It hasn´t been an easy stage for the Repsol KTM Team. The problem Nani had yesterday with his rear tyre put the unity of the team to test, and Marc had to stop after taking the start to cover Nani during the 337 kilometres of the special. It wasn´t easy for Marc, not easy at all. Having to stop and loosing eight valuable minutes, after having almost risked your life the day before to be at least a few seconds faster than your rivals in a bend, on that delicate section filled with stones, is not an easy job for a winning soul like Marc.
But the most important in such moments is the team, achieving the aim of getting closer to Dakar day by day, stage by stage, and with the team riders having chances to clinch the victory. Nani is the favourite Spanish rider of this race, as is the team, but the one who is performing excellently at the moment is Isidre. He is what we call a “hidden” rider. He is there, nobody gives him too much attention for the moment, but he can give some surprises this year, and who knows….
For Jordi Arcarons, the desert “poppy”, a rider who managed to finish second four times and who has taken part in this rally fifteen times on a motorbike and once on a car, a man who knows the secrets of this African race so well, Isidre is making a great race, setting a comfortable pace and not making any mistake. This allowed him to find himself right now leading the overall standings without having to take hardly any risk.
Nani, who might have suffered a serious setback in his plans, almost made up the problem and he is back where he should be, in the lead, controlling his rivals.
And while the rally continues with its frantic journey through Morocco, entering the most deserted part of Africa, the team has a feeling of suppressed satisfaction, because this race bites and it has just started.
Tomorrow we´ll have one of the stages Jordi Arcarons calls “cracking stages”: fast tracks at the beginning, stones, more stones and many many frights and traps. We´ll have to be extremely careful.
