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Dakar 2024 Stage 2 Results: Honda's 'Nacho' Wins As Audi's Peterhansel Claims Record Equalling 50th Stag
Stage 2 of Dakar 2024 saw Honda's Jose Ignacio Cornejo (Nacho) Florimo win the stage in the bikes category while Audi's Stephane Peterhansel claimed a record-equalling 50th stage win.
The second stage of Dakar 2024 saw competitors race a 655-kilometre stage which included a 463km long special stage, from Al Henakiyah to Al Duwadimi.
Bikes
Honda rider Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo, known to the Dakar faithful simply as 'Nacho' claimed the second stage of Dakar 2024 in the bikes category. The Chilean rider romped home to victory with a time of four hours, 27 minutes and 17 seconds.
Following the rampaging Nacho across the line was Husqvarna's Luciano Benavides, the recently crowned World Rally Raid Champion. The Argentinian rider ended the stage five minutes and 59 seconds behind Honda's Nacho.
A further 13 seconds behind Nacho was his Honda teammate and fellow countryman, Pablo Quintanilla. The Chilean rider finished the special stage in a time of four hours, 31 minutes and 4 seconds.
Hero's remaining three riders also had a good day in the saddle. The highest of the Hero trio was Germany's Sebastian Buhler who just missed out on the podium, claiming the 4th spot. Buhler finished the stage, six minutes and 47 seconds behind Nacho.
Ross Branch, the winner of Stage 1, just about managed to hold onto the overall lead as he finished Stage 2 in 11th place. Branch opened today's stage and thanks to nearly four minutes of bonuses ended the day's special stage with a time of four hours, 36 minutes and 10 seconds, 11 minutes and 53 seconds behind the stage winner.
Joan Barreda Bort, competing in his last Dakar, ended the stage 17 minutes behind the stage winner. The Dakar legend would have finished ahead of Branch, had he not been hit with eight minutes worth of penalties, which dropped him down to 17th for the stage.
The Sherco team had a mixed day as Lorenzo Santolino saw his day's running end due to mechanical issues at the 17-kilometre mark of the special stage. It was a big blow for the Spanish rider, who is set to lose a big chunk of time.
The highest-finishing Sherco rider was Portugal's Rui Goncalves, who ended today's stage in 13th place, 16 minutes and two seconds behind the stage winner.
Sherco TVS rider Harith Noah, the lone remaining Indian at Dakar 2024, ended stage 2 in 22nd spot, finishing the special stage in 4:45.35, 21 minutes and 18 minutes behind Honda's Nacho.
In the General classification after the second round of Dakar 2024, Hero's Ross Branch continues to lead the rally. Branch sits just two minutes and 55 seconds ahead of today's winner, Nacho.
In the third spot is Honda's American rider Ricky Brabec, who is 7 minutes and 15 seconds behind Branch. Fourth place is taken by Honda's Quintanilla, 15 minutes and 20 seconds behind Branch, while Luciano Benavides sits in fifth, another 2 minutes and 22 seconds behind.
Hero's Bort and Buhler are in 13th and 14th overall in the general standings after day 2. Sherco's Rui Goncalves and Harith Noah are currently placed 17th and 20th overall.
Cars
Audi's French driver Stephane Peterhansel romped home in first place to claim a record-equalling 50th stage win at Dakar (including 33 wins on bikes, another record).
The French driver, who is known as Mister Dakar, equalled Ari Vatanen's record for most stage wins as he blitzed the sands of Saudi Arabia with a time of three hours, 54 minutes and 40 seconds.
Chasing Peerhansel down the 463km special stage was Sebastien Loeb, who ended the day just 29 seconds behind his fellow countryman. Toyota's Seth Quintero took the final podium spot, ending the stage three minutes and 11 seconds behind Mr Dakar.
Two-time defending champion Nasser Al-Attiyah, put yesterday's hassles behind him as he ended the day in fourth, six minutes and 28 seconds behind Peterhansel's Audi.
As for the other Audis in the running, Sweden's Mattias Ekstrom finished the day 7th, 15 minutes and 56 seconds behind his French teammate. Carlos Sainz, the fastest Audi driver yesterday, ended the day in place behind Ekstrom finishing the stage in 4:11.55, 17 minutes and 15 seconds behind Peterhansel.
In the overall standings, in the cars category, Carlos Sainz leads the field with an overall time of 8:49.38 in his hybrid Audi. El matador is just one minute and 51 seconds ahead of Saudi driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi, in the Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux.
The final podium spot is currently claimed by Sebastien Loeb in his Bahrain Raid Xtreme Prodrive Hunter. The French rally legend is just four minutes and 57 seconds behind Sainz.
4th spot is currently held by the factory Toyota Hilux of Seth Quintero. The American racer is 7 minutes and 36 seconds behind Sainz. The fifth spot is in the hands of yesterday's surprise winner Guillaume De Mevius. The Overdrive Racing driver is seven minutes and 44 seconds behind the leader.
Mattias Ekstrom is the second Audi in the top 10, 11 minutes and 17 seconds behind his Spanish teammate. Ekstrom is one place ahead of two-time defending champion Al-Attiyah, who sits 12 minutes and 16 seconds behind Sainz.
The final Audi in the race, raced by today's winner Peterhansel is currently 9th in the general rankings, 13 minutes and 16 seconds behind his Spanish teammate.
Thoughts About Dakar 2024 Stage 2
The second stage of Dakar 2024 was another exciting one in the sands of Saudi Arabia with Mr Dakar, Stephane Peterhansel equalling yet another Dakar record.
In the bikes category, Hero's Ross Branch just about managed to hang onto the overall top spot with Honda's rampaging Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo storming to victory and 2nd overall.
Tomorrow's stage sees the contestants head towards Al Salamiya, which sits 733km away from today's finishing point. The route includes a 439km long special stage and is the first half of a marathon stage, which means that mechanics will get only two hours to work at the finish of the special before the vehicles enter the Marathon bivouac and parc ferme.
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