Sanders retains outright lead despite difficult Stage 4

2023 Dakar Rally – Stage 4
Ha’Il – Ha’Il

Riders left Ha’il for the 574 km Dakar Stage 4 with Daniel Sanders in the lead. Wednesday included a 425 km timed special that kicked off with 100 km of dunes, before developing into a maze of sandy tracks back to the bivouac, with navigation remaining key.

Toby Price put in another consistent effort to claim fourth for the day, ensuring the Aussie will enjoy a strong start position for Thursday’s stage five, where he will aim to push on the soft dunes to make up time on his rivals.

Toby Price – P4

“All in all I had a good day, just keeping it on two wheels and completing each day. The section of dunes at the beginning of the stage today was quite tough to ride through, after all the rain the sand sucks you in a lot more and that makes things even more physical and makes the fuel consumption go up a little, too. At this point in the race my body is feeling good, the bike is feeling really good, so yeah, I’m happy. I’m happy as Larry!”

It was a challenging but good day for Daniel Sanders, despite a little detour that saw him end the day in eighth, 6-minutes off the stage lead, however that wasn’t enough to topple ‘Chucky’ from the overall lead.

Daniel Sanders – P8 (Overall Lead)

“Yeah, today was pretty tricky but I enjoyed it. It’s been quite some time since I led out on a stage and navigating through a stage first is pretty hard for anyone. I did get lost at one point but stayed calm, figured things out, and got back on course pretty quickly. Overall, I was happy with today. I didn’t lose too much time and I’m still leading, so I’m pumped with how the rally is shaping up for me. Now it’s onto tomorrow and a full day in the dunes. I can’t wait!”

Joan Barreda of the Honda mounted Monster Energy Joan Barreda Team took the Stage 4 win in the provisional results, 16s clear of Monster Energy Honda Team rider Pablo Quintanilla, with Skyler Howes third, just over a minute faster than Toby Price in fourth.

Pablo Quintanilla – P2

“This was a good day for me, another super tough stage but finally I have found my rhythm and I am quite happy about that. It is great also to be finally racing in the open desert, the kind of terrain I enjoy best. There is still a long way to go but I feel strong and motivated to keep going and fight for the lead.”

Skyler Howes – P3

“That one was tough. I caught up to Sanders around kilometre 100, and Mason (Klein) caught up as well, so the three of us were fighting at the front to open the stage. It was a super-fun day in the morning – the dunes were really wet, but then softer on the top, and I actually went over the bars a couple of times, which isn’t great. I led into the refuelling and then after that I had a really big crash in a section of rocks. We were searching to find the correct way and I must have just clipped one and it sent me sideways. Thankfully Sanders was close by and helped me up. After that I found it hard to find my rhythm for a good while, I was riding like a zombie. But then towards the end I found my focus and was able to navigate well to the finish. I need a little rest now, but I’m happy with how things are going overall.”

Adrien Van Beveren was fifth, ahead of Luciano Benavides and Kevin Benavides, with Sanders eighth, followed by Jose Cornejo and Lorenzo Santolino. Outside the top-10 was Mason Klein and Matthias Walkner.

Adrien Van Beveren – P5

“This was a beautiful stage, with great terrain. Everyone knows I love the sand tracks so I had a lot of pleasure riding along this day. The navigation is always omnipresent and I made my way almost all the time on my own. I am also very happy with the performance of my Honda CRF 450 Rally and all the technical support we are having to make it even better.”

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Luciano Benavides – P6

“Day four in the books, but it feels more like day 10! No, I’m super happy to finish another stage in one piece with no crashes and no big mistakes. It was a crazy stage again with a lot of fast, off-piste sections. The top 10 guys are pushing like hell every day, so you need to do the same if you’re going to remain in the race. I think I did a good job, my pace is good, my results are improving day-by-day, and I’m feeling healthy and strong. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Kevin Benavides – P7

“Today was another long stage. I felt really good out there, and my feeling with the bike is excellent at the moment, it seems to perform well in all conditions. It was so physical today though with a lot of camel grass and dunes. I tried to do my best and didn’t make any big mistakes. Towards the end I was riding with Joan Barreda, and we made up some time by pushing each other over the final section of the stage. I’m really happy with my riding, happy with where I am in the standings, I just need to stay focused and keep up this pace.”

José Ignacio Cornejo – P9

“This was another hard day. I was going well but then at around kilometre 90 I had to stop and help Portuguese rider Joaquim Rodrigues. He had a severe crash and I had to call medical help. After this it took me a while to get back on track and find my rhythm back, but I am glad I did it anyway – that is part of the solidary Dakar spirit.”

Matthias Walkner – P12

“It’s been another really hard stage today. I have a lot of pain in my wrist and I’m at my absolute limit right now. As soon as I set off this morning, I knew it would be a tough day, but I fought my way through it. I’ll keep on trying to do my best and see how I feel each day.”

Rally GP Rankings after Dakar Stage 4

Daniel Sanders retains his Dakar Rally 2023 lead after Stage 4, 3m33s clear of Skyler Howes, with Kevin Benavides third. Barreda is fourth, Toby Price fifth 7m17s off Sanders in the lead, while Mason Klein, Pablo Quintanilla, Adrien Van Beveren, Luciano Benavides and Matthias Walker round out the top 10.

Stage 4 Highlights Video

Stage 5 Route

Stage Five of this year’s Dakar Rally will once again start and finish at the Ha’il bivouac. This special stage will have 374 kilometres and a long liaison of 275 km. In this second loop around the Saudi capital of off road racing, a field of small dunes with camel grass will give way to vast expanses peppered with dunes.

So dune jumping will be key and will spell the difference between gaining and losing minutes in this slalom-type sector. In this terrain, mastering soft sand without losing time is certainly a goal more at the hand of real experts.

2023 Dakar Rally Stage 4 Provisional Results

2023 Dakar Rally Overall After Stage 4 (Provisional)

2023 Dakar Rally Schedule