LATEGAN/CUMMINGS INTO TOP 5 OF DAKAR 2023 AS TGR CONSOLIDATES ON STAGE 4

A relatively clean 4th stage allowed defending champions, Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Mathieu Baumel, to extend their overall lead in the 2023 Dakar Rally to 18min 18sec over the privately entered Toyota Hilux T1+ of Yazeed Al Rajhi in second place. A single puncture was the only blot on an otherwise clean sheet for the Qatari superstar and his French co-driver.

 

Image supplied by Toyota South Africa

 

Nasser and Mathieu posted the 4^th-fastest time on Stage 4, trailing the stage winners home by just 2min 06sec over the 425km-long special. Their nearest competitors relinquished 7min 04sec on the day, increasing the GR DKR Hilux T1+ crew’s advantage in the overall standings.

Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings also had a successful stage, completing the stage without a single puncture. They started the stage as the second car on the road, which made it somewhat tricky to find the route. However, they found a good pace, often sharing the road with one of their competitors, and making it to the finish just 7min 23sec adrift of the stage winners.

Despite a harsh penalty of 20min incurred in the first stage, Henk and Brett have moved up into 5^th place in the overall ranking, just 45min 25sec off the lead, and within 13min of 4^th place. Having completed Stage 4 as the 6^th-fastest car, they’ll be the 6^th car on the road for Stage 5, placing them in a good position from which to attack.

Stage 4 also brought a clean run for Giniel de Villiers and co-driver Dennis Murphy. The pair started the stage as the 27^th car on the road, which hampered their progress in the thick, wet sand that marked the early parts of the stage. They pushed on despite the road conditions, recording the 9^th-fastest time on the stage, 16min 11sec behind the winners.

This result leaves them in 7^th overall, though their deficit to teammates Nasser and Mathieu have grown to 46min 13sec. They are just 46sec behind the crew ahead of them, less than a minute behind Henk and Brett in 5^th. Their road position for Stage 5 sees them start in 9^th place, which should increase their chances for a more competitive stage time.

Stage 5 of Dakar 2023 will start and finish at the bivouac near the city of Ha’il, where cold weather and a rainstorm marked the arrival of the Dakar Rally on January 3^rd. A liaison of 145km will take the crews from the bivouac to the start of the stage, whereafter they will complete a timed special of 374km. Finally, a liaison of 130km will bring them back to the bivouac.

Three more stages will follow Stage 5, before the rally reaches the rest day at the Saudi capital of Riyadh. The second week of the event will take place largely in the so-called Empty Quarter in the southern part of Saudi Arabia, before the event concludes in the coastal city of Dammam on January 15^th.

 

 

QUOTES:

Glyn Hall, TGR Dakar Team Principal:

“Someone once said that any day where you lead the Dakar is a good day, and as such today was another good day for us. Nasser drove a very steady stage with no problems, to extend his lead at the top by five minutes. So, no complaints today – let’s see what tomorrow brings.”

 

Nasser Al-Attiyah:

“It was a very difficult day yet again. Not an easy one. But I’m happy to have come through the stage without any serious drama, except for one flat tyre. We finished in fourth place on today’s stage, so our road position tomorrow will be much better. We’re still in the overall lead, and to me it is quite important to hold onto that lead, so that we can control the first week of the race.”

 

Giniel de Villiers:

“We had a fairly good stage today, though the wet sand made the going quite difficult in the morning. We had a relatively clean day, and the car ran well all day. At the very least we’ve moved up the order in terms of our road position, which should make things a bit easier tomorrow.”

 

Henk Lategan:

“The stage didn’t start of very well for us, as we struggled to find a good line early in the day. Maybe my inexperience in the dunes showed a bit, but when Stephan [Peterhansel] caught up with us, we managed to follow him for most of the day. When there were roads, we were in front, and when we went off piste, he was in front. We learnt a lot from him today, and overall, we’re happy with today’s result.”

 

DAKAR 2023: Stage 4 Results

POS.	N°	CREW	TEAM	TIME	VARIATION
1	201	(FRA) SEBASTIEN LOEB (BEL) FABIAN LURQUIN	BAHRAIN RAID XTREME	04H 11' 34''
2	204	(FRA) STÉPHANE PETERHANSEL (FRA) EDOUARD BOULANGER	TEAM AUDI SPORT	04H 11' 47''	+ 00H 00' 13''
3	207	(ESP) CARLOS SAINZ (ESP) LUCAS CRUZ	TEAM AUDI SPORT	04H 13' 24''	+ 00H 01' 50''
4	200	(QAT) NASSER AL-ATTIYAH (FRA) MATHIEU BAUMEL	TOYOTA GAZOO RACING GR DKR Hilux t1+	04H 13' 40''	+ 00H 02' 06''
5	202	(SAU) YAZEED AL RAJHI (DEU) DIRK VON ZITZEWITZ	OVERDRIVE RACING	04H 18' 38''	+ 00H 07' 04''
6	217	(ZAF) HENK LATEGAN (ZAF) BRETT CUMMINGS	TOYOTA GAZOO RACING GR DKR Hilux t1+	04H 18' 57''	+ 00H 07' 23''
7	211	(SWE) MATTIAS EKSTROM (SWE) EMIL BERGKVIST	TEAM AUDI SPORT	04H 22' 19''	+ 00H 10' 45''
8	230	(BRA) LUCAS MORAES (DEU) TIMO GOTTSCHALK	OVERDRIVE RACING	04H 25' 22''	+ 00H 13' 48''
9	205	(ZAF) GINIEL DE VILLIERS (ZAF) DENNIS MURPHY	TOYOTA GAZOO RACING GR DKR Hilux t1+	04H 27' 45''	+ 00H 16' 11''
10	231	(FRA) ROMAIN DUMAS (FRA) MAX DELFINO	REBELLION RACING	04H 43' 56''	+ 00H 32' 22''

DAKAR 2023: Standings after Stage 4

POS.	N°	CREW	TEAM	TIME	VARIATION
1	200	(QAT) NASSER AL-ATTIYAH (FRA) MATHIEU BAUMEL	TOYOTA GAZOO RACING GR DKR HILUX T1+	16H 34' 13''
2	202	(SAU) YAZEED AL RAJHI (DEU) DIRK VON ZITZEWITZ	OVERDRIVE RACING	16H 52' 31''	+ 00H 18' 18''
3	204	(FRA) STÉPHANE PETERHANSEL (FRA) EDOUARD BOULANGER	TEAM AUDI SPORT	16H 53' 05''	+ 00H 18' 52''
4	207	(ESP) CARLOS SAINZ (ESP) LUCAS CRUZ	TEAM AUDI SPORT	17H 07' 08''	+ 00H 32' 55''
5	217	(ZAF) HENK LATEGAN (ZAF) BRETT CUMMINGS	TOYOTA GAZOO RACING GR DKR HILUX T1+	17H 19' 38''	+ 00H 45' 25''
6	230	(BRA) LUCAS MORAES (DEU) TIMO GOTTSCHALK	OVERDRIVE RACING	17H 19' 40''	+ 00H 45' 27''
7	205	(ZAF) GINIEL DE VILLIERS (ZAF) DENNIS MURPHY	TOYOTA GAZOO RACING GR DKR HILUX T1+	17H 20' 26''	+ 00H 46' 13''
8	211	(SWE) MATTIAS EKSTROM (SWE) EMIL BERGKVIST	TEAM AUDI SPORT	17H 24' 13''	+ 00H 50' 00''
9	210	(CZE) MARTIN PROKOP (CZE) VIKTOR CHYTKA	ORLEN BENZINA TEAM	17H 48' 56''	+ 01H 14' 43''
10	215	(NLD) ERIK VAN LOON (FRA) SÉBASTIEN DELAUNAY	OVERDRIVE RACING	17H 49' 53''	+ 01H 15' 40''