By Callum Ludwig
Rally bike racer Daniel Sanders, of Three Bridges, has returned to Saudi Arabia for the starting event of this year’s World Rally-Raid Championship, the Dakar Rally.
Sanders is currently traversing the desert after the race began with the prologue on Friday 5 January and is set to conclude on Friday 19 January. It is his first race since breaking the femur in his right leg in May last year.
“It was rough with so much traffic in front,” Sanders said after the first day’s racing on 5 January.
“I tried to follow the roadbook and just made one mistake near the finish.”
As of Tuesday 9 January, racers had completed the first three stages of the 12-stage race, with Sanders finishing ninth, 12th and 13th in each.
“It was rock and roll out there, mate. I loved it. I definitely wish I set the bike up a little different for today. It’s punishment out there,” Sanders said on 6 January.
“It’s a good way to knock us around the first day of the Dakar. It feels like we’ve done five days already. Anyway, for me to come off the injury and straight into that was brutal, but I just didn’t want to crash. So that was the priority. And I finished in a not too bad spot,”
“I’m happy to make it to the finish line without any scratches. So that’s good. I would have preferred nice and easy, but it’s good to know where the bike is. We’ll make some changes tonight and try and adapt it for the rest of the race.”
The race covers a total of 7891km of which 4727km is against the clock.
In a tough day’s racing in Stage Four of the 2024 Dakar Rally, Three Bridges’ Daniel Sanders has dropped back a few places in the overall rankings.
“We struggled a lot with the navigation as well as staying on the pace,” he said.
“At the refuel point, I lost my rear fuel tank cap, so there was fuel leaking all over the back of my legs.”
This year’s event also featured a new element added to the rally in place of the old Marathon stage, called the Chrono stage.
Starting on 11 January, riders had 48 hours and over 600km to cover in the Chrono stage (Stage 6), where on the first day they had until only 4pm to reach one of eight bivouacs (a temporary camp without tents or cover) for the night. Upon arrival with minimal kit and supplies, riders have two hours to make any repairs before bedding down for the night in time to rise and ride again at 7am the next day.
Sanders has continued his resurgence, finishing fourth in Stage 6 and sixth in Stage 7, and is now in touching distance of the top five overall, currently seventh in the overall standings and 37 minutes and 41 seconds off of race leader, American Ricky Brabec.
