The ten quads enrolled on the Dakar all signed up for the W2RC 2024, most notably Laisvydas Kancius, winner of the world cup in 2023. The Lithuanian usually starts off discretely but sees his commitment through to the end. For the moment, the man with the mane of blond hair has still not graced the race’s podium. Four stage winners have instead shared these honours, with Brazilian Marcos Medeiros predominant thanks to two stage victories. The Argentineans Moreno and Andújar, as well as Giroud, have shared the rest of the cake, with one stage each. In the general rankings, the Andújar leads. The winner of the Dakar in 2021 has his heart set on renewing acquaintance with success on the Dakar, which he has not finished since his consecration. Alexandre Giroud has been a finisher on the last two editions, on the top step of the podium to boot, with the Frenchman now aiming for a hat-trick. The Argentinean leader of the general rankings, like the Frenchman 21’24’’ behind, is playing for high stakes on the Dakar. This pressure could benefit Brazilian Marcos Medeiros, who is currently in third position but less than 3 minutes behind Giroud. Kancius, fifth in the general rankings, more than one and half hours behind the leader, is unlikely to give into the pressure exerted by the performances of those in front of him on the Dakar. The route to Yanbu is still long in a category where mechanical reliability often makes the difference, especially in the dunes, which are on the menu for the next three days…
