Today's special stage, starting in Bisha and finishing in Jeddah, was short but demanding. 164 kilometres of special stage on which the competitors encountered a lot of stones, dry rivers, dirt and sand. They also had a long liaison of 516 kilometres – 230,30 kilometres before the timed section and another 268,26 kilometres on the return journey. It was not exactly a formality, as it was one of the most technical days, with some tricky navigation points.
The motorbike riders have accomplished their mission and reached the finish after completing a total of more than 8,000 kilometres. Daniel Nosiglia finished 25th today and maintained his 17th place in the general standings. The Bolivian rider recovered from last year's retirement in the second stage and rode a solid race in which he got into the top 15 and fought toe-to-toe with the official riders.
Joan Pedrero was 21st fastest today and consolidated his place in the top 20 of the overall standings. The Spaniard from Canet faced his 14th Dakar with the same enthusiasm and desire as always. Pato Cabrera finished 39th today, so he climbed another place in the general standings, where he was the 38th best. It has been a very positive Dakar for the Chilean rider, who has found his rhythm day by day and has shown a solid, safe and constant riding. And Marc Calmet also managed to climb a position in the short but intense final stage, moving up to 52nd place after being 53rd fastest on today's special.
Joan Pedrero #17: "I'm happy to have finished in the top 20. The bike was perfect and the team was unbeatable. Today we had a very nice stage, with a lot of navigation. I had a very good feeling and all the riders finished, which is the most important thing".
Daniel Nosiglia #54: "We have finished the Dakar! I think this edition has been the easiest I've done so far. We have given our best day by day and I am very happy with the performance, very grateful to the team for their impeccable work and to everyone who has been supporting us".
Pato Cabrera #50: "I'm very happy to finish the Dakar. I had to take two minutes off the one in front and I did it. I'm satisfied because I really enjoyed it and I gave 100%. I'm happy that the four of us finished because it's an incredible human and professional team".
Marc Calmet #108: "I loved today's stage. It was slower than usual, with a lot of navigation and more like an enduro, which is what I like. The goal was not to fall, to finish in good conditions. There was no need to push because the goal was to finish".
