Stage six was intended to be a doozy. Set at 786 kilometers (488 miles), the long stage was going to travel from Oruro, Bolivia on into La Paz, Bolivia. The course was set to start near challenging sand dunes and then navigate through many more obstacles and technical areas.

Following the stage six run is a well needed rest day for all racers before jumping into the seventh stage. By this point, all of the racers must be feeling exhausted, both physically and mentally. Fortunately for them, mother nature decided they could use more rest time. Due to extreme weather, the stage was cancelled before it started. Racers and their teams were having a difficult time getting to the next starting point to properly prepare for the stage six run. Scouts sent by race organizers reported the terrain throughout the stage was quickly and steadily deteriorating in an unsafe manner.

The general standings following the previous stage remain unchanged. Racers will rest as scheduled and recharge themselves. It is likely that stage seven will be an all-out dog fight. The teams will effectively make a U-turn and head back to Oruro from La Paz and then continue to Potosi, Bolivia.

The biggest question is will Peugeot be able to keep the top three slots for the second half of the event? Nani Roma trails behind the pack leader by five and a half minutes in fourth place with a Toyota Hilux. Roma can easily squeak into the top three. In fifth overall ranking, Mikko Hivonen lags behind the leader by forty-two minutes. But don’t count the Finn and his Mini out just yet. In the 2016 Dakar, he and his co-driver Michel Perin finished in fourth place in the car category.

We’re only halfway done! We’ll be back at our Dakar coverage after their rest day.