• Sainz finishes second, Peterhansel third
• Eighth place for Vasilyev in the MINI JCW Rally

After 374 kilometres against the clock, the two MINI JCW Buggy crews finished second and third on leg eight, from Sakaka to Neom. Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz (both ESP) were second fastest, ahead of their team-mates Stéphane Peterhansel and Edouard Boulanger (both FRA). Vladimir Vasilyev (RUS) and Dmitry Tsyro (UKR) ended the stage in eighth place in their MINI JCW Rally. They currently lie sixth in the overall standings, having closed the gap to the fifth-placed car by about 15 minutes today.

Monday was a satisfactory day for Sainz and Cruz. They made it through the stage without any major issues and crossed the finish line in second place, ensuring they remain comfortable in third place in the overall standings.

Peterhansel and Boulanger were second onto the stage. However, the French pair found themselves opening the route from about the halfway point. As a result, they were the first to be faced with some challenging navigation, giving the competitors who started behind them a definite advantage. While Peterhansel was still in contention for the stage win early on, he ultimately had to settle for third place.

Carlos Sainz: “That was not a bad day for us. We had one flat tyre and the navigation was a bit tricky at one point. However, I cannot complain.”

Stéphane Peterhansel: “We started second, but then had to open the route later on. I made a few mistakes on the final 50 kilometres, as I did not follow the instructions from my co-driver. We lost a few minutes there. However, we are still in the battle for the overall victory, and it is almost impossible to get through a day of the Dakar without any mistakes.”

The teams spend another day in Neom tomorrow, having already spent the marathon leg there. The drivers face a 574-kilometre loop around the Saudi city, with 465 of those kilometres against the clock. The leg takes the competitors along the banks of the Red Sea, mainly on sandy routes.

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Result of SS8
1. N. Al-Attiyah (QAT) / M. Baumel (FRA) – Toyota – 2h 56m 56s
2. C. Sainz /ESP) / L. Cruz (ESP) – MINI JCW Buggy – 2h 57m 48s
3. S. Peterhansel (FRA) / E. Boulanger (FRA) – MINI JCW Buggy – 2h 59m 59s
4. K. Al Qassimi (UAE) / X. Panseri (FRA) – Peugeot -3h 09m 40s
5. C. Despres (FRA) / M. Horn (CHE) – Peugeot – 3h 09m 45s
…
8. V. Vasilyev (RUS) / D. Tsyro (UKR) – MINI JCW Rally – 3h 16m 01s
…
21. D. Krotov (RUS) / O. Uperenko (RUS) – MINI JCW Rally – 3h 32m 21s
…
27. G. Spinelli (BRA) / Y. Haddad (BRA) – MINI ALL4 Racing – 3h 39m 03s
…
29. V. Khoroshavtsev (RUS) / A. Nikolaev (RUS) – MINI JCW Rally – 3h 41m 04s

Overall standings after SS8
1. S. Peterhansel (FRA) / E. Boulanger (FRA) – MINI JCW Buggy – 29h 36m 49s
2. N. Al-Attiyah (QAT) / M. Baumel (FRA) – Toyota – 29h 41m 39s
3. C. Sainz /ESP) / L. Cruz (ESP) – MINI JCW Buggy – 30h 15m 44s
4. J. Przygonski (POL) / T. Gottschalk (GER) – Toyota – 31h 14m 57s
5. N. Roma (ESP) / A. Winocq (FRA) – Prodrive BRX Hunter – 32h 07m 18s
6. V. Vasilyev (RUS) / D. Tsyro (UKR) – MINI JCW Rally – 32h 18m 49s
…
18. G. Spinelli (BRA) / Y. Haddad (BRA) – MINI ALL4 Racing – 34h 50m 27s
…
24. V. Khoroshavtsev (RUS) / A. Nikolaev (RUS) – MINI JCW Rally – 36h 41m 54s
…
31. D. Krotov (RUS) / O. Uperenko (RUS) – MINI JCW Rally – 38h 56m 28s

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