After taking a day off, the Africa Eco Race resumed with a short but very fast transnational adventure. By the end of Sunday, Tomáš Ouředníček could breathe a sigh of relief for more reasons than making it as far as he did last year without his engine grenading.

In what is by far the closest finish of the rally so far, Ouředníček narrowly held off Christian Femont for the car victory by just eight seconds. Ouředníček’s Hilux and Femont’s Mini were also the fastest in top speed by a wide margin as the only cars going faster than 137 km/h (Ouředníček at 137.7, Femont at 137.4); for comparison, third-placed David Gerard went 134.2 km/h.

The bikes were a bit more moderate compared to their four-wheeled counterparts, but still set heaters. This was especially apparent among the Yamahas as most riders maxed out at 120 km/h, while teammates Gautier Paulin and Alessandro Botturi respectively exceeded that at 127.9 and 123.6.

“The speed warning light came on frequently,” Anders Berglund recalled. He finished 39th overall and 24th for 450cc. “Can’t understand how the fast guys can go this fast without going over 150 km.

“A few guys crashed in front of me. A few close calls today but no crash. Overall, a good day.”

Jean-Loup Lepan was fourth to build upon his overall lead. Kevin Gallas fell from second to fourth as Thomas Marini and Jacopo Cerutti moved past him in the general, the latter also taking the Over 650cc lead.

“I tried to maintain a steady pace throughout the special stage without pushing myself too hard, and tomorrow we will start in a good position,” Cerutti explained. “The race is still long. I’m doing my best to ride well and avoid mistakes. We’ll see what the final result is.”

Even with the short length, there were some DNFs. Tomáš Tomeček spent his Sunday carrying two AER Historic retirements to the bivouac: Bart Vanhaverbeke’s Mercedes SLC rode on the flatbed, while Tom Lloyd Owen’s Range Rover was towed by Tomeček’s truck since there was no more room on the bed.

Despite how quick the 152-km Selective Section was, the liaison was a much longer endeavor as teams crossed into Mauritania. In fact, customs at the border was unprepared for the influx of cars due to poor communication between the Mauritanian and Moroccan governments, leading to long lines of vehicles that stretched into the night.

“It’s nothing like the old Paris–Dakar Rallies organized by Thierry Sabine, where the days were much longer and much more difficult,” Marc Joineau quipped.

Stage 6 winners

Bike

Class	Overall	Number	Rider	Team	Total Time
450cc	3	95	Amaury Baratin	Horizon Moto 95	1:15:45
Over 450cc	17	13	Andrea Vignone	Motosystem #BeCrazy Reparto Corse	1:20:00
Over 650cc	1	21	Gautier Paulin	Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team	1:11:23
Electric	88	127	Willy Jobard	Team Powersportcenter	2:19:51
Quad	84	97	Alexis Varagne	Team Sénégal	2:04:49

Car

Class	Overall	Number	Driver	Team	Total Time
T1+	1	207	Tomáš Ouředníček	Toyota Gazoo Racing Czech	1:06:18
T1.1	7	233	Koen Wauters	Feryn Rally Raid Team	1:09:39
T1.2	3	201	David Gérard	Nominoe Aventures / Les Fous du Volant / MD Rallye	1:08:02
Open	12	210	Cédric Feryn	Feryn Rally Raid Team	1:25:25

SSV

Class	Overall	Number	Driver	Team	Total Time
SSV	1	251	Pierre Lafay	Team Gazzafond	1:12:43
T3	4	299	Martin Benko	Norwit Racing	1:15:58
T4	2	271	Sander Derikx	QFF Racing	1:14:33

Truck

Class	Number	Driver	Team	Total Time
T5	400	Gerrit Zuurmond	Rainbow Truck Team	1:19:02

Leaders after Stage 6

Bike

Class	Overall	Number	Rider	Team	Total Time
450cc	1	176	Jean-Loup Lepan	RC Assistance	17:27:48
Over 450cc	21	13	Alexandre Azinhais	Club Aventura Touareg	20:41:17
Over 650cc	3	1	Jacopo Cerruti	Aprilia Racing GCorse	17:30:34
Electric	89	100	Cyril Forget	CFR Endurance	119:48:40
Quad	88	97	Alexis Varagne	Team Sénégal	52:47:45

Car

Class	Overall	Number	Driver	Team	Total Time
T1+	2	215	Christian Femont	Desert Foxx Racing	17:10:39
T1.1	7	200	Vincent Vroninks	Desert Lions Rally Team	18:08:07
T1.2	1	205	Pol van Pollaert	Desert Foxx Racing	16:55:06
Open	12	210	Cédric Feryn	Feryn Rally Raid Team	32:27:30

SSV

Class	Overall	Number	Driver	Team	Total Time
SSV	1	251	Pierre Lafay	Team Gazzafond	18:53:46
T3	3	253	Jérôme Cambier	Jérôme Cambier	19:07:29
T4	2	273	William Grarre	TRC	19:04:14

Truck

Class	Number	Driver	Team	Total Time
T5	400	Gerrit Zuurmond	Rainbow Truck Team	21:10:45

Featured image credit: Tomáš Ouředníček