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The eighth stage of the Dakar Rally was a long one. Therefore, it is not surprising that the racers did not say much at the finish, hurrying as fast as possible to the bivouac.
Here they will have to prepare for the second marathon of this Dakar starting on Tuesday.
Rokas Baciuška started from the second position in the “Stock” class today, but after 136 km he took over the leading position and did not let it go until the finish. The Lithuanian overcame the speed section in 5:06:26 and won the stage.
Between km 267 and 310, Baciuška fought an extremely tense duel with the legendary Stéphane Peterhansel, whose lag from the Lithuanian varied only up to a minute. However, the Frenchman encountered technical problems in this stretch and was forced to stop and wait for the help truck, so he could no longer continue the real fight to the finish.
Rokas Baciuška, when asked what led to today’s success, said that the most important thing is to drive calmly and at your own pace. He tended not to celebrate his success, but to worry about what happened to his Mister Dakar teammate, Stephane Peterhansel.
“Something happened to Stephane, it’s a shame. We’ll see what happens,” said the Lithuanian at the finish.
According to him, the crew is stable, and there will be a new game tomorrow: “Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, let’s hope that everything will be fine. Because tomorrow is the marathon, a lot will be decided there.”
When R.Baciuska finished, S.Peterhansel had been standing on the track for about an hour. As announced by the organizers, Mister Dakar encountered technical problems and stopped at 282 km.
Sara Price is second on Monday, 1.44 minutes behind Rock. Toyota Auto Body crew Ronald Basso and Akira Mura finished third.
“It’s nice to win a stage with family members – during the rest day, mom and dad came to support, so this victory is even more special. The day was very long and fast, the track had everything – sand, dunes, stones, which, to be honest, were a bit more than the organizers promised.”
It was the longest speedway, many risky places where you can really leave the wheels. Tried messing with the navigation, but summary – everything is fine, the car is healthy. Now the most important thing is to prepare for the first day of tomorrow’s marathon: inspect, prepare the car, because the next two days can decide a lot.
Two stages after more than 400 kilometers without the help of mechanics – you will have to endure. But everything is positive”, said Rokas Baciuška.
Tomorrow awaits the marathon stage Wadi Ad Dawasir – Bivouac Refuge with 410km time.
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