In the past, a racer who failed to reach the finish line of one of the stages of the Dakar rally raid was automatically eliminated from the competition, but the current rules still allow the possibility of participating in the marathon.
That’s why the crew of the factory Audi team, made up of Carlos Sainz and his co-driver Lucas Cruz, went to the start of the next leg of the rally raid, even though their off-road electric car, after yesterday’s ridiculous and dramatic accident did not reach the finish line of the 6th high-speed track.
But at the same time, crew No. 207 received a huge penalty – 28 hours and 45 minutes – and today they took off only 68th by the distance of the 7th stage. It is clear that it is in principle unrealistic to regain such a deficit, but if Sainz can win one of the remaining high-speed sections, this achievement will be included in his personal statistics. However, in the official results of the Dakar, he will not be considered as a driver who finished in a rally raid.
This naturally bothers Carlos Sainz Sr. and his co-driver, but it doesn’t seem too daunting: today they show decent speed again. It is worth noting that Mattias Ekström, their partner in the Audi factory team, with the car number 211, took overall victory on the podium, but retired shortly before the finish due to technical problems. However, the result of the 7th stage will be known later, when it ends.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
