In the first part of the 48-hour stage, Daniel Sanders (KTM) continues his daring ride – he leads the intermediate standings ahead of Brabec (Honda) and Branch (Hero).
The three-way battle between the top three brands in the motorcycle class at the Dakar Rally is in full swing. The drivers covered more than 600 kilometers on the first day of the 48-hour marathon stage. Daniel Sanders (KTM) continued to lead Honda rival and defending champion Ricky Brabec in the interim standings.
The so-called 48-hour chrono is driven over two days, north of Bischa. There are separate routes for motorcycles and cars. The special stage for motorcycles covers a total of 958 kilometers over both days.
There are six different camps in the desert, depending on how far a driver gets. At 5:00 p.m. local time, the next bivouac had to be approached. The six camps are located between kilometer 491 (zone A) and kilometer 671 (zone F).
Fantic rider Mohammed Balooshi had to open the long day. He started the special stage as early as 7:00 a.m. local time. The top riders started in a pack from eleventh to twentieth place on the starting grid. The time bonus played an important role.
The first rider on the road and all others within 15 seconds receive a time credit of one second per kilometer. On Monday, it will be 1.5 seconds per kilometer. A maximum of 14:07 minutes of time credit can be accumulated.
This bonus system is designed to encourage riders to lead the field and take on the navigation, because they would not lose as much time compared to riders further back on the route.
After the first 95 kilometers, Sanders led the intermediate standings. Branch was in second place. Then came the strong Honda package, as the four teammates tried to play to their combined strength.
After 127 kilometers, Sanders led Brabec by only about 40 seconds. On the route, Mason Klein (Kove) initially led the field. After a navigation error, Adrian van Beveren (Honda) took the lead. He won the 48-hour stage last year.
At the next checkpoints, the duel for first place between Sanders and Brabec continued. After rocky and hard terrain, like the day before, the route went through the dunes between kilometers 240 and 290.
Before the start of the desert section, Sanders led Brabec by three minutes and Branch by five in the virtual standings. Brabec was supported by three Honda riders, while Sanders could not count on the help of the Benavides brothers, as they were a little further back.
After the dunes, a leading group of six riders formed on the track, collecting time bonuses. A little behind, Sanders cemented his lead in the intermediate standings. The Australian even caught up with the leading group on the track and eventually collected time bonuses too.
Ross Branch is also among the leaders at the front
At the intermediate result after 413 kilometers, Sanders led the classification 2:10 minutes ahead of Brabec and 4:43 minutes ahead of Branch. There was a refueling stop there. In addition, a break of 40 minutes was prescribed.
After that, the top drivers set off together on the rest of the route. The third refueling stop took place at the 609-kilometer mark. After that, the driving time ended and the top drivers set off for camp E.
With time bonuses included, Sanders leads the standings by a narrow margin over Brabec and Branch. They are within about three and a half minutes of each other. This means that the race for stage victory remains open. The remaining kilometers will follow tomorrow.
When the riders reached their respective bivouacs, they unloaded their tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, a food ration and water. They are on their own without their team of mechanics. The rest of the route will be completed on Monday. Today’s intermediate result is therefore only provisional.
Tomorrow the riders will start from the respective bivouac they have reached today. Motorcycles and cars will start alternately at 30-second intervals. At 7:00 a.m. local time, the first motorcycle will be sent on its way, followed by the first car and so on.
Provisional intermediate result of stage 2A (Top 10):
01. Daniel Sanders (KTM) – 7:27.17 hours
02. Ricky Brabec (Honda) +3:23 minutes
03. Ross Branch (Hero) +3:25
04. Tosha Schareina (Honda) +5:49
05. Skyler Howes (Honda) +6:28
06. Adrien van Beveren (Honda) +9:32
07. Luciano Benavides (KTM) +11:39
08. Pablo Quintanilla (Honda) +13:03
09. Michael Docherty (KTM) +17:06
10. Edgar Canet (KTM) +18:54
