Dakar 2004. Stage 9

Joan Roma keeps the leadership after the longest special of the rally
The organisation has cancelled the two following stages due to safety reasons
The longest stage of the Dakar 2004 has been an extremely hard test for all participants. The fastest motorbike riders, including the three members of the Repsol KTM team, have been riding more than nine hours over dunes and stone-filled sections arriving at the finish completely exhausted.The overall result is, however, satisfactory. Joan Roma keeps the leadership with a 3.30 advantage over Richard Sainct. The French rider may be penalised due to the loss of his time card, although the penalty had not been imposed at the moment this information was passed on.Despres, Cox, Sainct, Esteve, Roma, Ullevalster, Lundmark and Coma rode together during the whole special, and with a slower pace than in previous stages due to the toughness of the stage. Jean Brucy, one of the outstanding riders of previous days, crashed in kilometre 600, braking his collarbone. He was evacuated to Néma with a helicopter. The riders who took the start later caught-up quickly with the leading pack, taking the most benefit of the stage. At sunset only 17 motorbikes and 3 cars had reached the camp in Néma.Besides, the rally will be provisionally stopped due to safety reasons. The organisation decided to cancel stages 10 and 11, Nema / Mopti and Mopti / Bobo Dioulasso. These two stages will be replaced by a liason stage leading to Bamako and then to Bobo Dioulasso, although the motorbike riders will travel from Nema on a plane. Thus the rally will be stopped on Saturday January 10th and will travel the following day to Bobo Dioulasso, where the participants will spend their resting day, as planned. The rally will turn to normality on Tuesday, January 13th.Joan Roma: ‘I finished completely exhausted. It’s been one of the hardest stages since I take part in races in Africa. I even think that the hardness has been excessive. We spent more than nine hours on the bike with highest concentration in order not to get lost. And I can consider myself lucky because I didn’t get lost in that sea of dunes and have been able to have some sleep every night.Richard Sainct might be penalised because he lost his time card. I hope that the organisation is going to act fairly with regard to this. I planned the day so the group would ride slowly without taking any risk. It was very important to stand the day without any damage and I made it. The bike is working well and I hope it keeps on like that until Dakar’.Isidre Esteve: ‘An extremely hard route. Fortunately we were able to ride in a group and stood everything without major damages. Today was no day for adventures and the result is positive for us. The three of us arrived at the finish and our illusions are intact’.Marc Coma: ‘My main objective was to stick to the leading group with Nani in front of it and stay there in order to reach the finish in good conditions. Today has been physically the hardest day of my life’.Stage Classification1. Despres (KTM) 9.34.33 2. Cox (KTM) + 3.244. Esteve (Repsol KTM) + 23.24 7. Roma (Repsol KTM) + 26.228. Coma (Repsol KTM) + 30.48Overall Classification1. Roma (Repsol KTM) 2. Sainct (Repsol KTM) + 3.333. Cox (KTM) + 28.217. Coma (Repsol KTM) + 2.17.40 11. Esteve (Repsol KTM) + 1.15.12Today´s stage Tidjikja-Nema. Liaison: 3 Kms. Special: 736 Km. Total: 739 Km.And tomorrow…. The rally will be stopped on Saturday January 10th and will travel the following day to Bobo Dioulasso, where the participants will spend their resting day, as planned. The rally will turn to normality on Tuesday, January 13th.