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In the dramatic fight of the final stage to the last kilometer, B. Vanagas failed to overtake Christian Lavieille, who took 11th place in the car standings after qualifying on Thursday. In the final classification, the Lithuanian was 11 minutes behind the rival.
Checked team capabilities
After finishing his fists with the people around him, B. Vanagas was happy that this year’s Dakar is finally over. According to him, it wasn’t the easiest rally marathon, but he once again checked the team’s capabilities, according to the team’s press release.
“In fact, I’m glad our easiest Dakar wasn’t here anyway. The car was very reliable and never took us away. It was our ninth Dakar or our ninth chance to get an even better result,” said the driver, and He added that the actual experience would come later, when the thoughts would come together after a long time.
Toyota Gazoo Racing Hilux also lost one of its spare wheels on the last stage. Tired of a stony surface, B. Vanagas realized that this ride is not a true motor sport, but he admitted that the conditions were the same for everyone.
“I don’t know, it will probably be necessary to agree with other Lithuanians and ask the organizer not to give so many stones next year,” he joked.
According to Palmeiro, this Dakar was extremely complex and was not without navigation challenges. The navigator pointed out that sometimes even fighting to the end does not achieve the desired result.
Upon arrival, the crew addressed a solemn podium ceremony, after which the entire team will be prepared for transport by ship. On Saturday January 16, all Lithuanians will return to Vilnius in a plane commissioned by the Inbank Toyota Gazoo Racing Baltics team.
Who won this year?
Stephane Peterhansel in the final stage did not have to squander his 15-minute lead over Toyota Gazoo Racing leader Nasser Al-Attiyah. It was an easy task for the Frenchman driving the X-Raid Mini buggy, and the Dakar victory in 2021 was already the 14th for this racer.
N. Al-Attiyah won 6 of the 11 speed sections this year, but in 2021 he repeated last year’s scenario and took second place in the overall car classification. Carlos Sainz, another representative of the X-Raid Mini, was third. Even the race organizers have been a hindrance this year for the hot Spaniards.
Arūnas Gelažninkas became the winner of the “Original by Motul” or solitary class by competing without help. Before the decisive stage, the closest Lithuanian was more than 1 hour from the closest competitor.
A completely different situation arose in the general motorcycle classification, the winner of which was not clear until the end of the last speed section. Finally, the second consecutive victory for the Honda team was won by Argentine Kevin Benavides. Among the athletes who raced on quads was Manuel Andujar with Yamaha.
In the truck rankings, no one opposed the Kamaz team, which took all three places. Dmitry Sotnikov won the race between them.
The ultimate test of patience
Participants in the 43rd rally marathon were further separated from the solemn dream finale of the last day by 447 kilometers, including the 200-kilometer sprint section. The stony stretches of hard pavement, sand and dunes demanded all the remains of resistance from the runners.
After taking a huge 8,000 kilometer lap in Saudi Arabia and returning to Jeddah, the athletes crossed the finish line near the Red Sea. For Dakar veterans, this image reminded them of the days when the race ended near Pink Lake in Senegal.
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