For this farewell session to the Atacama Desert, all the competitors will come together once again for the special stage, with fifty-odd kilometres over sand and dunes. They should revel in these sensations because the next stage will put both drivers and their teams into much less comfortable positions. The routes have suffered the rages of time and will be equally harsh on them.
DISILLUSIONED BUT THEY HAVE NOT ABANDONED
One day is definitely not like another!
Far from us to rejoice in the misfortune of others, but we thought yesterday that we hadescaped the worst day for man and machine. However today we suffered our worst day of the race. Despite the care the motorcycles receive from the mechanics last night Alain suffered today.
Salt is a corrosive invader, it was Alain who was forced to stop today in the middle of the stage, at kilometer 258! He was struggling torepair the bike and leave as fast as he could, when he was joined by his team-mate Fabien Planet who did not hesitate a second to “sacrifice his ranking” to stop and help Alain repair the bike. This is also and above all, the spirit of Dakar: mutual aid and solidarity in a team, sometimes to the detriment of one’s personal ambition!
This breakdown has resulted in destroying any hope of a high finish, let alone a podium for either rider. The goal now is to reach the bivouac in Calama and be ready for the start of the second marathon stage tomorrow!
There are still four races to finish, in every sense of the word, before they reach Buenos Aires and the finishing podium which iscoveted by all the competitors racing in theDakar. Many will not have the chance to treadthe sacred boards, but we bet that by Saturday, both riders will still dazzle us with their exploits and their enthusiasm to bring the colors of Team Sherco TVS to the end of this amazing adventure…