DAKAR 2023 : SANTOLINO AND GONÇALVES FINISH IN THE TOP10 IN STAGE 5
The 5th stage of this 2023 Dakar Rally challenged the riders with a new loop around HA’Il. The terrain was very sandy, marked by dunes, some of which were very brittle, and camel grass. Our #sherco Factory Rally Team riders #lorenzosantolino and Rui Gonçalves finished 9th and 10th respectively. In the general classification, after the first 5 days of #racing, Santolino is 12th and Gonçalves 19th.
David Casteu:“A very fine day, Rui Gonçalves went fast, recovered well, and navigated excellently, finishing 10th in the special. #lorenzosantolino also put in a good performance, he finished 9th and rode with the leaders again, but they are going very, very fast and they are taking a lot of risks, he preferred to ensure a solid finish and backed off the pressure during the special, which is once again a very good strategy knowing that there are still 9 days of #racing left.Noah is under observation at the Ryiadh hospital, they are waiting for the hematoma to dissipate to decide what to do. His family is arriving tomorrow.”
Lorenzo Santolino:“I got off to a good start, knowing that Klein would catch me, I managed to ride with him until km160, then I preferred to ride at my own pace until the end of the special. I feel comfortable with my #sherco and I’m confident. Today, I was looking forward to finishing the special, the kilometers were going by slowly. It was a physically difficult stage, with camel grass and sandy ridges.”
Rui Goncalves:“This stage was 100% sand, very fast, with a lot of dunes and camel grass, so very physical. I started far behind, but I had a good rhythm from the start that I managed to hold until the end. I overtook a lot of riders. I rode alone at my own pace and finished in the top 10. It felt good for me and the whole team after a difficult start to the rally. We are all motivated and we will continue until the finish. Thanks to everyone for the support.”
Ranking for the day:Lorenzo Santolino: P9, +11mn 16sRui Gonçalves: P10, +12mn 22s
Cumulative ranking:Lorenzo Santolino: P12, +30mn 47sRui Gonçalves: P19, +2h 10mn 43s Tomorrow, the riders will set off for an 876 km stage including 467 km of special which will take them from Ha’Il to Al Duwadimi.
