Even though the weather conditions modified the expected nature of the ground under the wheels, making it stonier and trickier, a young man who is growing up quickly, Mason Klein, won the second stage of the 2023 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia.
After leaving the Sea Camp where the Dakar had been based for a long weekend, the riders, drivers and crews headed into the inner reaches of Saudi Arabia, where they were confronted with the morning coolness and terrain that was still damp. The day’s expedition included a part that was synonymous with racing in the mountains, requiring the competitors to tackle narrow tracks and climb up to an altitude of 1,300 metres through a pass at the midway point of the stage.
Most visitors go to AlUla with lightness in their heart, certain to find the wonders they have come to admire. However, it was a different scenario that preoccupied the leading lights of the Dakar on the second stage heading towards the region of archaeological sites and Nabatean temples. When it came to avoiding stones, American Klein, who came very close to victory yesterday, kept his cool and at the rather tender age of 21 years claimed his first victory on the event, even though he has only recently joined the Rally GP category.
The new boss of the race self-assuredly dominated the general standings ahead of several references in the discipline, namely Toby Price and Joan Barreda, who nonetheless managed to stay in the reckoning.
It has been six years since a privateer had last won a stage on the Dakar. It is necessary to go back to 2016 and veteran Stefan Svitko to find such a performance. Today, it was Mason Klein at the rather tender age of 21 years for his third day of racing in the Rally GP category who achieved such a feat and took control of the summit of the general rankings ahead of the official riders. “In souls nobly born, valour does not depend,” wrote Corneille, though the kid from Agua Dulce who does not speak French is unlikely to have read it. He also ignored that his name means “small” in German, though this detail is not one that has escaped KTM, who have been wrapping their protégé in cotton wool in their satellite team since his emergence on the Rallye du Maroc in 2021 and who know that Klein is going to be a big deal. Winning a special and taking the lead in the Dakar general rankings at such a young age is unprecedented!