“Sebastien Loeb and Fabian Lurquin (Hunter) faced challenges during the tenth Dakar stage but managed to make up 7’11!” on leader Carlos Sainz (Audi). “We knew we were in for a tough day before the stage even started,” said Lurquin. “But it turned out to be a very complicated day. The automatic jack, which allows us to lift the car with the push of a button in the event of a flat tire, had a problem on the way to the start. It took us some time to lower the car after it was raised. We just barely made it to the start in time. After fifty kilometers, we had a puncture on the side where the jack was causing problems. We had to improvise to lift the car and replace the flat tire. While we were working, Sainz overtook us, only to have a puncture himself a little further on, allowing us to pass him again. Sainz had two more punctures and had to wait for a teammate to bring a wheel.”
Loeb and Lurquin completed two hundred kilometers without any problems and came within four minutes of Sainz in the virtual position. “But then we had another puncture, again on the left rear, so we had to improvise again. To make matters worse, the impact wrench’s battery was empty, and we lost even more time. When we were able to start again, Serradori and De Mévius passed us, and we lost some time in their dust.”
“In the end, it wasn’t a bad day at all. We still have two stages left, with the important stage coming up on Thursday. Last year, we finished second in that stage and suffered three punctures. We’re not sure yet how we’re going to approach it, as we have few water carriers who can bring a wheel for us. We’ll see how we handle it. It will be a big day in any case.”
Loeb finished second in the Dakar in 2017, 2022, and 2023. He has been racing with Fabian Lurquin for the past two years. To win the Dakar, he still needs to make up 13’22” on Sainz on Thursday and Friday.