2017 Dakar Rally organizers changed the Stage 7 route due to bad climatic conditions.
The decision was published on the official web page of the 2017 Dakar. It reads the following:
“Following the cancellation of Stage 6 on the eve of the rest day, persistent bad weather conditions forced the race directors to change the course of stage 7 from La Paz to Uyuni. A new course was designed and a new road book was drafted during the rest day.
The new course is an unprecedented combination of the original routes of stages 6 and 7. Today’s 161 km special will mainly take place on sandy terrain, sandwiched between a 400 km link section and another one 240 km long.”
? Stage 7 ?
? La Paz ?? – Uyuni ??
??? 622 km (SS: 322 km)
? https://t.co/73GdcqQbYw
? @boliviatravel1 #Dakar2017 pic.twitter.com/UNxlfZpyVS— DAKAR RALLY (@dakar) 9 January 2017
Stéphane Peterhansel (Peugeot) leads in the car category before Stage 7. Sum Sunderland (KTM) is first among the motorcycle riders. In the quads and trucks categories leaders are respectively Simon Vitse (Yamaha) and Gerard De Rooy/Moises Torrallardona/Darek Rodewald (Iveco).
