
Stage 4 Al Salamiya → Al Hofuf
The thermometer only read five degrees in the early morning on leaving the tents at the bivouac in Al Salamiya to head towards the city of Al Hofuf.
Next to one of the country’s biggest oases, home to three million date palms. In between the two, the total distance to be covered measured almost 700 km, but the riders, drivers and crews “only” did battle over 299 of them.
It is very difficult to cover as much distance in Saudi Arabia without encountering any dunes, but the day’s portions were negligible. Top speeds of approximately 150 kmph were often reached on this quick special.
Press release
Very neat ninth place for Ladies in dusty fourth stage
The fourth stage of the Dakar Rally is a very fast one, lots of open plains where navigation plays a leading role. Once again perfect cooperation in the Iveco Powerstar ensures that Anja van Loon, Floor Maten and Marije van Ettekoven reach the finish line with the ninth time. A very neat performance of which the ladies are super proud.
“This was a really nice day,” says a very happy Anja. “It was really fast today. I had the throttle on the floor and that was only possible thanks to the two girls sitting next to me. Floor navigated super and by being smart with the tires Marije prevented a tire change. There was a lot of dust again, but we managed to overtake quite a few other cars and trucks. Then we just ended up ninth! Really great!”
The last part of the stage was taken out for the trucks. “The last 30 kilometers we actually had to go through the dunes. The crowd was in dangerous spots there, so the trucks were sent off the track earlier to avoid accidents. That’s a shame, but a good decision of course from the organization. We are so big, but those dunes are even bigger and then you don’t see anything of the public. It’s just unpredictable then, so better to opt for the safety of everyone.”
For very long, the ladies cannot enjoy this achievement for a long time, because tomorrow there is another long day ahead. Which begins with a long connection of 500 kilometers towards the start of a short, but intense stage. With 118 kilometers of dunes in the Empty Quarter, the fifth stage is no walk in the park. The finish is in Shubaytah.
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