It was his turn to attack. He was adamant that he had previously preferred to save the stony first two stages, but knew the time had to come. There was no fixed day to attack. It was all about feeling. As soon as he got on the bike and the moment came, he knew that today was his day and felt strongly that he had to work towards it, and he was going to do it. And then the day came. Current Dakar runner-up Tosha Chalayna (March 6, 1995, Valencia) steps up and wins Stage 3the beginning and the end AlUla421km time limited special.

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The Valencian secured a good starting position in fifth place, followed his rivals and closed the gap to his biggest rival for the Dakar victory, leader and reigning champion Daniel Saunders. In a stage where there is a lot of navigation and an unremarkable course can cause a lot of confusion, the Spaniard took advantage of the presence of his rival’s track and launched an attack.

At this stage he didn’t care that Dakar surprised us with another very complex rock area. He knew how to scream so he kept attacking. “I’m here” at the top of my lungs.. The most amazing thing is that he did it despite experiencing a very hard fall at high speed. He jumped off the bike and hit the ground hard. Then, in a huge cloud of dust that kicked up as it touched the ground, it reappeared as if it were made of steel, mounted the bike as if nothing had happened, and accelerated again. Motorcycle riders are a different breed.

Tosha Chalayna wins stage ahead of Honda teammate And another favorite, He had a 2 minute 17 second lead over two-time Dakar champion Ricky Brabec. Leader Daniel Saunders finished third on his KTM with a time of 3 minutes 28 seconds.. The Australian showed why he is the man to win this Dakar. After winning Stage 2, he took on the challenge of opening the course and taking the lead in the special, showing a steady lead. Apparently he has no interest in leading. He already showed last year that he is capable of overcoming and giving maximum effort even in difficult situations. The bonus given to the leading driver thus enabled him to finish third and maintain first place overall, allowing him to return to the offensive from the third starting point of tomorrow’s Stage 4, the crucial first half of Dakar’s first marathon stage.

Saunders is the leader with a 1:07 lead over Brabec and 1:13 over Tosha Chalayna.. meanwhile, After a complicated day with a lot of learning, Edgar Canet lost momentum and sank to fourth place overall with a time of 8 minutes 46 seconds.with KTM teammate Luciano Benavidez over 11 minutes behind, taking fifth place overall.

Tomorrow, the first half of the marathon stage: Tosha begins

In tomorrow’s stage four, the pilots will have no team support and will have to repair their bikes themselves in a bare-bones camp with tents, sleeping bags and military rations.

In that sense, the first part of the marathon stage (Stage 4) is longer than the second part (Stage 5), and Daniel could use that to further his advantage. Or maybe Tosha can, if she can overcome the difficult task of opening. Winning the stage will give you a first start on this complex stage 4 and potentially earn you a ton of bonus time if you can set a good pace from the start without being overtaken by anyone while maintaining high concentration on navigating according to the roadbook. It may be the key to your success.

Motorcycle racing has two very different dynamics. It’s the same old game. Whoever wins one day opens the field and makes concessions the next day. The person who knows best how to manage these profits and losses without suffering accidents and disasters will win this Dakar. In that sense, when Tosha and Brabec attack, Saunders will defend himself, and vice versa. Honda made a comeback this time, but it should be the other way around in Stage 4. Each has already marked the strategy. This will ensure that the pieces are placed on the board.

Edgar Kane: A complex and educational day

Guaranteed by Dr. Edgar Canet He never doubted that his speed would make him one of the best in the world. What I thought I lacked was the patience of Saunders, Tosha and Brabec. Ride fast every day on all types of terrain with few navigation errors. The 20-year-old achieved historic and spectacular results in the first two stages, but remembered that it was important to keep learning if he was to win the Dakar in the future. And that’s what he did in stage three.

In the second stage, Edgar Canet opened the track with a lead start, and after two falls, Saunders, who had started second, caught up to him. In Stage 3, the order was reversed, with Saunders starting first and Canet second. I wanted to catch up with him and sail with him. But money couldn’t catch up with the Australiansespecially after the refueling area. He struggled to find his line and rhythm, and although he was gunning for a podium spot, he ended up losing an 11:44 lead, leaving him 8:46 behind the leader. Perhaps Saunders’ perfection lies in what separates his top-level drivers from those still developing, no matter where they come from.

No one would ask a 20-year-old to win the Dakar. That would be crazy. After a great start, whatever he does will do well. But above all, learn to train for the future.

“To be honest, today’s stage was very long and very difficult. I felt very good at the beginning, but until the refueling it was a good pace.”“I couldn’t catch Daniel Saunders and there was only one line in front of me, but the navigation was very good and I felt very comfortable, but after refueling I lost the line a little bit. I haven’t found my rhythm,” he said upon reaching the finish line.

“There were a lot of rocks and it was very dangerous, so I increased the accelerator a little.”but I can’t get the rhythm with the navigation, and if I stop pressing it, I lose concentration and get lost. “It was a little difficult to get here in the end and it was very long, but I think today will be a very important day for the Dakar. We were able to arrive safely without touching the ground (without falling), which is important.”finished edgar.