Stage 7 race discussion of the 2011 Dakar Rally. Eliseo Salazar is currently 52nd overall & will start 35th (7:52am/et) . Live raceday chat will be open in the morning.Team HUMMER driver Robby Gordon is not a scored competitor throughout the remainder of the rally.
STAGE 7: Arica > Antofagasta
Connection 208km | Special Stage 273km | Total 481km
Course Overview
STAGE CHANGES
The rally raid organizers have decided to start the second week of race by removing the second part of the 7th special stage between Arica and Antofagasta.So, after a 272.68 km special stage, the rally raid contenders will drive in liaison up to the bivouac.Although the 7th stage will remain really difficult, the adjustment - made possible by the way the rally raid has been designed with two special stages on certain days - will allow contenders to recover and get into the pace of an intense second week of race.
The competitors will get back to business with the longest special stage of the rally, which marks the start of a very selective sequence. Two timed sections will be on the menu, with a section of two halves for the morning. The bikers will have to tackle an endurance type route lasting for around forty kilometres. Even the most physically fit will be exhausted by this excursion through the canyons. The finish of this first portion will take place on the ocean’s shores, as the vehicles dive down from the dunes along an especially steep slope towards the finish. The tracks of the second section are quicker and the riders and drivers will no doubt cross the finishing line of the special stage to applause at the racing track.
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