Sandstorms … and a little wind of madness on the Rally of Morocco on the occasion of this second stage of two identical loops in the erg of Chegaga. 130 kilometres in the ocean of dunes on the edge of the Algerian border, with a neutralization of 30-minute in the assistance park half way at M’Hamid. In these weather and difficult visibility conditions , given the new navigation rules, drastically limiting the field of view of the mandatory WPM (Hidden Way Points), big surprises were predictable…
MARC COMA: pushed to the limits!
After yesterday’s fast and technical tracks, today the bikes faced a whole new terrain: an abundance of sand dunes in the erg of Chegaga. It was a real test for the new KTM 450 Rally of Cyril Despres (No. 2) and Marc Coma (No. 1), the inseparable duo in this discipline; the two champions rode together today. Coma took advantage over Despres’s slight fall, followed by a navigational error of the Frenchman to take the lead and raise the level in the second loop. Stages win, goes to the Spaniard who grabs the the provisional overall lead. Behind the two leaders, Rodriguez from Portugal proved the fastest. Mid-lap leader, the Yamaha (No .8) only conceded three minutes in the second loop! Ditto for Olivier Pain (Yamaha YZF 450 No. 6), who conceded ten minutes following engine trouble within a stone’s throw of the finish line Not so spectacular, however for BMW, Eric Verhoeven (BMW G450RR Speedbrain No. 9) conceded almost half an hour in the first loop after a navigational error. Yet more bad news for David Fretigne (BMW G450RR No. 4), He suffered a fall at kilometre 39 in the second loop and was repatriated in the helicopter with back pain. There were navigation problems for the Portuguese Gonçalves (No. 14) and Bianchi Prata (No. 11) at odds with their GPS, their G450RR BMW Team Vodaphone, ended in disappointment.
A final word on the bikes at the end of this loop in the Chegaga erg, to give you news of Bruno Da Costa, as you know, his bike was completely burned out in the first stage. A spontaneous show of solidarity followed! ‘La compagnie du lit”, his main partner, gave him a budget extension for the Dakar, and the Englishman John Mitchinson (Rally-Raid Products), offered him a new unwinding road book and two Icos for the construction of a new bike for his appointment in January.
As for quads, after an initial stage being dominated by pilots from the east, the French team Nomad took advantage in the dunes. After missing a way point on Monday, Pascal Delesque Polaris (No. 103) got the record straight, many of his direct competitors finishing out of time after the first loop and not being allowed to complete the second leg…
PETER ……PAN SOARS
Whether it be sand, dunes, off piste, technical, fast rolling…. Whatever, nothing seems to stop Stéphane Peterhansel and Jean-Pol Cottret aboard their BMW X3 X-Raid No. 300. And even when the king ‘Peter’ takes the time to stop for his friend David Fretigne motorcyclist who fell, he then resumed his irresistible flight. Today he signed his second consecutive stage victory ahead of teammate Guerlain Chicherit who had turbo problems yesterday. Novitsky (No. 301), Holowzcyc (304) and Leal Dos Santos, completed the top five fully powered by the BMW X-Raid. Behind this breathtaking result the “men in yellow Pascal Thomas and Alex Winocq” of Optimus MD Rallye Sport in their buggy No. 303.
Peter Lachaume (Bowler No. 309) did well even if delayed by a stranded competitor in front of him known as the ‘black beetle’ he was closely followed by the buggy MD No. 308 (Jean-Marie and Alain Davoy Guéhennec). just behind them the MD Springbok No 311 of -Pélichet Decré, who stopped for a quarter of an hour a few miles from the finish to help Jean-Luc and Jean Brucy Blanchemain, stranded for … 4th time today! In the T2 category, the day was difficult for the Russian Ilya Khuznetsov (Mitsubishi Pajero), stranded three times plus a puncture. All gain for his competitors who benefit from his penalties.
ELISABETE : LADY (CHE) GAGA ‘
Already the fastest in the first loop, the Portuguese Elisabete Jacinto and her MAN Oleoban No. 400 made a strong impression on this double loop. A performance that enables her to catch up on SCANIA Qualisport No. 401 (Hungarian Kovacs) the battle between these two is well and truly launched! Behind as always Richard Gonzales (MAN No. 403) “Charlie’s angels” and their Mercedes Truck No. 405 and the Mercedes of the Russian Pavlov (No. 404) followed by the Renault Truck No. 402 Alain Coquelle.
INTERVIEWS
BIKES
Marc Coma (Spa / KTM 450 # 1): “Very nice day, even though the weather was not great, but everything went smoothly. The navigation was not so simple, but the bike performed well in the sand and dunes. I pushed a little in the second loop testing the limits of the machine …”
Cyril Despres (Fra / KTM 450): “I made a small navigational error at the end of the first loop. Marc went ahead. On the second loop Mark was pushing very hard. I had to draw on reserves. The pace was very high.”
Helder Rodrigues (Por / Yamaha 450 WRF): “Superb stage. I really enjoyed myself. I really love the sand and dunes. If all rallies could take place on such terrain, it would be perfect for me.”
Frans Verhoeven (NL / BMW 450 # 9): “I lost a lot of time in the first loop. But the bike performs well in the sand. When I passed David Frétigné the helicopter was already there and they signed that everything was ok.”
Olivier Pain (Fra / Yamaha 450 No. 6): “Everything went well except for a few power issues at the end of the second loop. I also try to learn from the leaders how they experience the new navigation rules. This is the second day on this new bike and everything remains very positive. ”
Jakub Przygonski (Pol / KTM 690 No. 3): “The track was very technical, so I could not enjoy the power advantage of my bike. But hey, with a new rear suspension, I’ve had more fun today, although I would have preferred the ride on 450 ….”
Delesque Pascal (Fra / Polaris Quad No. 103): “This is my first African rally and I confess it is not easy to learn navigation. It’s really difficult to concentrate on the track while reading the road book and GPS. Yesterday I took a half-hour penalty for missing a point. But today revenge has come. I’ve only 5 years experience on the quad, but I learn fast. My goal? Come back next year on the OilLybia Rally of Tunisia and Africa Eco Race with the Nomad Racing team which”
Konstantin Davityan (Rus / ATV Canam Ermitano No. 102): “I never rode in the dunes and I had a lot of navigation problems today. Learning is required. Too bad I have not had the opportunity to make the second loop today.”
Omar El Yaacoubi (Mar / KTM 450 No. 203): “First loop great !, the second hell! I suffered from cramps and It was difficult to navigate. For an amateur like me, it;s very physical, but it will be better tomorrow!”
CARS
Stephane Peterhansel (Fra / BMW X3 No. 300): “The stage was magnificent. Only David Fretigne’s accident shook me a little today. I confess that after that, I took a few long minutes to get back into the race.”
Guerlain Chicherit (Fra / BMW X3 No. 302):”After our turbo troubles yesterday, it is certain that we had a beautiful stage. Stephen showing the pace and it was high!. It was great to fight at this pace … ”
Holowzcyc Krzysztof (Pol / BMW X3 No. 304): “This car is really incredible in the sand and dunes. During the first lap we got lost a bit and I missed a gear in the dunes,. Otherwise, it was really perfect”
Ricardo Leal dos Santos (Por / BMW X3 No. 308): “The BMW X3 cannot be compared to anything that I have driven before!
Pascal Thomas (Fra / Buggy Optimus MD No. 303): “A great day for us, essentially thanks to Alex Winocq, my co-pilot he made me a hell of navigation today. First behind the untouchable BMW’s , I think we could not ask for more.”
Pierre Lachaume (Fra / Bowler Wildcat 309): “Too bad we were blocked by another car stuck in the sand on the first lap, otherwise we would still have done better today”
Jean-Marie Davoy (Fra / MD Rallye Sport Buggy No. 308): “No mechanical problems or punctures. One leg that I likes: hard, clear and smooth …”
Pélichet Jerome (Fra / Springbok MD Rallye Sport No. 311): “Another great day, but by playing the Good Samaritans we lost a quarter of an hour . But it was still nice.”
– Credit: OiLybia Rally of Morocco.