South African competitors set the pace midway through Dakar 2023

Today, Monday, January 9, presents a much-deserved rest day. The Dakar competitors have now concluded the first week of the event, and the South African built vehicles are proving to set the benchmark.

Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah and navigator Mathieu Baumel’s Gazoo Racing Hilux lead a South African built Toyota 1-2-3 overall. Five SA Hiluxes occupy the top six after the first half of the race. South Africans Brian Baragwanath and Leonard Cremer’s Century also lead the T1.2 4×2 class. German Daniel Schröder and his South African navigator, Ryan Bland, lead the amateur T1.1 4×4 car class in their South African built PS Red-Lined VK50.

Botswana star Ross Branch stormed to victory among the bikes. SA rookie Michael Docherty was sixth to take the amateur R2 class and slash his rookie class second overall to just five minutes behind leader Neels Theric. Thrity-third overall, Charan Moore took yet another Malle Moto win to consolidate his lead in the no-service class.

Cars: South African domination

So, Al-Attiyah leads a Toyota 1-2-3 by an hour from Henk Lategan. Sebastian Loeb has clawed back to fourth, seconds clear of Giniel de Villiers. Le Mans winner Romain Dumas makes it five SA Hiluxes in the top six from Martin Prokop’s Ford Raptor in seventh and Baragwanath and Cremer’s SA-built Century that leads the T1.2 4×2 class in eighth overall. Schröder and Bland’s SA Red-Lined also leads the amateur T1.1 4x4s.

Bikes: SA heroes Branch, Docherty and Moore win

Sunday was also splendid for Southern Africa on two wheels. Botswana’s Branch put a torrid first week behind him to take a storming win on his Hero. He ended a minute and 33 seconds clear of Mason Klein’s KTM, Daniel Sanders’s GasGas, Pablo Quintanilla and Adrien van Beveren’s Hondas, and SA rookie and R2 amateur class winner Docherty on his FK Husqvarna.

South Africa’s no-service Malle Moto Original class leader Moore meanwhile enjoyed another productive ride to 33rd overall. Compatriots Malle Moto duo Stuart Gregory was 80th, rookie Stevan Wilken 86th and Iron Lady heroine Kirsten Landman 89th.

The bike race has delivered exceptional racing, with eight winners in eight days of racing.

Although exhausted by Friday, amateur SA Malle Moto duo Gregory and Landman starred throughout. They sit 10th and 12th in the no-service class, and 68th and 77th overall. Rookie Wilken had a clean run until a fall on Friday, but he bounced back to 80th overall.

The Dakar has also been cruel to the bikers. 2022 winner Sam Sunderland and SA amateur Bradley Cox crashed out on day 1.

Epic action in all Dakar classes

The seventh-placed South African crew Eben Basson and Abertus Pienaar enjoyed a strong week to lead the T3 rookies in their GR Rally, with compatriots Geoff Minnitt and Gerhard Snyman 14th in their HBE Can Am.

Today will bring a much-needed recharge to the four-wheeler crews after eight gruelling days of racing, while the bikers enjoy their second day off in three. The action resumes on Tuesday with a rather different and mainly gravel 358km-long track. Tuesday’s stage will be the ninth of 14 stages to Haradh, where a few dunes will test the crews towards the finish.

Source: MotorsportMedia