2023 Dakar stage 13 was a quick 154 km special. However, there was also the matter of a long, 521 km liaison that took the competitors from the start in Shaybah to the next stop in Al-Hofuf.

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Five For France

Sebastien Loeb (BRX Hunter) took his fifth win on the bounce in stage 12. That meant the Frenchman was, once again, the first car out of the blocks. With a third place finish yesterday, race leader Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota Gazoo Racing) was not far behind his closest rival. The defending champ was clear about his strategy: “For us, if we finish in the top 5 each day, it will be good because we have a good lead”.

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Leaders on the Road

The top two on the overall standings showed why they are there during the early part of today’s special. Both men were setting pace for the chasing pack. The cars trying keep up were driven by Guerlain Chicherit (Prodrive Hunter) and Mattias Ekstrom (Audi Sport).

Upside Down

South African Brian Baragwanath was having a great rally… until now. The local driver was the quickest of the two-wheel-drive competitors in his Century Racing buggy. However, very close to the start he flipped his machine. The two men in the car emerged unscathed, but the accident cost them dearly in the overall rankings.

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By virtue of his recent pace, Loeb overhauled second place man Lucas Moraes (Overdrive Racing). The Brazilian has been mighty impressive driving in his first Dakar. He could not close the gap to Loeb and watched a potential second place disappear into the distance. He will, however, be extremely proud of a podium finish at the end of race action tomorrow.

Stage Winner

Loeb was untouchable today. The former WRC champ claimed his sixth win in a row, and seventh of this year’s Dakar. Al-Attiyah was classified second. Ekstrom, in the sole remaining Audi, set the third quickest time of the day. Al-Attiyah’s teammates Henk Lategan and Giniel de Villiers were fourth and ninth respectively.

General classification after 2023 Dakar Stage 13

    1. Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota Gazoo Racing) 43 hr 48 min 10 sec
    2. Sebastien Loeb (BRX) +01 hr 21 min 42 sec
    3. Lucas Moraes (Overdrive Racing) +01 hr 35 min 50 sec
    4. Giniel de Villiers (Toyota Gazoo Racing) +02 hr 30 min 44 sec
    5. Henk Lategan (Toyota Gazoo Racing) +02 hr 38 min 20 sec
    6. Martin Prokop (Orlen Benzina) +03 hr 39 min 13 sec
    7. Juan Cruz Yacopini (Overdrive Racing) +04 hr 25 min 42 sec
    8. Wei Han (Hanwei Motorsport) +04 hr 26 min 01 sec
    9. Mathieu Serradori (CRT) +04 hr 28 min 31 sec
    10. Sebastian Halpern (X-Raid Mini) +04 hr 46 min 26 sec