Dakar 2020: Carlos Sainz, Ricky Brabec And Andrey Karginov Win Stage 3

The gruelling challenge of Dakar 2020 continued with stage three (out of a total of 12) that covered a distance of 427km on a loop from and to Neom. In this stage, consistency played dividends as established front runners delivered dominant performances. Here is how it transpired. 

Cars

The cars category ended up being a closely contested battle between Toyota and Mini early on, but Carlos Sainz of X-Raid Mini took the 33rd Dakar Rally stage win of his career. Following him was  teammate Stephane Peterhansel to make it a Mini 1-2. Toyota’s Nasser Al-Attiyah rounded off the podium with Fernando Alonso making a great comeback to 4th after a difficult second stage. The same can’t be said for stage two winners Giniel de Villiers and Orlando Terranova who finished 12th and 10th, respectively. 

Bikes 

Among the bikers a dominant ride by Ricky Brabec saw him win by a margin of nearly 10 minutes over teammate Jose Ignacio Cornejo, which resulted in a Honda 1-2. Mathias Walkner from the factory KTM squad completed the podium. Stage two winner Ross Branch faced a difficult third, as a fall left him with an injured shoulder. He eventually finished 55th. Two-time winner Toby Price’s struggles continued as the reigning Dakar champion finished the stage 35 minutes behind Brabec.  

Trucks

In the Trucks category, Andrey Karginov topped stage three, with stage two winner Siarhei Viazovich keeping up his consistent form to take second place.  The opening stage winner Anton Shibalov had a better third stage, taking the final podium spot. 

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