Lady rider Laia Sanz completes Stage 3 for an overall 27th rank: Dakar2020

Neom (Saudi Arabia), 7 Jan 2020: Despite her heavy fall during yesterday’s stage two, added to a confusing finish to today’s stage, GasGas Factory Racing’s Laia Sanz has battled her way to the end of another challenging day of racing at the 2020 Dakar Rally finishing Stage 3 in 32nd position. Completing what was yet another difficult day aboard her GasGas RC 450F, one made notably harder for her due to extreme dust during much of the early part of the special, Laia nevertheless battled her way to the finish of the second leg of the super marathon stage. The Spaniard sits in a provisional 27th overall and as the event’s leading female competitor.

• Hours spent riding in thick dust ensures another tough day for Laia
• Laia completes stage three in 32nd position and sits 27th overall
• Final stage three results taken from kilometre 389 due to GPS technical problems

Laia Sanz: “I started today with pain in my leg, but it has been more painful to spend all day riding in dust. I could manage how my body was feeling, but with the dust you just can’t do anything. I almost had to stop sometimes it was so bad. When it is like this you cannot push at all, just try your best to be as safe as possible. It was especially frustrating during the beginning of the stage because the speeds were higher – I knew I was losing so much time. I felt good later on, when the stage became more technical and with more wind. Let’s see for tomorrow. I hope there will be less dust.”

Stage three unquestionably proved to be tough for Laia, as it was for many competitors. Following her crash and subsequent drop down the overall leader board on day two, she started stage three as the 36th rider to enter the second leg of the super marathon stage. Expecting to be held back due to dust from other competitors, her fears were soon confirmed as she spent much of the stage forced to ride with extreme caution.

With the super marathon stage now complete, day four of the 2020 Dakar Rally heads from Neom to Al Ula – a 672-kilometre stage that features a 453 km special with an expected equal mix of sand and gravel tracks.

Provisional results: Dakar Rally 2020, stage 3

1. Ricky Brabec (Honda) 3:29:31
   2. Jose Ignacio Cornejo (Honda) 3:35:27 +5:56
   3. Kevin Benavides (Honda) 3:36:53 +7:22
   32. Laia Sanz (GasGas) 4:03:10 +33:39Provisional standings: Dakar Rally 2020 (after stage 3)
   1. Ricky Brabec (Honda) 10:39:04
   2. Kevin Benavides (Honda) 10:43:47 +4:43
   3. Matthias Walkner (KTM) 10:45:06 +6:02
   27. Laia Sanz (GasGas) 12:09:30 +1:30:2.