Sue Mead and Darren Skilton, piloting the FabSchool-
General Tire Ford Raptor, remain in contention at the
ongoing Dakar Rally.
Starting from a low position of 126, over the past
seven days of racing and across nearly 3,300 miles,
the duo has cut that number in half. The two have been
sharing driving duties, swapping as driver and
navigator on alternate days. For stage seven, they
traded positions mid-day.
“I felt really bad because I got us stuck on a sand
ridge and it cost us time,” says Mead. “Darren,
though, is such an amazing coach and teammate. He
keeps his cool no matter what seems to be
happening.”
She goes on to note that “his navigation is perfect,
and as a driver, Darren has a constant awareness of
his surroundings and knows how far he can push the car
– and us. We got hi-centered again later when Darren
was driving. He didn’t get upset or frustrated; he
just got out and dealt with it. When it comes to
racing, he is a true professional.”
The pair arrived at the bivouac around 9 p.m. Saturday
and were strapping into the Raptor at 6:30 a.m.
Sunday. Stage eight will take the duo inland, back
through the Atacama Desert and 480 miles to the
south.
U.S. driver Mark Miller lost some ground on Sunday,
but remains in sixth place overall in the automotive
class, two-hours-and-thirteen-minutes behind the
leader. Motorcycle riders Quinn Cody and Jonah Street
held on to 11th and 14th positions in the Moto
Class.
For more information, including real-time race
updates, visit www.generaltire.com or www.dakar.com.
