At the Dakar on Stage 3 the 2023 Bikes winner Kevin Benavides was the victor despite breaking a fibula just over a month ago, whilst in the overall ranking Ross Branch remains on top . In the Ultimate category Brazil's Lucas Moraes got his first Dakar stage win as Yazeed Al Rajhi moved into the overall lead . Enjoy the extended highlights from all the categories courtesy of aramco
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© Amaury Sport Organisation - https://www.aso.fr
More information:
https://www.dakar.com
https://www.facebook.com/Dakar
https://www.twitter.com/Dakar
https://www.instagram.com/DakarRally
#Dakar2024
© Amaury Sport Organisation - https://www.aso.fr
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SportTranscription
00:00 [wind]
00:17 Sun in the sky, you know how I feel.
00:20 It's a new dawn, it's a new stage, it's a new strife, and I'm feeling good.
00:28 Yesterday I got a good rhythm after the refueling.
00:33 Let's see now, these days, if we can record some time we've lost these days.
00:38 Some musings there from Joan Barreda as he looked forward to the third stage, a long one, 733km, and a semi-marathon.
00:46 The mechanics only have two hours at the finish before the vehicles enter the bivouac and park ferme.
00:51 [music]
01:05 What happened?
01:07 Yeah, I'm not really sure at the moment.
01:11 Looks like something bad.
01:15 Engine?
01:17 I'm not really sure.
01:20 [engine]
01:26 For now, I can't keep going.
01:30 11km in and Sam Sunderland, 2022 champion, is forced to withdraw again.
01:35 Last year on stage 1, this year stage 3.
01:38 It's been a bad week for Sunderland, beaten 3-0 in the cup by local rivals Newcastle on Saturday, and now this.
01:44 It looks like a few black cats have crossed his path, but we'll see you again next year, Sam.
01:48 Kevin Benavides broke his femur in February, his wrist in August, and his fibula last month.
01:53 Whoa there, easy champ.
01:55 I started really focused on my navigation because yesterday I had some problems.
02:00 Yeah, I am happy with the pace and the speed. I think I did a good work.
02:06 After a difficult day yesterday, the reigning champion took an eighth victory today after Pablo Quintanilla was demoted.
02:12 Obligatory camel shot.
02:14 It was Kevin's brother, Luciano, who lost his way today. He finished 12 minutes down.
02:19 The first part, really tricky navigation. I got lost in one point and I lost some minutes.
02:26 But yeah, it's like this and now it's time to start again and do it better.
02:32 Honda's Ricky Brabeck also made a couple of navigation errors, but recovered brilliantly to finish second.
02:38 We rode, I mean, the best we could.
02:41 It was a long day for sure. And yeah, here we are. I finished day three. I'm happy for this.
02:46 And definitely happy to be starting stage four.
02:50 Boom. Nice one, Ricky.
02:52 Joan Barrera was in somber mood at Parc Fermé after seeing his hero teammate Sebastian Buhler down and out of the rally.
03:05 So bad for Basti because he crashed and I saw him in the round.
03:10 I hope he cannot make any big injury and he can recover.
03:16 Third place today for Adjem Van Beveren. He said that by the time he was done, he felt frazzled.
03:21 But he's bringing home the bacon out there. Fifth overall last year and fifth overall at the moment.
03:26 Really tricky one, I would say, about navigation was a lot of navigation.
03:30 Some parts were fast and some parts were really like slow and tricky navigation. Mostly the end.
03:36 Out here in the Saudi desert, coyotes hunt in packs and apparently so do Hondas.
03:41 Overall leader Ross Branch is being chased by four of them, led by Cornéco with Kevin, the best of the KTMs.
03:48 Onto four wheels now and Alexandre Giroud, winner of the quads the past two years, is on his way back to form.
03:58 He won today and clawed back 27 minutes.
04:01 Giroud says his secret weapon is putting his Crocs on after a long day in bike boots.
04:06 Well, he's certainly snapping at the heels of the top three, who are now Juraj Varga, Manuel Anduka and Marcelo Medeiros.
04:28 My first dune test and my first dune with a car.
04:32 Our chief love as Dakar fans is dunes, dunes and speed. Our two chief loves are dunes and speed and ruthless proficiency.
04:39 Our three... you get the idea.
04:41 I couldn't really judge my speed and I mean I couldn't see over this, so I just slowed down a bit at the top and then...
04:48 This is the beginning of the dune section and we're already stuck, so not going so good.
04:55 Sand is not just part of Rally Raid, it's part of the desert itself.
04:59 And this is not just the Dakar, this is Saudi Arabia, one of the most welcoming and hospitable countries in which you could find yourself in need of help.
05:06 When you come to a different country, you need to ask locals, of course.
05:11 Our first dune.
05:13 Whether horizontal, vertical or even on your knees, this is what it's all about.
05:21 We were quite happy that we are going nice and without problems.
05:25 It's Dakar!
05:28 No power horse.
05:33 We need a camel.
05:35 We only need some cables.
05:37 Czechs Holitzer and N'Govor are making their debut in a Citroën 2CV, i.e. 2 horsepower.
05:43 It's a truly beautiful Dakar site, but 2 camel power may have been more appropriate.
05:49 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
05:51 Nasser Al-Attiyah lies 5th overall, was 4th on the stage, finished on 3 wheels, only has 2 hours to work on the car and is one disappointed driver tonight.
06:01 We have a 3-man jam.
06:06 Sorry for this.
06:07 We decided not to have the last day of the day.
06:09 We decided to go home.
06:10 A little bit damaged in the left rear, but OK, we are here in the desert.
06:16 Now the mechanic fixed the car and I think we'll be OK, no problem.
06:21 Seb Loeb picked up yet more punctures today.
06:24 There must have been some colourful language in that pro drive.
06:26 It was a complicated day.
06:29 We had 3 punctures, but we finished the stage.
06:32 We lost 25 minutes, but it could be worse.
06:35 We'll see.
06:36 It could be worse, but it couldn't have been better for Lucas Marais, last year's top rookie, today's top dog.
06:43 I'm very happy.
06:46 This has to go to my daughter, this great result, because it has been a tough week, but all good now.
06:54 Since winning the Prologue, Matthias Ekström hasn't been able to join the team.
07:09 But despite almost getting stuck in the dunes, the Swede finished second, just 9 seconds back.
07:14 If there's one name in Rally Raid that means more than any other to the Saudi Arabian people, it's Yazeed Al-Rajhi.
07:22 Not an easy stage with no spare tyre, but everything under control.
07:27 He's a real celebrity here and his star is only going to keep rising.
07:30 Third today, enough to take him to the lead of the Dakar for the first time.
07:34 He and Carlos Sainz have an 8 minute lead on the Chasing Pack.
07:39 Looking to make it 4 in a row and leading from kilometre 135, it was all under control again for the teenager Eric Gokchow.
07:49 Until it wasn't. Suddenly, there was a glitch.
07:53 And that glitch was Mitch, who proved he ain't nobody's bitch.
07:59 The lead went back and forth, but it was Guthrie who took a first stage of this Dakar after 5 last year.
08:05 Clean days basically, get to the finish line every day, but keep a fast pace of course.
08:10 So, so long way to go, but it's good to get a stage win under our belt, I hope.
08:14 Michael Gokchow dropped out of podium contention today.
08:17 And remember, it's a semi-marathon stage, so a race against time for the top three.
08:21 And the winner of the race is the Swedish driver, Matthias Ekström.
08:25 He's in podium contention today, and remember, it's a semi-marathon stage, so a race against time for the mechanics before the cars go to Parc Fermé.
08:32 Gilles Ferreira was hit by punctures yesterday in the T4s, but the Portuguese came back this morning.
08:37 He led briefly, but in the end, he and Felipe Palmeiro finished second.
08:41 But what a day for the Saudis in Saudi.
08:45 Not only is Yazeed Al-Raji leading the ultimates, but in the T4s, a first ever Dakar stage win for Yassir Seydan.
08:52 He knows these dunes so well, and it showed.
08:54 Overtaking Gerard Fares with 100 to go, he never looked back.
08:58 American rookie Sarah Price is enjoying herself. She's up to second.
09:01 Like Gokchow in the Challengers, Yannis Van Casteren was looking to make it 4 from 4 in the trucks.
09:08 And just like Eric, he couldn't.
09:10 The stage went to Alistair Loprecht, who was the most consistent of the three front runners.
09:15 The Czech in his truck, Lady Praga, put 4.5 minutes into Maciek and just over 16 into Van Casteren.
09:22 He also snatched the overall lead, and the three-way battle for victory is hotting up.
09:27 The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed I've been calling this a semi-marathon stage.
09:34 Well, what does that mean?
09:35 Well, it's a bit complicated to be honest, which either means I don't really know, or we've run out of time.
09:40 But basically, it's about tents.
09:41 There's hardly any time for repairs. That's making things tense.
09:44 And tonight, the competitors have to sleep in, you guessed it, tents.
09:48 Ta-ta for now. See you tomorrow.
09:50 [MUSIC]