Jan 5th, 2016 Dakar Rally Stage 3 Race Info & Discussion

Join in and discuss all the action from Stage 3 of the 2016 Dakar Rally. Robby Gordon finished 22nd in Stage 2, and his teammate, Sheldon Creed, finished 33rd. The special section of Stage 3 is 314km. Robby Gordon start time: 9:42am/et, Sheldon Creed start time: 9:51am/et. Raceday chat will be available throughout the entire 2016 Dakar Rally.

2016 Stage 2 Photos

STAGE 3 TRACKING

STAGE 3: TERMAS DE RIO HONDO > SAN SALVADOR DE JUJUY

Connection 349km | Special Stage 314km | Total 663km

COURSE OVERVIEW

The format is tighter for the day’s race against the clock... as are the mountain tracks featuring in the special section. Experts in sliding and on the road will be able to showcase their skills here, as long as they stay constantly focused. Those hunting down the leaders will be on high alert during this route, which has been designed for opportunists. But the programme could also be transformed by any rain: even the strongest competitors do not necessarily perform well on heavy ground.

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

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Carl Abrams on January 6, 2016 at 8:10am

He rolled off 19th.

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Permalink Reply by Carl Abrams on January 6, 2016 at 8:10am

Woohoo that is a good sign so far.

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Permalink Reply by Carl Abrams on January 6, 2016 at 8:13am

Sainz lost 3:13 from wp1 to wp2

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Permalink Reply by Carl Abrams on January 6, 2016 at 8:19am

Creed rolls off 28th

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Permalink Reply by Carl Abrams on January 6, 2016 at 8:20am

Should be 8 or 9 min for RG to wp1

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Permalink Reply by Mike Kenyon on January 6, 2016 at 8:21am

@Carl, jump over to the 4th stage thread,please

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Permalink Reply by Carl Abrams on January 6, 2016 at 8:22am

thought I was

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Permalink Reply by Carl Abrams on January 6, 2016 at 8:22am

wondered where everyone went

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Permalink Reply by Levi Pal on January 6, 2016 at 10:20am

Penalty seems to have been given out for something on Stage 2.

See link below for the stage 2 ranking:
http://www.dakar.com/dakar/2016/us/stage-300/rankings/stage-cars.html

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Permalink Reply by Mike Kenyon on January 6, 2016 at 11:08am

Robby Gordon Finishing 16th and Sheldon Creed 25th

SAN SALVADOR DE JUJUY, Argentina (January 5, 2016) – Team SPEED drivers Robby Gordon and Sheldon Creed successfully rebounded from Stage 2 struggles in the 38th Annual Dakar Rally to finish the weather shortened Stage 3 from Termas De Rio Hondo to San Salvador De Jujuy respectively in the 16th and 25th positions.

Robby Gordon, starting 24th after a troublesome second stage, which involved getting stuck in the mud and loosing 15 minutes to the leaders, would manage to drive aggressively and overtake 8 cars in Tuesday’s weather shortened 200 km (124.3 mi) special, which presented slick course conditions and difficult visibility for a second day.

Gordon’s finishing time of 2 hours, 19 minutes and 7 seconds cut valuable time off his deficit to the leaders, and would give Gordon a much better starting position in Wednesday’s loop stage.

Team SPEED teammate Sheldon Creed after being accessed a 3-minute penalty after Monday’s Stage 2, Creed would start in the 37th position on Tuesday.

Showing the world why he is the 2015 Stadium SUPER Trucks champion and X-Games Gold Medalist, Creed did not let his age and lack of rally experience get in his way advancing twelve positions to finish with a time of 2 hours 24 minutes, 20 seconds, just 14 minutes, and 41 seconds behind the leader.

France’s Sebastien Loeb would win the stage in a time of 2 hours, 9 minutes, 39 seconds. Spain’s Carlos Sainz followed at 2 hours, 11 minutes , 2 seconds while defending Dakar Champion Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar ran the stage in 2 hours, 11 minutes, and 4 seconds to finish third. Giniel de Villiers of South Africa finished fourth with a time of 2 hours, 11 minutes, 41 seconds, while Mikko Hirvonen of Finland finish fifth in 2 hours, 12 minutes, and 28 seconds.

After two stages Loeb holds the overall lead over de Villiers by 5 minutes, and 3 seconds. Followed by France’s Stephan Peterhansel in third 5 minutes, and 5 seconds back. Hirvonen holds the fourth position 5 minutes, 52 seconds behind, while Al-Attiyah rounds out the top five 6 minutes, and 39 seconds back. Robby Gordon sits in the seventeenth overall position 27 minutes, and 25 seconds behind, with teammate Sheldon Creed holds the twenty-ninth position 53 minutes, 40 seconds behind leader Loeb.

Wednesday’s fourth stage (629 km/391 mi, with a 429 km/ 266 mi special) will take drivers around a loop beginning in San Salvador De Jujuy, and traveling well into the Andes Mountains reaching elevations of 3,500 meters (11,483 feet). This will be a challenge not only the drivers, but the cars as well. The high altitude mixed with the summer temperatures of the southern hemisphere, and the incessant changes in pace resulting from alternating sandy and rocky terrain will have exhausted drivers and cars itching to return back to the San Salvador De Jujuy bivouac for the night.