January 06, 2023

KLIM Dakar Rally Daily | 2023 Stage 6 | Episode 54

44 minutes

Well, the chaos continues to reign down on the Dakar racers after a massive, 900-plus-kilometer stage with a grueling 300KM liaison back to the pits. That liaison was almost as long as the entire timed special race portion of the day. And, it was a surprise! Most racers figured the planned day would go as originally planned, but that didn't happen.

With today's original bivouac area completely flooded out, it was impossible for the moving city of a race to go there. So, organizers picked up and moved to stage 8's planned finish and that makes a logistical nightmare for everyone, including the racers who had to sit on the highway for hours to get back to the pits.

Action on the tracks was a little less dramatic, with most racers finishing strong without issue. There are a few exceptions including our own Paul Neff (we're claiming him) who, as of this writing, is still in the desert diagnosing and working on an electrical issue on his bike - hours from the finish. It's 8:30 AM here in California. For Paul, that's 7:30 PM in Saudi, in the dark, in the cold, and it's probably raining on him. C'mon Paul, you can do it!

Today's show is a good one, with good insight into the top-five-finish strategy and risk game. How bonus points are affecting the race. What the next days mean for racers and just how gnarly are the marathon stages tomorrow and the next day going to be!

Join the fun and enjoy the show!

Play Dakar Fantasy Derby:https://chainslayer.com/dakar

Buy a T-shirt! : https://www.bivouacrally.com/shop

Follow and communicate with us via Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dakar\_rally\_daily/

And leave comments on Cycle News YouTube coverage:

https://www.youtube.com/@cyclenews

Cycle News official race results coverage:

https://www.cyclenews.com/2025/01/article/2025-dakar-rally-results/

Visit our partners

KLIM

Rally Navigator

The Baja Rally