Rally hopes end in the mud

Argentinian biker Franco Caimi crashed during Stage 7 of the 2018 Dakar Rally last Saturday. The Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team rider got into trouble over 200km before the finish of the stage when he got stuck in a deep pool of mud and was unable to continue. He will have to sit out the rest of the rally.

The seventh stage of the 40th Dakar Rally featured a 585km run from Uyuni, Bolivia, to Tupiza. Along with high altitude - the entire stage took place at over 3,700m above sea level - cold and rain elevated the already gruelling race to a whole new level of misery.

Yesterday's stage 9 from Tupiza to Salta in Argentina was cancelled due to bad weather, and the race resumes today at the 10th stage between Salta and Belen in Argentina.

Sports' most demanding rally started in Lima on Jan 6, and will cover more than 9,000km. There are now five more competitive sections before the finish in Cordoba, Argentina, on Saturday.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 16, 2018, with the headline Rally hopes end in the mud. Subscribe