Flooded camp forces change to Dakar route

Flooding at the Al Duwadimi bivouac has forced Dakar Rally organisers to change the route for coming days.

A statement from Dakar read, “With the rain on the last few days having flooded the Al Duwadimi bivouac, it will not be possible to welcome the Dakar caravan.

“The sporting programmes for stages 6 and 7 have therefore been modified accordingly by the Dakar organizers.

“For January 6th, stage 6 will take place on the initially planned special, but over a distance reduced by approximately 100 kilometres.

“The riders, drivers and crews will then take a link route (of approximately 300 kilometres) to the bivouac in Riyadh.

“On January 7th, the competitors will contest the stage on the route of the special initially scheduled for stage 8 (Al Duwadimi > Riyadh).

“On completion of this special, if the weather conditions are favourable, the caravan will then journey to the bivouac in Al Duwadimi.

“For January 8th, arrangements will be made depending on how the weather evolves.”

The shortening of Stage 6 will be a boon for both of the Australians in the Bikes race, KTM’s Toby Price and GasGas’s Daniel Sanders.

Price sits second overall but with a sore shoulder after being caught up in Joan Barreda Bort’s crash on Stage 5, while Sanders slumped from the lead to eighth as he battled illness.

Rain has already caused havoc at Dakar 2023, with multiple side-by-side vehicles having to be towed out of a river which formed on Stage 3.