says the Catalan.

After starting the day on a roller coaster of sand, the rider from Corbera de Llobregat had to stop for a moment at kilometer 110 - of the 153 timed stages - to recover: "I had to stop to vomit. It took me a long time to get to the finish. It wasn't a difficult special today, but it wasn't pleasant".

With all the obstacles she has encountered since she took the start on December 31, Laia Sanz has been able to rethink her goals and set the goal of Dammam as a priority. Along the way, she has been filling her bag of experiences on her second round on four wheels: "It's in the bad years that you learn the most, and this Dakar has given me a master's degree that will help me a lot for the next one".

But before that, there is still one last obstacle to overcome: the 14th and last stage, with 267 kilometers of liaison and 138 kilometers of timed stages on the shores of the Persian Gulf, where he will finish the rally by emulating the mythical finish on the beach of Lac Rose in Senegal.

Automatic translation from the original Spanish version available on www.todoterreno.pt
Source Laia Sanz / KH-7