The 44th edition of the Dakar has started the countdown to its end. The world’s toughest rally-raid caravan faces the eighth stage of the event, between Al Dawadimi and Wadi Ad Dawasir, with the security of being before a decisive day. Almost 400 kilometers against the clock and an initial section of dunes draw the profile of a stage that will be especially tough for riders who have problems and accumulated fatigue. As a curiosity, the route of the eighth stage takes participants to the southernmost point of Saudi Arabia that will play this Dakar 2022.
The trip to the south of the race causes a change of landscapes and, above all, of land. By extension, a series of new challenges for riders, drivers and co-drivers. In fact, the 394 kilometer special that shapes the eighth stage of this Dakar starts with an imposing section of dunes that cover 25% of the total route. Although the predominant terrain will be sand, the dunes can play a fundamental role. In fact, almost 200 kilometers of the stage are carried out on sandy terrain, although the dunes are only one half of this mileage.
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Opening the court will be a complicated ballot, something that the Chilean Nacho Cornejo will have to deal with on motorcycles and Sébastien Loeb on cars. Although the dunes have their own idiosyncrasies, the stage is open to pilots who start in very late positions can give more than one surpriseTherefore, the resolution of the day may take longer than usual, even if the schedules provided by the organization for the end of the stage are very similar to those of previous days. At the end, keeping track of leaders can pay off.
As for the schedules, the departure will be a little earlier than in previous days in order not to extend the stage excessively. In fact, The first bike, in this case Nacho Cornejo’s, will start the special at 5:10 am. The first ‘motards’ are expected to reach the finish line around 9:45 am. For its part, the first quad will start at 6:18 am, while Sébastien Loeb will start at 7:15 a.m., inaugurating the day for the car category. The T3 have 8:14 as their departure time, while the T4 will go into action from 8:29. By last, Trucks jump into action starting at 10:43 a.m..