Sam Sunderland must come back from Dakar Rally pack after Stage 2 stumble

The local rallying favourite based out of Dubai got lost 70 kilometres from the finish line on Monday during the second stage of the Dakar Rally, losing two hours after he won Stage 1 on Sunday.

Sam Sunderland shown riding during Day 2 of the Dakar Rally on Monday. Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Getty Images / January 5, 2015
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After the highs of a perfect first day to the Dakar Rally, local favourite Sam Sunderland experienced the lows on Day 2 yesterday.

When the Dakar resumed on Tuesday, Sunderland was 2 hours 25 minutes 7 seconds behind the lead, where he ended the first day.

After winning the opening stage on Sunday, on Monday the Dubai-based motorcycle driver "experienced disillusion by getting lost for a (very) long time 70km from the finish" according to the Dakar Rally website.

The slip up dropped Sunderland, a KTM rider, back to 67th overall, as he finished 72nd in the second stage. Time-wise, it cost Sunderland about 2hrs 23mins on new leader Joan Barreda, whom Sunderland had led by 1min 41secs after Day 1.

The mishap has likely precluded Sunderland from having any chance of winning the 2015 Dakar Rally.

He wasn’t alone, at least, as Spanish defending champion Marc Coma experienced tyre problems himself – though he merely fell back to sixth after losing about 12 minutes.

Sunderland has a long, long way to climb back, but can begin to try to do so on Tuesday in the 220km Stage 3 from San Juan to Chilecito, Argentina.

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