Sparks fly when Al Attiyah and Nani Roma meet for the first time, Sainz keeps his pulse racing ahead of the marathon stage

Nani Roma and Carlos Sainz They guaranteed that Stage 8 would begin a series of “decisive” three days. dakar 2026, That was to mark the winner of this test. Above all, Monday’s day was extremely important in terms of starting order and strategy for the 9th and 10th stages that make up the marathon stage. Also david castella It warned the pilots of the difficulties they would face when navigating between canyons, with all kinds of routes and even stages with formidable rocks. But in the end, this day became more of a transition day than anything else.

This Monday was a fast-paced special that postponed the real battle for the title to the marathon stage. Of course, in the meeting between Nani Roma and the general leader, Nasser Al-Attiyahengaged in an initial scuffle in which both sides wanted to mark territory. It was the closest thing to a real pre-fight boxing weigh-in, taking place during the first part of the marathon stage (without mechanical assistance at the end of the day) that will see both men enter the ring this Tuesday.

The problem for both men is that this is not a boxing match. In addition to that, there will also be wrestling matches in the coming days with a number of fighters having the option to give anyone a right hand that can knock them out. It seems unbelievable, but even after eight long days, the distance between some of the favorites is still bridgeable, and anything can happen ahead of the marathon stage, which looks especially complicated, and the 11th day, when stones can cause a number of punctures.

Nani conceded about two minutes to Nasser after encountering his opponent on the course. ”We passed by several times. ”When we reached the finish line, the man from Folgerol said: The error was made because there was little visibility between the valleys and it was certain that we would be in harm’s way on this encounter by following Nasser through the dust. And in front of the Spanish press, he went further and assured that: nacelle It caught up with him, so he had to let it escape, and in order to follow the right path without chasing his dust. They did not know whether to follow him or not and chose a different path which was wrong. After that, the two met again and passed each other several times.

In some cases, they rolled so close and parallel that they almost touched. “We even greeted each other,” the Catalan said, warning that the footage would be spectacular. ”“It’s like a motocross race.”

Finally, Nasser knocked on the lookout and Nani had to let him through, but both had already sent messages of strength to each other. Of course, those spikes put them both at a disadvantage.

“It was a long and difficult stage. I was overtaken by Nasser and we both went on the wrong track. We lost a bit of time because of the dust at the top, but that’s the way it is. Tomorrow is another marathon. I’m happy. I made a few mistakes after the dust from Nasser, but that’s part of the game.” The Catalan, who is fourth in class at 9 minutes 37 seconds, said he was behind the Qataris and the still-contesting boogeymen on stage nine and could be given a chance to attack.

nacelle Maintained lead for 4 minutes Ekström (Ford) and Henk Lategan He cut down on the time lost due to trouble the previous day and finished third overall with a time of 6 minutes 08 seconds. The South African looked like he was going to win the stage, but he was surprised in the end. ValiawaExtreme took that award by just 2 seconds.

Sainz waits before attacking

rear Nani Roma4th place with a time of 9 minutes 37 seconds. Carlos SainzAfter a day in which he maintained almost the same distance as the leader, he was still fighting for fifth place with a time of 10 minutes and 39 seconds, losing only 13 seconds to Nasser.

“I’m happy. We’ve finished another long stage. There are a lot of stones, a little bit. It’s a complicated stage, but I’m happy. Next is the marathon stage,” Carlos Sainz said, happy to have managed to maintain the same distance before taking on the marathon stage, which is difficult but looks for a possible comeback.

The starting order of the marathon stage is key.

Nani Roma was ninth in stage eight of the Dakar, so he will start from that position for the first marathon part of the ninth day of the rally. He does so by following the footsteps of all enemies to attack. Carlos Sainz is scheduled to start in fifth or sixth place, which is very good for Nasser, and will be able to protect himself from the Madrid-native in the first half of the marathon. Beyond that, there will be a difficult task ahead for Ekström, who started in second place and may have to open up the track at some point, and Rategab, who started in third place.

However, remember that this is always a “yo-yo”. Carlos Sainz believes it will be more complicated than Stage 9, with those who gained the most time on stage 9 likely to run into trouble on stage 10. This point may indicate the strategies of both parties. Carlos knows that Nasser needs to go through some setbacks in order to have more options, but at the same time he needs to push through everything just like Nani. Anything can happen in Dakar. The feelings remain. The queen stage has arrived.