17.1.2013

NEWSLETTER INSTAFOREX LOPRAIS TEAM
Interruption of 11th stage and charmed Fiambalá

It is unusual that nothing happens in Fiambalá, the 11th stage canceled after first CP due to weather and drivers safety.

Before yesterdays start of the eleventh stage we wrote about Fiambalá as unexpectable that nothing will happen there. Last year the competitors had problems with weather and same situation happened also this year. Due to floods on 69 km and also in Rio Grande after 85 km decided the organizers to close the whole track for the cars and trucks. Most of the motorcycles and four-wheelers already got trough those parts, so they could finish this magic stage.

Rainstorms and flooded river in the second part of the speed trial disallowed all the drivers to continue in the important fight. Speaking about our crew this situation did not make anyone happy, because of the staggering tendency to cut the time loss. The competitors stayed for a long right on the track and did not know what will happen, which part will be counted or if the stage will be completely canceled.The sport inspectors and chief decided, that at 13:50 local time was in the 11th stage speed trial stopped on the first checkpoint due to bad weather and drivers safety. Another decision was about all the vehicles, that did not pass the first checkpoint before the race got canceled;they got the time 1:12:25.

Gerard de Rooy won the first CP1 (his 24. stage victory in his career), in the second place was our 503 crew (56 seconds time difference) with fast Aleš driving. The Princess 69 showed once again, that she wants to fight between the best. Aleš knows, that if he wants to get better place, he has to drive fast, without any mistakes and on the edge. Yesterday he commented the stage shortly, but concisely: “Greetings to all the fans, whose head got confused because of the timekeeping. We are OK and we continue fighting. The results are counted from CP1, which means we were second in the stage. The hope is still alive, so once again… we keep fighting! Fiambalá was difficult, but beautiful stage. It is quite sad, that got canceled.”

After this shortened stage lead Dakar rally three Kamaz crews: Nikolaev, Mardeev, Karginov. After troubles right at the beginning of the stage got back in the fourth place Martion Kolomý with 58:05 losing to the first place, the fifth is still De Rooy with right one hour loss. In the sixth place there are drivers number 503, drivers with big heart and faith- Aleš, Radim and Serge, losing 1:31:10.

The 12th stage

Perfect race means “jackpot”
Thursday 17th January: Fiambalá – Copiapó

The connecting section: 396 km
The speed trial: 319 km

Now the Dakar competitors will cross the Ands from the east to the west trough the saint Francis gap and get back to the Atacama desert. There the organizers prepared many pitfalls and difficult tracks, seen only in Dakar rally. Most of the sand dunes wait in the middle of speed trial- their height will be extreme, so as the depth of the valleys between them. The rocky roads will not be less difficult, because even the fastest can get stuck in hear and lose a lot of time. Those, who cross the finish as the winners are definitely get better in the whole ranking.

Lets hope the luck will stay with the braves and better prepared.
Have a nice day,

Lucie Houthoofdtová