830 km are on the menu for stage 13, including 545 against the clock. For the penultimate stage, the participants are back in the Pampa on a route that will appeal to their pure driving skills and includes some of the trails that welcome - every year - the WRC Rally of Argentina but also has a lot of vegetation, prickly bushes and cacti. This special stage is made for conventional rally drivers. A pitty for two-time WR champ Carlos Sainz, who was forced to withdraw yesterday. Faced with a decimated group, the remaining contenders of the Dakar in all categories, called to order by the misfortune of the Spaniard, will certainly make sure not to loose everthing just a couple of days shy of the podium in Buenos Aires. All the more so because the big time gaps in the standings now prevent the hierarchy from changing if nothing goes wrong.