The furious early pace of the 2022 Dakar Rally was once again on display during stage three with even more shake-ups in the overall standings as a fresh race winner popped up.
Despite the timed special stage being shorted by 100km due to heavy rains in the region, there was still plenty packed into the 255km of racing near Al Qaisumah.
Ticking off another solid day of racing at the 2022 Dakar Rally, GasGas Factory Racing team-mates Sam Sunderland and Daniel Sanders both safely completed the relatively simple, but super-fast, third stage.
British rider Sunderland (pictured here), the overall race leader after stage two, set off the day in second place, before a minor issue finding a waypoint caused him to lose some time.
With all riders setting a similar pace, he ultimately placed 17th, just seven-and-a-half minutes behind the stage winner, Portugal’s Joaquim Rodrigues, enough for Sunderland to retain the overall rally lead.
Sanders meanwhile secured the fifth fastest time and now lies fifth in the overall provisional classification.
The stage win has allowed Rodrigues to move into 17th overall for the event, while Australian Toby Price finished runner-up on stage three and he is now ranked 14th in overall classification.
After his fifth-place result on stage two, Price knew he would have to push right from the start to make up time on his rivals ahead.
However, with times so tight, it was tough for the Australian to claw back much more than a few minutes.
Maintaining good speed over the entire special, Price was able to ultimately fight his way up to second, just over one-minute down on the eventual stage winner by the end of the day.
The result moved Price up to 14th overall, as he continues to regain the time he lost on stage one.
Sunderland, meanwhile, lamented his navigational difficulties.
“I had a little bit of difficulty finding a waypoint, which allowed a few riders to catch up with me, so I knew I’d lost a bit of time there,” said Sunderland.
“But overall, it wasn’t too bad. We’re in for a really long stage tomorrow so starting further back is a good thing and I’m excited for a long day on the bike.”
Photo courtesy GasGas
Follow the rally HERE
Find BikesportNZ.com on FACEBOOK here
Stage 3 Provisional Classification:
- Joaquim Rodrigues (Hero) 2:34:41
- Toby Price (KTM) 2:35:44 + 0:01:03
- Mason Klein (KTM) 2:35:55 + 0:01:14
- Skyler Howes (Husqvarna) 2:36:07 + 0:01:26
- Daniel Sanders (GasGas) 2:37:36 + 0:02:55
- Andrew Short (Yamaha) 2:38:17 + 0:03:36
Overall Provisional Classification (after stage 3):
- Sam Sunderland (GasGas) 11:13:40
- Adrien Van Beveren (Yamaha) 11:13:44 + 0:00:04
- Matthias Walkner (KTM) 11:15:10 + 0:01:30
- Skyler Howes (Husqvarna) 11:17:35 + 0:03:55
- Daniel Sanders (GasGas) 11:22:34 + 0:08:54
- Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco) 11:25:27 + 0:11:47