ALULA, Saudi Arabia — Strategy is a real factor in rally raids. The fear of getting stuck in a yo-yo dynamic is one of the things that keep elite riders awake at night, especially when the time comes to go all in for the title.
Tosha Schareina, however, made a show of panache yesterday and today to claim back-to-back victories. Dakar riders who can win from the front of the field are few and far between. The Spaniard did it with a barnstorming performance that saw him alone at the front for half of the 417 km special en route to his fourth stage win in the event.
Schareina seized the overall lead to boot, although Ricky Brabec is inside the same second. The two Monster Energy Honda HRC leaders are in a dead heat after five days of racing. The Spaniard holds the lead by virtue of his better performance in today’s stage.
Skyler Howes, just 10 seconds back, made it a 1-2-3 for Honda and underscored the strength of the Japanese marque. On the flip side, Adrien Van Beveren conceded another 5 minutes and is now teetering on the edge of the top 10, a full 27.24 behind Schareina.
Meanwhile, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing are biding their time. Daniel Sanders, fifth at 2:37, and Edgar Canet, eighth at 3:49, remain in contention for the overall, especially the man from Down Under, who is just 1:24 behind Schareina and Brabec and will have a more favourable start position tomorrow.
The Rally2 class saw its top two riders tailspin out of the fight for the title. A broken wheel prevented Michael Docherty from reaching the bivouac-refuge. He will be slapped with a huge penalty. Meanwhile, Martim Ventura lost almost two hours due to mechanical problems. A podium finish is a long shot now.
Their bad luck was a boon for the Dakar rookie Preston Campbell, the son of the American pioneer Johnny Campbell, who now leads the standings. Last but not least, Neels Theric opened his personal account with a stage win, also the first for the Chinese manufacturer Kove.
