Toni Mulec, otherwise a newcomer to the Dakar Rally, on today's 9th stage, which took place from Riyadh to Harad, finished in an excellent sixth place among motorcyclists, eight minutes and 46 seconds behind the winner of the stage, Luciano Benavides.
Mulec even held third place at the fourth intermediate time measurement, which would have equaled the best Slovenian ranking in a stage of the famous rally, which was recorded by the desert fox Miran Stanovnik in 2003, but by the end of the 358-kilometer speed test, he had lost three places.
The second Slovenian representative, Simon Marčič, crossed the finish line in 42nd place, while Australian Toby Price finished the stage in second place overall, 1:02 minutes behind. American Skyler Howes was third, barely three minutes behind.
"I usually don't look at the results at the finish line, but today the news hit me as soon as I stopped," said Mulec. "I'm very happy with the result, but I'm not excited because of it," he added and explained that he is focusing more on the middle stage than on today's achievement. "The decisive and most dangerous parts of the race are coming, so it is crucial that I keep a clear head and calm blood."
Mulec gained one place overall and is currently 26th, 4 hours, 18 minutes and 33 seconds behind leader Howes. In the fight for the collar victory, Price is breathing just three seconds behind Howes, while Argentina's Kevin Benavides is also very close, 5 minutes and 9 seconds behind the leader.
Marčič gained three places with a solid ride, with a lag of 11 hours, 31 minutes and 22 seconds, he now occupies the 55th place.
Among the motorists, the stage was marked by the serious accident of the Spaniard Carlos Sainz. The 60-year-old Sainz and former winner of the Dakar Rally practically waved goodbye to the performance, as he was on the way to a hospital in Riyadh by helicopter due to chest pains, but according to the Spanish news agency EFE, he changed his mind during the flight and asked that the helicopter turns around and returns to the scene of the accident. In the meantime, Audi technicians arrived at the scene and urgently repaired the broken racing car with which Sainz was supposed to drive to the finish line.
Sebastien Loeb was the fastest on the stage with a lead of three minutes and seven seconds. The Frenchman recorded his third stage win of the 7 Dakar Rally and the nineteenth of his career. Second was Vaidotas Zala, and third was Guerlain Chicherit.
Nasser Al-Attiyah is still firmly in the overall lead, who took the test with restraint and ended it nine minutes behind in eighth place, 1 hour, 21 minutes and 57 seconds ahead of Lucas Morales, with Loeb an hour behind in third place , 43 minutes and 8 seconds.
On Wednesday, the competitors will have a 624-kilometer stage from Harad to Šajba, with only an 11-kilometer speed test.
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Congratulations Tony