Dakar 2023 // SS4: Sunshine and a better mood
01/04/2023
- Przygonski finishes 13th in the daily classification
- Dakar armada remains in Ha’il
Yesterday, the stage had to be cancelled due to bad weather. But the sun was shining again on today’s fourth stage. The 425 kilometre long stage near Ha’il had a mixture of sandy tracks, dunes and camel grass. Jakub “Kuba” Przygonski and Armand Monleon finished 13th in the MINI JCW Rally Plus. Two places behind them, their Argentinian teammates Sebastian Halpern and Bernardo “Ronnie” Graue finished the day in the MINI JCW Rally Plus. Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi and Ola Floene finished 21st in the MINI JCW Buggy, with Denis Krotov and Konstantin Zhiltsov taking 29th.
The good weather also lifted the spirits of the pilots, who enjoyed today’s stage and had fun. Unfortunately, this did not apply to the backs of Przygonski and Monleon, who were quite shaken up by problems with the dampers. Nevertheless, they still secured 13th place. Halpern and Graue are also satisfied with their 15th place of the day and the development of the MINI JCW Rally Plus.
Kuba Przygonski: “The beginning was nice and we had a lot of fun in the dunes. The stage was physically demanding due to the camel grass and the humps. But after kilometre 50 we had problems with the shock absorbers and my back is not so happy about that. However, something like that can always happen with a new car.”
Sebastian Halpern: “Today’s track was fun. Lots of dunes and sandy tracks. I am happy. I’m happy with the result. Yesterday’s work on the suspension paid off.”
Tomorrow, the second loop around Ha’il is on the agenda. The 373 km long special stage takes the participants into the desert. Besides lots of sand, they will also find camel grass and dunes there.
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Dakar Rally 2023 – result SS4
1. S. Loeb / F. Lurquin – BRX – 4h 11m 34s
2. S. Peterhansel / E. Boulanger – Audi – 4h 11m 47s
3. C. Sainz / L. Cruz – Audi – 4h 13m 24s
4. N. Al-Attiyah / M. Baumel – Toyota – 4h 13m 40s
5. Y. Al-Rajhi / D. von Zitzewitz – Toyota – 4h 18m 38s
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13. J. Przygonski / A. Monleon – MINI JCW Rally Plus – 4h 46m 07s
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15. S. Halpern / B. Graue – MINI JCW Rally Plus – 4h 48m 01s
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21. Sh. K. Al-Qassimi / O. Floene – MINI JCW Buggy – 4h 58m 10s
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29. D. Krotov / K. Zhiltsov – MINI JCW Buggy – 5h 20m 31s
Overall standings after SS4
1. N. Al-Attiyah / M. Baumel – Toyota – 16h 34m 13s
2. Y. Al-Rajhi / D. von Zitzewitz – Toyota – 16h 52m 31s
3. S. Peterhansel / E. Boulanger – Audi – 16h 53m 05s
4. C. Sainz / L. Cruz – Audi – 17h 07m 08s
5. H. Lategan / B. Cummings – Toyota – 17h 19m 38s
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20. Sh. K. Al-Qassimi / O. Floene – MINI JCW Buggy – 18h 37m 43s
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23. D. Krotov / K. Zhiltsov – MINI JCW Buggy – 19h 01m 55s
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25. S. Halpern / B. Graue – MINI JCW Rally Plus – 19h 22m 20s
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36+. J. Przygons
