The Dakar Rally could have a brand new winner within the bike class this yr after reigning champion Sam Sunderland crashed out with a damaged shoulder within the rocky opening stage in Saudi Arabia.
The Briton, who additionally received the occasion on two wheels in 2017, has now failed to complete the endurance rally six instances out of 10 begins.
The 33-year-old GasGas rider was tenth quickest in Saturday’s prologue and quickest on the first checkpoint on Sunday earlier than falling on the 52km mark within the 368km particular stage inland and alongside the shores of the Pink Sea.
Affected by again ache, he was flown to Yanbu for medical consideration.
In an Instagram put up, Sunderland thanked folks for sending messages of assist.
“I’m kind of OK, a damaged shoulder blade, large haematoma on my again and a concussion, I really feel fairly embarrassed to be laid right here typing this out, being out of Dakar on day one is a tricky tablet to swallow,” he wrote.
“I felt actually good this morning and was main for the quick a part of the stage I rode then I’ve missed a stone beneath the sand in a river mattress and had a reasonably violent crash.
Sunderland thanked fellow competitor, Austrian Matthias Walkner, for stopping to verify if he was alright, and to the race medical crew for ensuring he was protected.
His exit leaves Daniel Sanders as the only real GasGas rider on this yr’s occasion.
The Australian was the provisional winner of stage one earlier than a two-minute time penalty for dashing left him 45 seconds behind chief Ricky Brabec, driving a Honda, in fifth place general.
His fellow countryman, Toby Value, winner of Saturday’s prologue, completed third behind Pink Bull KTM teammate Kevin Benavides.
Racing for the primary time since crashing out of the 2022 Dakar Rally, Sanders was delighted to be again within the saddle.
“It was a protracted yr with out racing in rallies, so I acquired my rhythm again,” he informed dakar.com.
“I spent the primary a part of the day getting the lowdown on the bike, as I would by no means ridden it earlier than.
“I did not make any blunders. It feels good to be again, particularly within the Dakar.
“I went beneath the knife a number of instances this yr, so I am approaching the race with warning.”
Within the automobile class, Spaniard Carlos Sainz took his forty second profession stage win to guide for Audi, 10 seconds away from France’s nine-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb for the Bahrain Raid Xtreme staff.
“It was a great stage, a transparent stage for us. No errors, no punctures,” Loeb, 48, stated.
Qatar’s reigning champion Nasser al Attiyah was sixth general for Toyota.
The forty fifth version of the Dakar is being held solely in Saudi Arabia for the fourth time and ends in Dammam on the Gulf coast on January 15.
AAP / Reuters
