Dakar Stage 11:Peterhansel wins, Sainz Leads

American Brabec is stroking it to the finish in first. Last year he blew his engine on the final day while leading

Defending Dakar champion Stephane Peterhansel set the pace in Stage 11 of the 2020 Dakar Rally, but X-raid Mini stablemate Carlos Sainz Sr retains a healthy lead ahead of the marathon's final stage.

Sainz Sr. had to open the road in the 235-mile timed special within the stage, taking the competition back to Haradh from Shubaytah.

He gave up nearly five minutes to Peterhansel in the first 62 miles as he navigated the dunes of the Rub' Al Khali, but would limit the damage over the rest of the special, ending up eight minutes slower than the stage winner at the finish.

Thus Sainz has 10 minutes in hand for the final 232-mile Haradh – Qiddiya final stage.

Nasser Al-Attiyah looked set to overtake Peterhansel for the Stage win for much of the stage, but a late charge from the reigning champion saw him come up just 10 seconds short of a stage win.

This means that Al-Attiyah will enter the marathon finale as Sainz's nearest rival and with a six-second gap to Peterhansel, who will be running ahead on the road.

Bikes

[adinserter name="GOOGLE AD"]American Ricky Brabec holds on to the overall leadership of the 2020 Dakar Rally. The American is poised to tackle the final stage which could be a historical one for the Honda squad.

The second leg of the marathon stage unfolded without setbacks for the Monster Energy Honda Team. Today, in the penultimate special of the rally, the pretenders to the podium got one second-to-last chance to close the gap on the 2020 Dakar Rally race leader. Today’s stage, featuring 100 kilometers of dunes at the beginning of the special, favored those in pursuit of the frontrunners and a group soon formed including Joan Barreda, Ricky Brabec and Kevin Benavides, all of whom made it to the final destination in Haradh without difficulties.

Chilean rider Jose Ignacio Cornejo finished fourth on the day, less than three minutes behind his fellow-countryman Quintanilla, who took the spoils. Cornejo now has the possibility of attacking tomorrow in the concluding stage in a bid to be among the prize-winners.

Peterhansel wins Stage 11 in the car class

Ricky Brabec holds on to the lead that he has held since day three. The American managed well the advantage at the head of the general rankings, in spite of having dropped 12 minutes to the day’s eventual winner and now has everything in his favor in his bid for the outright Dakar Rally 2020 victory.

Joan Barreda opened the track after yesterday’s win and was followed by his Monster Energy Honda squad-mates, Brabec and Benavides. The handicap eventually led him to concede 14’48 to the stage winner. Barreda now lies in fifth place overall but is by no means out of the running for a final podium place in the race.

The final stage will be decided tomorrow between Haradh and Qiddiyah. A 374- kilometer special which will feature a 20-kilometer Qiddiya Trophy GP, obligatory for the riders who finish on the final podium of this edition of the Dakar, although the result will have no effect on the final standings of the rally.

Car Stage 11 Results (Top 10)

Overall Car Standings after Stage 11 (Top 10)

Bike Results Stage 11 (Top-12)

Bike Rider Standings after Stage 11 (Top-10)