Carlos Sainz and Nani Roma suffer punctures and go into survival mode on a great day for Toyota

Carlos Sainz and Nani Roma They had a difficult day in stage 2 Dakar 2026. Both drivers had warned for days about difficulties on the third stage, with the Madrid native saying he didn’t want to open the track even in the paint. Things were tough from the start, but the two Spaniards were able to save the day and stay on course ahead of stage three, which promises to be very emotional.

Carlos Sainz suffers a puncture in the first half of the specialUnfortunately, after passing through the tire change area, he suffered a slow puncture and was forced to stop for a second time.

The torture experienced by the two Ford drivers on the first stony stretch is very evident when: Nani RomaI swore I had a flat tire at 20km and 80km and arrived at the tire change area without a spare wheel and had to slow down until I could load the new tire and accelerate again.

Thus, both had to grit their teeth and go into survival mode, minimizing losses and saving the day in order to survive with over 11 stages of battle left.

“We had two punctures, one in the first half and a slow puncture in the second half, so we had to stop. Unfortunately, well… there were a lot of stones,” said Carlos Sainz at the goal line, regretting what had happened.

“It was one of those stages where I didn’t really want to feel it. I had a puncture once at 20km and then another puncture at 80km. And the spare wheel was already gone, so luckily I replaced it during the service (in the pit stop area), but this is what it is. Nani Roma pointed out his role.

“We’ve all been in the same place and that’s the way it is. Tomorrow will be another day. We’ve had the last two days very worried about not losing any more time with a puncture and now we’re here.”added the Folgerol native, after a day in which Toyota shone brighter than ever, destroying everything and finishing in the top five of the stages.

Toyota presentation benefiting nacelle

The second stage was won by young Seth Quintero vs. Lategan (2nd), Toby Price (co-driving with Monleón, 3rd), reigning champion Al Rajhi (4th) and young Portuguese Joao Ferreira (5th). Meanwhile, Mr. CAlloz Sainz reached the finish line outside the top 15 in 11 minutes and 42 seconds, with Nani Roma just behind him in 11 minutes and 48 seconds. In this way, both teams lost more than four and a half minutes. Dakar 2026’s new overall leader Nasser Al-Attiyah finished eighth after the second stage, managing his pace to avoid a puncture. Meanwhile, Loeb was in 7th place It took Carlos and Nani over eight minutes on stage.

Here it is, Nasser led the race by just seven seconds over Quintero (second place) and was happy to get through the stage without any problems. De Möbius took 3rd place overall, while Lategan took 4th and 5th place. find sebastian Loeb was 1 minute 57 seconds, followed by Joao Ferreira in 6th place in 2 minutes 01 seconds, and Price and Armando Monleon in 7th place in 2 minutes 42 seconds. Very tight throughout.

Despite the complex situation, Carlos Sainz and Nani Roma were able to protect their ballots. The Madrid native placed 10th at just 6’35”. There is still a whole rally left, more distance than can be bridged. and Nani Roma placed 11th at 7’14”.

Good news for Carlos Sainz and Nani Roma will have very late starting positions in the third stage. As such, they are avoiding the need to open the trail on a very sensitive day, which David Castella has long warned will increase in difficulty, with more questions about obscure trails and between canyons, especially in terms of navigation. The bad news for both parties is that due to Toyota’s performance, Al-Attiyah’s starting position will no longer be at the front and he won’t have to open the track. Qatar will start eighth in the starting order, with seven cars in front of him, just behind the other Dacia and Loeb. Therefore, Qatar was able to attack with all its might and defend itself from Carlos’ attack. If Carlos wants to protect himself until Week 2, he may have to change plans.

And take note of Nasser’s warning. He asserts that stage 3 is “key.” “From the beginning we didn’t want to run wild and avoid punctures. That’s what we want to do in the next couple of days and then find our rhythm. I’m very happy. Everyone started after me, but it wasn’t a problem.” Tomorrow will be a big day for the Dakar. Because today is a very difficult navigation day. This field is not easy. We did a good job,” said the five-time Dakar champion, who is aiming to regain the title, for the first time in Dacia.

Meanwhile, Christina Gutierrez was 19th in the special, but finished the day in 15th overall.

Have a nice day for the fully adapted Laia Sanz.

Lia Sanz Want to go from less to more while behind the wheel of a new car Ebrohis debut in a top category car (T1+), and despite having little experience with this vehicle, he passed the difficult Stage 2 test with flying colors.

The Catalan finished close to the top 20, 13 minutes and 59 seconds behind the winner, placing him 22nd overall and 23 minutes behind the leader, just above the reigning champion. Al Rajhi.