40th edition - N°15 - Tichit, inaccessible - Dakar 2018

The first part of this marathon stage, with an extra-large 660-kilometre special stage in the heart of the Mauritanian desert, promised to be tough enough. But when the weather turned, the Sahara showed to be particularly inhospitable as the vehicles attempted to march forward on stage 7 through a blinding sand storm, heavy fog and even rain. Dakar legend Stéphane Peterhansel was one of the few to get through relatively unscathed and took the lead in the general classification with a comfortable advantage. But at 9 in the evening, only five cars had arrived at the Tichit bivouac! The overconsumption of fuel in the stage left many stranded. And the helicopters were grounded. To allow a portion of the late comers to catch up to the caravan, the race stewards cancelled the following stage heading to Tidjikja.