Today was the second half of the marathon stage. If you had issues on the first half you now have another 744 kilometers to go before you get back to the bivouac where the crew awaits. During the night Casey and Sean went over the car and made sure everything was dialed in and ready for the stage ahead of them.
“Keep your eyes peeled as the day begins with a spectacle that lasts for 80 kilometers: the finest dunes of the country. Over such a distance the risk of lingering too long on a mound of sand to take in the sights is real. The competitors will then follow in the footsteps of the first black gold prospectors who explored the region. The marathon stage comes to a close.” – Dakar
Stage 11 Terrain Breakdown
- 55% Sand
- 35% Dunes
- 10% Soil
Casey started the special with a simple motto, be smart. The 379 kilometers of sand, dunes and soil would be no easy task with multiple racers losing heaps of time. Casey and Sean would play things safe and take a smooth and conservative pace through the stage. They would lose time to Francisco Contardo Lopez who was on a tear trying to make up for yesterdays harsh stage, he would be able to gain back 17 minutes on the overall standings. Casey was able to keep pace with second place overall Sergei Kariakin and only lost a minute on the overall lead. Casey and Sean now have a 45 minute lead for the last stage tomorrow.
“Alright Day 11 is done. We made it back from marathon stage. It was a good day, we stuck with our teammate and had a good day. A lot of sand dunes! We didn’t push hard but enough to keep our lead where it was at. One more day of racing and let’s get this wrapped up!” – Casey
One stage to go!
Stage 11 SSV Results
- Francisco Lopez Contardo 4h 59m 51s
- Aron Domzala +10m 53s
- Conrad Rautenbach +12m 36s
- Jose Hinojo Lopez +13m 14s
- Jesus Puras +13m 14s
- Casey Currie +17m 26s
SSV Overall Results After Stage 11
- Casey Currie 51h 39m 32s
- Sergei Kariakin +45m 33s
- Francisco Lopez Contardo +57m 32s
- Conrad Rautenbach +1h 16m 38s
- Jose Hinojo Lopez +01h 18m 32s
Story and photos courtesy of CaseyCurrie.com
