Carlos Sainz takes a breather before the dreaded 48-hour chrono

Cristina Gutiérrez was the best-ranked Spanish competitor in Saturday's Dakar stage. The 2024 T3 category champion excelled among the Dacia team, surpassing heavyweights like her teammates Sébastien Loeb and Nasser Al-Attiyah, who have yet to make a significant impact. The Burgos native finished fifth, just a minute and a half behind the stage winner, Guerlain Chicherit, who battled with the Toyotas of Seth Quintero and local debutant Saood Variawa.

Two places behind, without making much of a splash but staying focused, Carlos Sainz finished 2:32 behind the leader. The Matador, aware of the challenges ahead until Tuesday, aimed to avoid the lead position, knowing that opening the track in Sunday's difficult stage could be detrimental. On a day marked by navigational challenges, Sainz had to keep a cool head to avoid early mistakes. "There was a lot of vegetation, many paths that were barely visible... complicated," summarized a succinct Sainz, who watched the end of the stage from his Ford Raptor until he could see his final standing.

The worst news for Spanish interests in the car category came from Laia Sanz, who had an accident at kilometer 330. Although both she and her co-driver, Maurizio Gerini, were unharmed, they lost significant time to the day's winner until assistance arrived to help repair their Century.

This was an unforeseen delay, unlike Sébastien Loeb, who employed strategy. Opening the track in Sunday's dreaded stage could be lethal for top contenders. "The goal wasn't to set the best time, so we decided to stop for a few minutes at the end to lose some time and not be the first tomorrow," the Frenchman stated at the finish. "Everyone played the same game... we'll have to wait to see exactly where we stand in the classification," he noted, aware that endurance, not just speed, will be crucial in this Dakar.

With the dreaded 48-hour chrono starting this Sunday, the two-wheel riders also set out knowing it was critical not to make mistakes in this first serious stage. Nevertheless, some riders had serious scares, and there are already withdrawals, such as Sebastian Buhler of Hero, who had to be airlifted after a severe fall at kilometer 68 of the special, injuring his shoulder. Several riders stopped to assist him, which allowed them to recover that time later.

These incidents and the varying conditions of the stage, with hard tracks and softer dunes alternating, made it a day where mistakes were more costly than successes. Thus, Lorenzo Santolino, who was leading at the start of the day, ended up losing half an hour to the stage winner, Daniel Sanders, who had already won the prologue.

The best Spanish rider was Tosha Schareina, the national hope in this Dakar, who finished fourth, just over 4 minutes and 40 seconds behind. Teamwork with Ricky Brabec, who finished second, will be crucial for HRC's structure in the upcoming tough raid stages, as they will have to compete not only against other competitors but also against the complex navigation ahead. In fact, as the Valencian confessed at the finish, he already had to contend with the roadbook at kilometer 332 of the day's 413-kilometer special. He wasn't the only one. Young Edgar Canet also lost over 7 minutes at that point.

"I lost 5 minutes, but I think it's due to a roadbook error, so I might recover them. I didn't do the 48-hour Chrono last year; everything is new to me. But I'm fit and ready for the battle," he said about the challenge ahead this Sunday. As the heir to the retired Joan Barreda, he has unfinished business with the Dakar. In the 2024 edition, he had to withdraw with a broken wrist after a fall in stage 1, which he overcame this Saturday, so from now on, it's all about improving his previous participation's result.