VERY BIG PACE IN TODAY'S STAGE - STAGE 9 - 11ST JANUARY 2022

The countdown to the Dakar Rally 2022 has begun! The 44th edition of the world's toughest race is only three days away. Stage 9 was a loop in Wadi Ad-Dawasir, with a 286.96 km special stage and 204.25 km of liaison - 93.29 km before the start of the special stage and another 110.96 km back to the bivouac. The route was 48% sand, 33% dirt, 5% stones and 14% dunes.

The riders today highlighted the very high pace of the stage, even more than usual, and the fact that there were no complications in terms of navigation. Daniel Nosiglia has the 23rd best time and remains 18th in the general standings. Joan Pedrero, 26th today, remains 23rd in the bike scratch but is only 1 minute behind the top 20 and only 18 seconds behind the rider in front of him, so he has plenty of room for further improvement. Pato Cabrera did one of his best stages of the edition and finished 36th, whilst Marc Calmet finished the special in 53rd position. In the overall standings, the Chilean rider is 42nd and Marc 59th. 

 

Daniel Nosiglia #54: "It was a solid day for me, with very few dunes and a lot of fast tracks. I'm very happy, I made very few mistakes.

Joan Pedrero #17: "The bike is working perfectly and the team is doing an amazing job. It wasn't one of the stages that favoured me because it was very flat and, as I'm very big, I suffer a bit because I can't fit in very well and I lose out on the rest. It was a day of little technique".

Pato Cabrera #50: "It was a complicated and very fast stage in which we had all kinds of landscapes: sections of dunes, valleys and rocks. We have to stay focused". 

Marc Calmet #108: "We had a faster stage than usual, although almost all the stages this year have been faster than usual. The navigation was relatively easy. I'm satisfied because I didn't make any mistakes and physically I feel very good. I think the two most difficult days of the rally are coming up".