Stage 11 of the 2023 Dakar: Shaybah - Empty Quarter Marathon, with 427 kilometers, 153 of liaison and 274 of special. Being the first part of the marathon stage, it was vital to manage the race well, keeping in mind the mechanics of the bikes. Fast stage, but complicated, with endless dunes of very soft sand. On arrival at the bivouac, the organization left 30 minutes for the riders to check and verify that everything was in good condition concerning the bike's mechanics.
It is now clear that Dani Nosiglia loves the dunes, again today he has surfed at a high pace, managing to finish the stage without setbacks in a good 11th position, after fighting throughout the day with the pro riders. Once again he climbed a step in the general ranking and is now 26th.
Diego Llanos found it a bit difficult to feel at ease with the soft dunes, but managed to finish 28th overall and 10th in his category on Rally2.
Pato Cabrera enjoyed the stage, riding fast and efficiently, without taking too many risks, to finish 38th in the special stage and still 42nd in the provisional classification.
#54 Daniel Nosiglia:
"It was a very nice stage that I was able to enjoy from the start, I went strong from the beginning till the end, with a good pace, very happy with how it felt, in a stage with a lot of dunes but also fast sectors, I felt comfortable. I'm very happy because with every day there is less and less to go".
#29 Diego Llanos:
"It wasn't a long day today, but with a lot of dunes. I could not pick up a fast pace in the sand and I was delayed because of it, but oh well, I made it to the bivouac, the bike is in one piece and I'm fine, so we are ready to face the last days. Let's hope it goes better tomorrow."
#35 Patricio Cabrera:
"This 11th stage went very well for me, I felt super comfortable, it was a fast stage, with a high section of dunes, and I had no problems. We had to do a smart race to reach the end with the bike in good condition because we are in the marathon stage. Tomorrow we will try to do a good performance".
Tomorrow's 12th stage will be the second part of the marathon stage, consisting of 376 kilometers, 191 km of liaison and 185 km of special stage, continuing with dunes and more dunes...
*It is important to note that due to the fact that the classifications suffer last-minute changes by the organization, these may differ from the ones we publish.
