In the early hours of January 10, 2015, Beijing time, the sixth stage of the 37th Dakar Rally concluded in Iquique, Chile. In the car category, Qatar Red Bull Racing Team's Al-Attiyah secured first place with a time of 2 hours, 37 minutes and 18 seconds, winning his third stage victory of the event and further solidifying his lead in the overall standings. Zhou Yong of the Perfect China "Meinian Dajiankang" Brave Team finished 15th in this stage, setting a new personal best overall ranking at 16th and maintaining an absolute lead among Chinese teams. Liu Kun from the East Racing Team completed the stage in 3 hours, 37 minutes and 8 seconds, ranking 33rd, with an overall standing of 58th.
"Is this escaping the city or heading toward it? This stage was awesome," one can tell from Zhou Yong’s WeChat post that he thoroughly enjoyed this leg.
According to the race schedule, the motorcycle category will have a rest day on January 10, with the seventh stage set to begin locally on January 11. The car category will kick off the seventh stage first, departing from Iquique to Uyuni, Bolivia. The special stage covers 321 kilometers, with a liaison section of 396 kilometers. Aside from the marathon stage challenge, where no support from team logistics is allowed, the longer liaison section means competitors will have to start very early. The route includes ascending mountains as high as 3,500 meters above sea level, and arriving in Uyuni only marks the halfway point of the marathon stage. The high-altitude mountainous area, nearly 4,000 meters above sea level, will be a headache for many drivers. Additionally, without spare tires, more team members, and mechanics, the marathon stage will make this Dakar Rally even more grueling, challenging, and thrilling.