Molly Taylor dropped a spot in the Dakar Rally after a string of mechanical issues on Stage 6 of the 2023 Dakar Rally.

The Australian is now 12th overall in the SSV race, 2:49:54s from the lead, after setting the 14th-fastest time in the Ha’il to Riyadh special.

“It’s been a very long day; about 13 hours’ driving,” said the South Racing Can-Am driver.

“We did a CVT belt about 90km into the stage and then had some issues with the drive which made some of the dunes a bit challenging; we had to get a bit creative.

“It looks like it might be a broken spring as well, so all we can do at this point is keep fighting and enjoying the driving.”

Team-mate Rodrigo Luppi de Oliveira is further clear of the field now, by a margin of 20:17s, even though he was fifth-fastest on stage for the second day in a row.

Other classes

The Trucks race is virtually a tie after Ales Loprais (Instaforex Loprais Praga) dropped 26 minutes.

His overall lead has been slashed to just 23 seconds over Martin Van Den Brink on a day when the Dutchman’s 20-year-old son and fellow Eurol Team De Rooy driver Mitchel Van Den Brink won a stage for the first time.

Alexandre Giroud (Yamaha Racing – SMX – Drag’on) continues to hold sway in the Quads, by an enlarged, 42:57s gap, having finished second on the day.

In Lightweight Prototypes, Guillaume De Mevius (Grallyteam) added to what is now a 8:59s lead by winning the stage.

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