IMAGE: The 57 yr previous Sanjay Takale and his race associate Maxime Raud have been main the H3 Class earlier than being pressured to retire. {Photograph}: BCCI
Indian rally driver Sanjay Takale has withdrawn from the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia after a significant mechanical problem pressured an early halt.
The 57-year-old, competing alongside Maxime Raud of France, retired following an engine-related failure encountered upon arrival on the bivouac after Stage 3. The difficulty couldn’t be resolved, bringing their run within the Dakar Traditional class to a detailed.
The rally received underway from Yanbu, Saudi Arabia on January 3.
The withdrawal got here at a very unlucky stage, as Takale was main the H3 class on the time. He had delivered an distinctive efficiency within the opening levels, topping the Prologue and sustaining class management by Levels 1, 2, and three.
“It is a very robust method to finish our Dakar,” stated Takale in a launch.
“We have been in a powerful place and main the H3 class, however sadly the engine problem meant we couldn’t proceed. That is the character of Dakar, generally it checks the machine greater than the motive force.”
The retirement of the Takale-Raud crew reshapes the H3 class contest, with focus now shifting to the remaining contenders because the Dakar Rally 2026 continues.
The Dakar, one of many world’s most demanding motorsport occasions, covers levels throughout sand dunes, rocks and different terrain over two weeks. The rally will conclude on January 17.
