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Car #246 recovers from trouble and achieves top time in the production car category in the SS
Car #250 maintains the lead in cumulative ranking for production car category
Destination changed to Riyadh due to inclement weather

Issue #7:January 7, 2023

Miura and Lichtleuchter, who had some drivetrain trouble on January 5 in car #246 on the SS (competition stage), were able to make repairs just in time for the start at the bivouac and continued the rally. The issues they had yesterday had absolutely no effect on this stage, and they had a smooth run which saw them finish in 102nd place overall and 1st place in the production car category. Ronald Basso and Jean-Michel Polato in car #250 finished in 120th place overall and continued at 2nd in the category.

For the cumulative rankings, these results put car #250 at 104th place overall and 1st in the production car category, and car #246 at 129th overall and 2nd in the category. Car #246 failed to pass a control on the previous day, resulting in a penalty which affected their overall ranking, but TLC still maintains their one-two lead in the production car category.
The original destination for this stage was Al Duwadimi, but the recent rainfall over the last few days has flooded the bivouac areas, so the organizers quickly decided to change the destination to Riyadh, the bivouac location from January 8. This cuts the second half of the SS by about 100km and brings the liaison heading to Riyadh to a 298km length. The total distance of the stage is 918km, making it the longest stage of the rally.

The SS started on a high-speed track on sandy terrain and quickly entered a dune section. At the end, the route had teams climbing up rocks to a plateau, leading them to the finish. It wasn’t raining, but the moisture in the sand made it firm, resulting in a relatively easy run. TLC took to this long stage at a calm pace, and both cars made it to the finish without any punctures or other issues.

With the destination being changed from Al Duwadimi to Riyadh, the routes for January 7-8 will now take participants from Riyadh to Al Duwadimi and back. On the 7th, the 333km competition stage runs from Riyadh to Al Duwadimi. It’s a marathon stage at Al Duwadimi, which means there will be no assistance teams, but there is a 2-hour window for any work that needs to be done at the service park after the SS is over.

Miura (driver): We had absolutely no trouble with the car. I was both relieved and thankful at the same time for the team of mechanics who worked hard all night. We had no punctures, and we didn’t get stuck. It was a good day.

Basso (driver): It was another long but good day. We had a steady and trouble-free run with no punctures, and we made it through the stage without getting stuck. I was a little concerned about some damage to the front and rear bumpers after crossing the dunes.