The cancellation of Stage 7 for both the bike and quad categories gave riders an unexpected day off on Sunday (AEDT), but business quickly resumed in frantic fashion once the 822.94-kilometre journey from Al Duwadimi to Riyadh got underway.
Sanders, who had been struggling with illness, seemed to benefit from the break and produced one of his most impressive performances yet to take close to 12 minutes back on Howes’ overall advantage.
A 346km special formed part of the rain-affected route but that didn’t deter the 28-year-old GasGas rider who finished 3’15” behind Branch – the Botswanan’s stunning burst to the finish giving Hero MotoSports their second-ever stage win.
“Damn, it was pretty wet out there this morning,” Sanders said. “For the guys out first, it must have been pretty bad and navigating was tough because of the rain and sand on the goggles.
“But overall, it’s been a good day. I was fortunate to get a bit of a recovery day yesterday, and I used that time to get some rest and I was able to keep what I ate and drank down, so coming into today things were a lot better.
“We have another rest day tomorrow, so I think going into next week we’ll be much closer to 100 per cent and I’m excited for week two now that I’m feeling a lot more like myself.”
Fellow Australian Toby Price (Red Bull KTM) endured a more difficult outing up front but was happy to finish the day unscathed in 17th place despite incurring a one-minute time penalty for speeding.
The 35-year-old had to contend with several navigation issues but managed to limit his losses in the general classification, with the two-time Dakar winner now fourth and just 1’58” behind Howes.
“I’m definitely looking forward to the rest day now – time to relax and get sorted for the second week of racing,” Price said.
“I lost a little time today riding up near the front, but my overall position is still decent. In the leading group today we were leaving perfect tracks for the guys behind to follow, so it was inevitable that we would lose some minutes.
“The rocks were super-slippery, too, which meant it was best just to ease off a little rather than risk a crash. A bit of care now can pay off a lot by the end of the race.”
Howes also handled the eighth stage with care, finishing 1’33” behind Price to preserve his overall lead and regroup in time for a final week of racing that promises to go down to the wire.
Catch the stage highlights tonight from 5pm (AEDT) on SBS and any time on SBS On Demand.
