Jacob Smith started in the second wave of the mass-start of the loop though the Atacama Desert dunes and finished the day 30th on stage, 00:22:57 behind stage winner Jonah Street. He took it relatively easy in the 235km special to ensure he completed it without crashing or getting lost.

Nearing the end he happened upon front running Helder Rodrigues whose Yamaha had run out of fuel. Only 3km from the end of the stage, Jacob allowed Rodrigues to draw fuel from his #113 bike. Jacob was in no position to win the stage so the small amount of time lost seemed inconsequential. What did become an issue was the significant three hour time penalty applied to Jacob ‘s overall race time which now sees him drop to well below where he should be in the standings. It’s worth noting that the penalty has nothing to do with Jacob’s actions in the stage.

The team are currently working with the ASO and are appealing for the removal of the penalty. If successful, it will see Jake go back to a more appropriate 27th overall, but no decision will be made until tomorrow at the earliest.

More as it comes to hand, but in the meantime you can watch the action from the stage at http://player.sbs.com.au/dakar/#/dakar/highlights/highlights/playlist/Dakar-Stage-9-Bikes/.