Jonathan FletcherHaving made a detour that cost them 10 minutes in the desert when they were on course to win the stage, Sébastien Loeb and Fabian Lurquin have fallen back to 24 minutes behind Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz in the overall standings. Yesterday’s truth is not the same as tomorrow’s on the Dakar 2024.
Winners of stage 7, Sébastien Loeb and Fabian Lurquin (Bahrain Raid Xtreme) experienced a severe setback on Monday, January 15th, between Al Duwadimi and Ha’il (Saudi Arabia).
On this 458 km stage, the Franco-Belgian crew had decided to maintain a high pace as usual. Leading after 366 km despite their position as the opener, they then had a 3’13” margin over the general classification leaders, Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz (Audi).
Loeb and Lurquin’s Dakar Detour Setback
Unfortunately, Loeb and Lurquin lost about ten minutes during a detour at km 390 after getting lost.
As a result, instead of gaining time, Sébastien Loeb lost 5’47” to Carlos Sainz. In the overall standings, Sébastien Loeb is now more than 20 minutes behind Carlos Sainz: 24’47”.
The third place in the overall standings is still held by Lucas Moraes and Armand Monleon (Toyota), more than an hour behind the leading duo.
It was another challenging day for Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel (Prodrive). The title holders simply broke the V6 bi-turbo engine at km 62. The Qatari and his French co-driver returned by helicopter while the Prodrive support team was dispatched to try to repair the English 4×4.
This is another blow, three days after a mechanical breakdown in the 48 Hour Chrono. Naturally, any hope of finishing in the top 10 is gone. The 2022 and 2023 world champions will try to restart tomorrow.
The stage was won by the Swedes Mattias Ekström and Emil Bergkvist (Audi). After losing more than three hours the day before, they claimed their second victory in this Dakar 2024 following the prologue.
Result after the 8th of 12 Stages
| Pos. | Team/Nationality/Vehicle | Time/Diff. |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sainz/Cruz (E), Audi | 33:29:10 |
| 2 | Loeb/Lurquin (F/B), Hunter | + 24:47 |
| 3 | Moraes/Monléon (BZ/E), Toyota | + 1:05:13 |
| 4 | De Mevius/Panseri (B/F), Toyota | + 1:34:18 |
| 5 | De Villiers/Murphy (ZA), Toyota | + 1:45:12 |
| 6 | Chicherit/Winocq (F), Toyota | + 1:56:37 |
| 7 | Prokop/Chytka (CZ), Ford | + 2:01:23 |
| 8 | Serradori/Minaudier (F), Siècle | + 2:03:15 |
| 9 | Botterill/Cummings (ZA), Toyota | + 2:24:04 |
| 10 | Vanagas/Sikk (LT/EE), Toyota | + 2:34:24 |
Loeb Lurquin Dakar Setback. Loeb Lurquin Dakar Setback
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