
Stage 8 Al Duwadimi → Riyadh
Another hectic and varied special. Expect a high-stakes-confrontation between the title contenders at a time when the thousands of kilometres on the odometers have started to take a heavy toll.
Team de Rooy Makes Good Progress for Second Place, but Sees Macík Pulling Ahead
RIYADH – Team de Rooy had another strong day at the Dakar Rally on Monday. Aleš Loprais finished second among the trucks in his Iveco during the 8th stage, reducing the gap to Mitchel van den Brink, who stands second overall, to 7 minutes. Vaidotas Žala took third place. Anja van Loon encountered some problems along with her brothers Jan and Ben van de Laar, settling for 14th place.
Although Loprais gained ground on Van den Brink, he saw his gap to leader Martin Macík widen. The Czech driver fell five minutes behind his countryman from InstaTrade Team de Rooy FPT.
Despite the small gap increase, Macík had improved his position, according to team manager Henk van Leuven.
601 Instatrade Loprais Team de Rooy FPT
“Staying close is fine, but that only maintains your position. There’s only one way to catch up, and that’s to pass Macík”, he said at the bivouac in Riyadh. “He has completed the rally without any problems so far. Everything depends on the circumstances and chance events that occur.”
“We have nothing to reproach ourselves for. Loprais himself says he remains optimistic about achieving a good result, though he hasn’t defined what that means. We also recognize that the time difference with Macík is substantial and time is running out. But as I always say, anything can happen.”
605 Skuba Team de Rooy FPT
Although Žala secured an impressive third place behind Loprais, the Lithuanian from Skuba Team de Rooy FPT received a two-minute time penalty for speeding through a restricted zone. Ultimately, it didn’t significantly affect the outcome.
Van Leuven noted, “The teams performed very well on another challenging track filled with rocks—a very rough course. Driving in the sand and dunes was difficult. The result is good.”
613 Fried van de Laar Racing Team de Rooy FPT
For Van Loon, her fourteenth-place finish was somewhat below her recent performances. “Anja ran into some bad luck”, explained Van Leuven. “She and her brothers experienced a hard landing that damaged a shock absorber, but they managed to repair it en route. Later, they also dealt with a water leak, which cost them additional time.”
Tuesday’s ninth stage will take the competitors from Riyadh to Haradh, covering a slightly shorter distance than previous days. The stage spans 589 kilometers, including a 357-kilometer special section. According to organizers, this stage features numerous high-speed sections.
Stage 8 Results
After 487 km of special stage today
Stage Rank | Number | Driver | Time | Gap to first | Penalty |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | 601 | Ales Loprais | 5h32m14s | +5m22s | |
3 | 605 | Vaidotas Žala | 5h33m17s | +6m25s | +2m10s |
14 | 613 | Anja van Loon | 7h50m07s | +2h23m15s |
Overall positions
After Stage 8
Getting close to the final days… exciting times!
Rank | Number | Driver | Time | Gap to first | Penalty |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 600 | Martin Macik | 46h45m57s | – | |
3 | 601 | Ales Loprais | 49h22m06s | +2h36m09s | |
7 | 605 | Vaidotas Žala | 53h41m52s | +6h55m55s | 2m10s |
9 | 613 | Anja van Loon | 56h46m04s | +10h00m07s |
Video
On board Ales Loprais
Interview with Teammanager Henk van Leuven