Yesterday, the participants went through a 550-odd kilometre liaison stage moving into China for the final leg of the 10-day event, which began in Russia before moving into Mongolia.
The Overdrive Racing driver and his French co-driver Mathieu Baumel have left mere crumbs for their rivals. The premature retirement of fellow Overdrive driver Yazeed al-Rajhi courtesy a broken engine has no doubt made their job easier.
But nevertheless, from the tricky tracks of Siberia to the ultra-fast Mongolian steppes, the winners of the last Dakar have been untouchable, to the point of being able drop the pace slightly over the last two stages.
They now hold a 40-minute lead over Liu Kun (Hanwei SMG), the winner of the last Chinese edition of the Silk Way Rally.
Despite a comfortable lead, al-Attiyah said, “I nevertheless think that the last three days in China are going to be complicated.”
He added: “It will be the same for everyone, because I think the contrast will be big with what we’ve had up until now, since the start of this race in Siberia and in Mongolia. We are very curious to discover this part of the Gobi Desert.
“Normally I like the sand and the dunes. But whether they are in Africa, South America, the Middle East or here in China, they are all different.”
Among the bikers, Sam Sunderland (Red Bull KTM Factory) has been simply faultless.
Unlike Joan Barreda he hasn’t crashed. Unlike Keven Benavides he hasn’t got lost. Quite simply, he hasn’t put a foot wrong. Which explains why, with 3 special victories, he is currently leading the overall by more than 21 minutes.
“Even with a lead of 20 minutes you can’t afford to start managing your race. There is too much that could go wrong. Plus, I find it better to maintain a certain speed and stay focused,” Sunderland said.
Today’s eighth stage has a total distance of 785km, with a selective section 326km, going from Bayin Baolige and finishing in Alashan.
The eighth stage is not only the longest, after some rest on a ‘no-race’ day, but also the most challenging one, as it offers a full variety of surfaces.
The first high dunes will set an initial challenge for those with little driving experience, and after catching the correct direction one will face a range of new obstacles – not just sand, but also dry riverbeds, ravines, canyons and steppes.
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