The competitors left Wadi ad-Dawasir this morning to tackle a 759 km stage. They headed due south, initially towards Najran Province for the start of a 375 km special that wove its way around the Wajid and Hejaz plateaus, whose peaks top out at 1,770 m, in landscapes found nowhere else on Earth.
In contrast, those in 'Asir Province have rocky outcrops that jut out from the sand. Two thirds of this fast course were on sandy terrain, following a north-westerly direction leading to Bisha, where the caravan set up camp for two nights before the closing stage. It was enough to break the backs of several machines whose odometers were due to reach 6,500 km today, such as KTM no. 1
Today's special, won by Toby Price, turned the competition on its head despite failing to create large gaps. Adrien Van Beveren put in a gallant performance to seize the overall lead, but this honour could be a poisoned chalice because it gives his direct rivals for the title, Pablo Quintanilla (+ 5′15″) and Sam Sunderland (+ 5′59″), the advantage of starting further back. Having no choice but to go on the attack, the Yamaha biker will find himself in charge of opening this sandy stage soon after starting in third place.
This is bad news for the Frenchman, who will have to pull a rabbit out of his hat to keep his foes at bay. To make matters worse, his rivals' interests are increasingly aligned. For example, GasGas, KTM and Husqvarna are all racing under team manager Jordi Viladoms.
Quad rider Pablo Copetti's engine troubles mirrored those of KTM's Kevin Benavides (see A crushing blow) and cleared Alexandre Giroud's path to victory in the general standings, which he now leads by 2 h 36.
ASO