Dakar 2017: Rainouts prompt revised route, longest day yet on Day 7 - MotorSportsTalk

The 38th Dakar Rally is officially past the halfway point with Monday’s Stage 7 now in the books.

The Rally, originally scheduled for 8,782 kilometers (5,456.88 miles), concludes with Stage 12 on Saturday.

But Monday’s stage was different than what was originally planned, as weather forced the route to be changed due to rain in Bolivia. In so doing, the overall length of the race was also extended by 179 kilometers to 8,972 kilometers (5,574 miles).

Calling it an “unprecedented” change, rally organizers combined elements of what was originally scheduled for Stage 6 and 7 after Stage 5 was cut in half due to rain and Stage 6 was completely cancelled, also because of rain.

Per a statement from the ASO, organizers of the Rally, “Following the cancellation of Stage 6 on the eve of the rest day (Sunday), persistent bad weather conditions forced the race directors to change the course of Stage 7 from La Paz to Uyuni. A new course was designed and a new road book was drafted during the rest day.”

Stage 7 was originally planned for a 622-kilometer route from La Paz to the Uyuni Salt Flats.

But with the changes, the new route was lengthened to the longest section of the Rally, 801 kilometers, taking borrowing from parts of a 400 kilometer link scheduled for Stage 6, parts of the originally planned 240-kilometer route for Stage 7 and a special 161 kilometer bridge link between the two segments.

Here’s how Stage 7 played out:

ICYMI: There's a new course for Stage 7. / En caso de que usted lo perdiera, hay un nuevo recorrido para la etapa 7. #Dakar2017 pic.twitter.com/SOjsvp9Tbx

— DAKAR RALLY (@dakar) January 9, 2017

The Peugeots of Stephane Peterhansel and Sebastien Loeb took the top two spots in the Cars class, with Giniel De Villiers taking third.

🏁 STAGE 7 – CARS 🏁
1- @s_peterhansel 🇫🇷
2- @SebastienLoeb 🇫🇷 (+0'48")
3- @TheRealGiniel 🇿🇦 (+3'33")

The French battle lives on. #Dakar2017 pic.twitter.com/CxIj0uCguX

— DAKAR RALLY (@dakar) January 9, 2017

CARS 🚙 – @s_peterhansel doesn't take anything for granted. / Stéphane Peterhansel no da nada por sentado. #Dakar2017 pic.twitter.com/HfgQ46Vvra

— DAKAR RALLY (@dakar) January 9, 2017

3rd on Stage 7 of #Dakar2017 A good day for us. Clean run, and the Hilux ready for tomorrow! #ToyotaGazooSA pic.twitter.com/1yBP87pklJ

— Giniel de Villiers (@TheRealGiniel) January 9, 2017

The ending was the same as halfway, with Peterhansel, Loeb and De Villiers 1-2-3.

🚩 MID-RACE – CARS 🚩
1- @s_peterhansel
2- @SebastienLoeb (+1'20)
3- @TheRealGiniel (+2'22")

Sliding into a 2nd stage win like… #Dakar2017 pic.twitter.com/q5sUSYQCIN

— DAKAR RALLY (@dakar) January 9, 2017

Peterhansel and fellow French co-driver Jean-Paul Cottret remain in the overall lead in Cars.

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As for motorcycles, American Ricky Brabec captured the stage after overall race leader Sam Sunderland inexplicably stopped 38 kilometers into the route. There has been no word yet on what prompted Sunderland to come to a halt.

Even though Sunderland stopped, he resumed on the day and ended third, and remains the overall class leader.

Click here to check out my colleague Tony DiZinno’s story on Brabec’s Stage 7 win.

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In the quads, Sergey Karyakin took the top spot in the overall Rally with a top performance in Stage 7, followed by Axel Dutrie and Ignacio Casale.

🏁 STAGE 7 – QUADS 🏁
1- @Karyakin_s 🇷🇺
2- A. Dutrie 🇫🇷 (+2'59")
3- @IgnacioCasale 🇨🇱 (+9'36")

No, we didn't tag the chess player. #Dakar2017 pic.twitter.com/9XGt5pN9sz

— DAKAR RALLY (@dakar) January 9, 2017

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And in Trucks, it was a three-way sweep by Russian drivers Dmitry Sotnikov, Rusian Akhmadeev and Igor Leonov.

However, Gerard De Rooy remains the overall leader.

Here’s a few other tidbits via social media as we prepare for Stage 8 on Tuesday, which leaves Bolivia and heads into Argentina – the route going from Uyuni to Salta:

Did you know? Stage 5 winner @KeesKoolen has participated in the Dakar in ALL FOUR categories (bikes, cars, trucks and quads.) #Dakar2017 pic.twitter.com/tWo1JEf1sn

— DAKAR RALLY (@dakar) January 9, 2017

And then there was even a special visitor for Stage 7: world windsurfing champion Robby Naish.

World windsurf champ and @redbull ambassador Robby Naish with us. / Robby Naish, campeón mundial de windsurf y embajador #RedBull #Dakar2017 pic.twitter.com/QLRN6CoxJm

— DAKAR RALLY (@dakar) January 9, 2017

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The NTT IndyCar Series will return to the Motor City for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix but with start times in a new location for 2023.

After a 30-year run on Belle Isle, the Detroit GP has moved a few miles south to the streets of downtown on a new nine-turn, 1.645-mile circuit that runs along the Detroit River.

It’s the first time single-seater open-cockpit cars have raced on the streets of Detroit since a CART event on a 2.5-mile downtown layout from 1989-91. Formula One also raced in Detroit from 1982-88.

The reimagined Detroit Grand Prix also will play host to nightly concerts and bring in venders from across the region. Roger Penske predicts the new downtown locale will be bigger for Detroit than when the city played host to the 2006 Super Bowl.

Here are the details and IndyCar start times for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach race weekend (all times are ET):

CHEVROLET DETROIT GRAND PRIX INDYCAR START TIMES

TV: Sunday, 3 p.m. ET on NBC and streaming on Peacock, the NBC Sports App and NBCSports.com. Leigh Diffey is the announcer with analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Dave Burns, Marty Snider and Kevin Lee are the pit reporters. Click here for the full NBC Sports schedule for IndyCar in 2023.

Peacock also will be the streaming broadcast for both practices and qualifying.

POSTRACE SHOW ON PEACOCK: After the race’s conclusion, an exclusive postrace show will air on Peacock with driver interviews, postrace analysis and the podium presentation. To watch the extended postrace show, click over to the special stream on Peacock after Sunday’s race ends.

COMMAND TO START ENGINES: 3:23 p.m. ET

GREEN FLAG: 3:30 p.m. ET

PRACTICE: Friday, 3 p.m. (Peacock Premium); Saturday, 9:05 a.m. (Peacock Premium); Sunday, 10 a.m. (Peacock Premium)

PRACTICE RESULTS: Session I l Session II l Warmup l Combined

QUALIFYING: Saturday, 1:20 p.m. (Peacock Premium)

STARTING LINEUP: Alex Palou captured the first street course pole of his IndyCar career; click here for where everyone will begin Sunday’s race

RACE DISTANCE: The race is 100 laps (170 miles) on a nine-turn, 1.645-mile temporary street course in downtown Detroit.

TIRE ALLOTMENT: Seven sets primary, four sets alternate. Rookie drivers are allowed one extra primary set for the first practice.

PUSH TO PASS: 150 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation (Indy NXT: 150 seconds total, 15 seconds per). The push-to-pass is not available on the initial start or any restart unless it occurs in the final two laps or three minutes of a timed race. The feature increases the power of the engine by approximately 60 horsepower.

FORECAST: According to Wunderground.com, it’s expected to be 80 degrees with a 0% chance of rain.

ENTRY LIST: Click here to view the 27 drivers racing Sunday at Detroit

INDY NXT RACES: Saturday, 12:05 p.m. 45 laps/55 minutes (Peacock Premium); Sunday, 12:50 p.m. 45 laps/55 minutes (Peacock Premium)

INDY NXT ENTRY LIST: Click here to view the 19 drivers racing at Detroit