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Tag: Laia Sanz

  • Desert Queen Laia Sanz finishes Day 1 in 34th place

    Desert Queen Laia Sanz finishes Day 1 in 34th place

    Jeddah, 3 Jan 2021: Getting her 11th Dakar Rally participation underway, Laia Sanz has successfully completed the opening day’s competition, safely finishing the rocky 623-kilometer stage in 34th position. Offering riders no easy start to the 43rd running of the iconic event, stage one had ‘a little bit of everything’ with rocky tracks and challenging navigation ensuring a demanding first day in the saddle.

    • Laia safely completes stage one of 2021 Dakar Rally
    • Demanding, stony terrain ensures challenging 623-kilometer stage
    • First sand dunes of 2021 event lie ahead in stage two

    Laia Sanz:“That was certainly a very real Dakar stage – there was a little bit of everything with some very technical sections. I’m quite happy with the way everything went for me, I’m really not pushing too hard and just trying to find my rhythm and speed again. I managed to get lost near to the end of the special, which is frustrating, but the nice thing is I am sure that we will have more good stages like this and that I will be able to improve my position in the overall standings.”

    Just as in 2020 the opening stage of the 2021 Dakar rally was anything but an easy one, much to Laia’s liking. Allowing the Spaniard to finally flex her muscle on her GASGAS RC 450F, in taking a cautious approach to the stage she ensured a safe arrival at the finish with her bike undamaged, despite picking up a three-minute penalty for speeding.

    With the event’s opening stage now complete, next up for Laia will be the 685-kilometer stage two. Delivering the first sand dunes of the event, it will also feature a special stage of 457-kilometers that will undoubtedly test the navigational skills of all motorcycle-class competitors.

    Results (provisional): Dakar Rally 2021, stage 1

    1. Toby Price (KTM) 3:18.26
    2. Kevin Benavides (Honda) 3:18.57
    3. Matthias Walkner (KTM) 3:18.58
    34. Laia Sanz (GASGAS) 3:58.18

  • Lady rider Laia Sanz completes Stage 3 for an overall 27th rank: Dakar2020

    Lady rider Laia Sanz completes Stage 3 for an overall 27th rank: Dakar2020

    Laia Sanz during Stage 3 on Tuesday. A Gas Gas Rally Team image

    Neom (Saudi Arabia), 7 Jan 2020: Despite her heavy fall during yesterday’s stage two, added to a confusing finish to today’s stage, GasGas Factory Racing’s Laia Sanz has battled her way to the end of another challenging day of racing at the 2020 Dakar Rally finishing Stage 3 in 32nd position. Completing what was yet another difficult day aboard her GasGas RC 450F, one made notably harder for her due to extreme dust during much of the early part of the special, Laia nevertheless battled her way to the finish of the second leg of the super marathon stage. The Spaniard sits in a provisional 27th overall and as the event’s leading female competitor.

    • Hours spent riding in thick dust ensures another tough day for Laia
    • Laia completes stage three in 32nd position and sits 27th overall
    • Final stage three results taken from kilometre 389 due to GPS technical problems

    Laia Sanz: “I started today with pain in my leg, but it has been more painful to spend all day riding in dust. I could manage how my body was feeling, but with the dust you just can’t do anything. I almost had to stop sometimes it was so bad. When it is like this you cannot push at all, just try your best to be as safe as possible. It was especially frustrating during the beginning of the stage because the speeds were higher – I knew I was losing so much time. I felt good later on, when the stage became more technical and with more wind. Let’s see for tomorrow. I hope there will be less dust.”

    Stage three unquestionably proved to be tough for Laia, as it was for many competitors. Following her crash and subsequent drop down the overall leader board on day two, she started stage three as the 36th rider to enter the second leg of the super marathon stage. Expecting to be held back due to dust from other competitors, her fears were soon confirmed as she spent much of the stage forced to ride with extreme caution.

    With the super marathon stage now complete, day four of the 2020 Dakar Rally heads from Neom to Al Ula – a 672-kilometre stage that features a 453 km special with an expected equal mix of sand and gravel tracks.

    Provisional results: Dakar Rally 2020, stage 3

    1. Ricky Brabec (Honda) 3:29:31
      2. Jose Ignacio Cornejo (Honda) 3:35:27 +5:56
      3. Kevin Benavides (Honda) 3:36:53 +7:22
      32. Laia Sanz (GasGas) 4:03:10 +33:39Provisional standings: Dakar Rally 2020 (after stage 3)
      1. Ricky Brabec (Honda) 10:39:04
      2. Kevin Benavides (Honda) 10:43:47 +4:43
      3. Matthias Walkner (KTM) 10:45:06 +6:02
      27. Laia Sanz (GasGas) 12:09:30 +1:30:2.