2023 Dakar stage 7 did not take place as originally planned. Weather has played havoc with this year’s Dakar Rally. As a result stage seven had to be reorganised. The stage took place in a loop to and from Al Duwadimi over a distance of 333 kilometres. The stage took the form of a ‘marathon’ format. This means that all race machines will be parked in a secure enclosure after the day is complete. There will be no servicing allowed by the teams.

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Unchartered

Stage six of the 2023 Dakar was one of the more eventful (as you can read here). The stage win was claimed by Nasser Al-Attityah (Toyota Gazoo Racing). That was the Qatari’s third of this year’s race. His win meant that he had the unenviable task of opening the way for his rivals. With a massive lead of the race in the overall classification, the defending champion could afford to take it easy.

In the early part of the day it was the Prodrive Hunter machines of Sebastien Loeb and Guerlain Chicherit who set the pace. Carlos Sainz withdrew from yesterday’s stage due to a mechanical problems with his Audi. “El Matador” refused to throw in the towel despite receiving a 28 hr 45 min penalty. He may have started in 68th place today but he was out for revenge.

Making up Time

Yazeed Al Rajhi (Overdrive Racing) posted the fastest time at the 90-km mark, fourteen seconds ahead of Sainz. The Saudi driver also suffered mechanical issues on yesterday’s stage, which saw him slip down the order. By the 140-km mark Chicherit and Mattias Ekström (Audi Sport) reeled in Rajhi and Sainz. The four drivers covered by less than 25 seconds.

However, Ekstrom’s charge (no pun intended) was halted when his hybrid-powered Audi came to a halt just short of the 200 km mark. This marks yet more woes for the German outfit that was targeting a podium going into this year’s race.

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Another Crash

Erik van Loon lost control of his Toyota about 100 km into the stage. The Dutchman was knocked out for a brief moment, but had already regained consciousness by the time the medical team got to him. He was flown to hospital undergoing examination for cervical pain. Van Loon and his co-driver, Sébastien Delaunay, had started the stage in 11th place overall.

Stage Winner

When the top crews were all over the line, it was Yazeed Al Rajhi who was declared winner of today’s special. Disaster in yesterday’s stage, cost him more than five hours in the overall standings. His win today, by close to nine minutes over Vaidotas Žala will help lift his spirits. The Saudi picked up his third career Dakar stage win, the first one in this edition. However, he remains over five hours behind the overall leader. Guerlain Chicherit came in third after taking a detour on his way to a checkpoint in the closing kilometres.

Nasser Al Attiyah finished today’s special in 14th place, but the reigning champion only conceded about five minutes to his closest rival in the standings, teammate Henk Lategan. The South African is still more than an hour back. Giniel de Villiers (TGR) finished fourth ahead of another South African, Brian Baragwanath (CRT).

General classification after 2023 Dakar Stage 7

    1. Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota Gazoo Racing) 27 hr 26 min 23 sec
    2. Henk Lategan (Toyota Gazoo Racing) +01 hr 01 min 04 sec
    3. Lucas Moraes (Overdrive Racing) +01 hr 11 min 24 sec
    4. Giniel de Villiers (Toyota Gazoo Racing) +01 hr 36 min 47 sec
    5. Sebastien Loeb (BRX) +01 hr 54 min 17 sec
    6. Romain Dumas (Rebellion Racing) +02 hr 12 min 30 sec
    7. Brian Baragwanath (CRT) +02 hr 14 min 40 sec
    8. Martin Prokop (Orlen Benzina) +02 hr 17 min 26 sec
    9. Wei Han (Hanwei Motorsport) +02 hr 51 min 38 sec
    10. Lionel Baud (Overdrive Racing) +03 hr 17 min 59 sec