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(APA) – Two navigation errors caused Matthias Walkner to drop from third to ninth place overall at the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Salzburg finished the fourth stage from Neom over 676 kilometers – 453 of which were temporary – only 26th after Al-Ula.
Walkner tried to find a good mix of navigation and speed. Up to two thirds of the section, the 33-year-old was still in promising fourth position before the two mistakes cost him a lot of time. Walkner lost more than 20 minutes to his victorious KTM team-mate Sam Sunderland.
“It was an extremely arduous and long day for me, and this huge loss of time is very frustrating,” said Walkner. “I was really good up to km 292, and the navigation worked well. I made a mistake shortly before the fuel stop and turned wrong into a canyon. I then tried there for 13 minutes to find the right way again, ”said the Kuchler.
The second carver then ran under him 20 kilometers from the finish. “I was unable to find the waypoint immediately and left time again. It was just not inside anymore (…). The days are so long and hard, it is brutal and it is difficult to keep up the concentration. Two short moments of concentration and you are immediately on the wrong route and lose a lot of time, ”said Walkner, who still has eight stages to catch up.
“This race has surprises every day. In the past, we have repeatedly seen how quickly things can change. I am positive, continue to fight and will do my best every day. We will be billed when we cross the finish line, ”the 2018 Dakar winner knows.
Article picture: GEPA
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