By Callum Ludwig
Three Bridges rally bike racer Daniel Sanders has returned to Saudi Arabia for the starting event of this year’s World Rally-Raid Championship, the Dakar Rally.
Sanders is currently traversing the desert after the race began with the prologue on Friday 5 January and is set to conclude on Friday 19 January.
In his first race since breaking the femur in his right leg in May last year, Sanders is currently in eighth position overall after the day’s racing on January 8.
“It was rough with so much traffic in front,” Sanders said after the first day’s racing on 5 January.
“I tried to follow the roadbook and just made one mistake near the finish.”
As of Tuesday 9 January, racers have completed the first three stages of the 12-stage race, with Sanders finishing ninth, 12th and 13th in each.
“It was rock and roll out there, mate. I loved it. I definitely wish I set the bike up a little different for today. It’s punishment out there,” Sanders said on January 6.
“It’s a good way to knock us around the first day of the Dakar. It feels like we’ve done five days already. Anyway, for me to come off the injury and straight into that was brutal, but I just didn’t want to crash. So that was the priority. And I finished in a not too bad spot,”
“I’m happy to make it to the finish line without any scratches. So that’s good. I would have preferred nice and easy, but it’s good to know where the bike is. We’ll make some changes tonight and try and adapt it for the rest of the race.”
With 733km covered by riders so far, Sanders is 24 minutes and 13 seconds off of race leader Ross Branch from Botswana.
The race covers a total of 7891km of which 4727km is against the clock. This year’s event also features a new element added to the rally in place of the old Marathon stage, called the Chrono stage.
Starting on January 11, riders will have 48 hours and over 600km to cover in the Chrono stage, where on the first day they have until only 4pm to reach one of eight bivouacs (a temporary camp without tents or cover) for the night.
Upon arrival with minimal kit and supplies, riders have two hours to make any repairs before bedding down for the night in time to rise and ride again at 7am the next day.
