Jan 9th, 2016 Dakar Rally Stage 7 Race Info & Discussion

Join in and discuss all the action from Stage 7 of the 2016 Dakar Rally. Robby Gordon finished 50th in Stage 5, and his teammate, Sheldon Creed, finished 37th. The special section of Stage 7 is 353km. Robby Gordon start time: 8:23am/et, Sheldon Creed start time: 8:45am/et.

STAGE 7 TRACKING

STAGE 7: UYUNI > SALTA

Connection 440km | Special Stage 353km | Total 793km

COURSE OVERVIEW

The end of the first week of racing is always a decisive intermediate objective. This year, anyone who has put in the ground work during their preparation and who has respected the major recommendations of the discipline will be able to reach it. However, they still need to get to the end of this exhausting day, which will involve getting their feet wet crossing rivers. It is likely that half of the vehicles will arrive in Salta after nightfall… but perhaps before their assistance teams, who also have a long road ahead of them.

The GREEN section of the route is the connection , the RED is the Special Section of the stage.

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Permalink Reply by CLAUDE on January 10, 2016 at 7:03am

Tomorrows stage is only 3000 to 4000 ft above sea level, watch the non turbo Gordinis and Toyotas all V8's catch up

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Permalink Reply by Mike Kenyon on January 10, 2016 at 4:01pm

Robby Gordon Rebounds at Dakar Rally in Stage 7 to

Finish in the Eleventh Position

SALTA, Argentina (January 9, 2016) – American driver Robby Gordon successfully rebounded from his disappointing finish on Friday in the 38th Dakar Rally with a solid 11th-place finish in his HST Gordini during Stage 7.

Slated to start 50th after a troublesome sixth stage, where Gordon and navigator Kellon Walch was running in the sixth position, became stranded on course out of fuel with less than 50 km left of the stage. Gordon rated as a Dakar Elite driver is allowed to use a mulligan for a poor finish the day before to regain a better starting position.

Electing to use his mulligan Gordon started the seventh stage in the 16 position and raced out to a quick pace keeping with the leaders through KM 150. Knowing once arriving in Salta this evening Gordon and Walch would be able to re-group with the Rest Day scheduled for Sunday, Gordon pressed through the stage looking to keep the Toyo Tires and TRAXXAS backed HST Gordini in the striking distance of the leaders without damaging the race vehicle.

As been the constant theme of the 2016 Dakar, weather once again became a factor in the stage as heavy rain moved in affecting the competitors near Km 200. Gordon known for having a good runs after poor finishes flirted with top-ten the entire stage holding his ground through the challenging terrain and crossing rivers. Gordon finished the Stage in the eleventh position with a time of 3 hours, 29 minutes, 4 seconds, just 10 minutes, and 1 second behind the stage winner. A huge moral booster for Team SPEED after the disappointment of Friday, as the team looks to prepare for the second half of the rally.

Team SPEED teammate Sheldon Creed would start stage 7 in the 38th position after stopping to assist Robby Gordon in the previous stage, really showing positive driving that he has done throughout the rally, Creed would finish the seventh stage in a time of 3 hours, 43 minutes, and 18 seconds in the 21 position, just 24 minutes and 15 seconds behind the winner.

Spains’s Carlos Sainz picked up his first Stage win of 2016, winning Stage 7 in a time of 3 hours, 19 minute, 3 seconds, followed closely by Sebastien Loeb at 3 hours, 19 minutes, 41 seconds, just 38 seconds behind. Qatar driver Nasser Al-Attiyah completed the stage in 3 hours, 22 minutes, and 25 seconds to finish third. Stephan Peterhansel finished fourth with a time of 3 hours, 22 minutes, 30 seconds, while Mikko Hirvonen of Finland would round out the top five in 3 hours, 23 minutes, and 10 seconds.

After seven stages of the 2016 Dakar Rally Loeb has moved back into the overall lead today over Peterhansel by 2 minutes, 22 seconds, followed by Carlos Sainz in the third position 4 minutes, and 50 seconds back. Al-Attiyah holds the fourth position trailing 17 minutes, 36 seconds, while Hirvonen holds the fifth position 32 minutes, 53 seconds behind.

Sunday the eighth consecutive day of the rally, will give Team SPEED a much-needed break in the historic colonial city of Salta. However this is no vacation, the crew will carry out full service of both HST Gordini’s to insure they are prepared to perfection to continue strong the last six stages.