According to the statement of the Clerk of the Course for motorbikes, french Mr.Jacques Martinetti, the following happened at CP1 of the 736 kilometres special: “I usually go to the passage controls with refuelling points to control the 15 minutes neutralisation and check that the riders respect the exact time in seconds. In the Tidjikja Nema stage, at CP1, where the first refuelling had been prepared, there was a lot of wind so I personally put each rider the time card in the pocket they have on their bike. I´m not used to fold the card at the exact measure to make it fit inside the pocket, so by mistake I folded Richard Sainct´s card too much. When they told me that Sainct had lost his card I remembered that I had folded it wrong and since there is a small whole on the KTM bike´s pocket to be able to stamp the card without taking it out, it slipped out through there, so I immediately assumed responsibility of what had happened. As soon as I heard what had happened, I reacted quickly and publicly assumed responsibility. I travelled to CP3 to give the rider Richard Sainct another time card so he wouldn´t get to the finish without it.”
When we asked him why the organisation had not given any public and official explanation about what had happened, despite the fact, that the ASO had made it known on its website, Mr. Martinetti explained that “…I didn´t think that this would get this magnitude, I looked for a quick solution to the problem, to avoid Richard Sainct being penalised due to my fault, but we didn´t think we should make any communication or give an official version because we didn´t consider that this occurrence would have that much importance.”
According to the statement of the rider Richard Sainct, “the regulation says that the marshal takes the time card at the CP and that he has to give it back to us just before we leave after refuelling. At the CP1 refuelling of the Tidjikja Nema stage, the marshal, in this case the Clerk of the Course Jacques Martinetti, took my card and put it back into my bike´s pocket himself, although they usually give it to us and it´s us who put the card in the pocket we have at the seat, and not the marshal. But when Jacques Martinetti gave me the card, he put it in my seat and he didn´t put it inside the pocket he should have put it in. I didn´t check it, so I started and realised at the next control that I had lost the card. The marshal who received me there talked to Jacques Martinetti and he told him that it was his fault, that he had made a mistake, and that the rider was not to blame for it.”
According to the regulations established by the ASO, article 15 “TIME CARD”, section 15P1 “Racing Competitors”, “the time card is the card intended for the stamps, in chronological order, of the different Control Points scheduled on the itinerary.”
“This time card shall be handed in at the arrival control of each Leg…” “…Each rider is solely responsible for his time card.”
“The rider alone is responsible for submitting the time card at the different controls and for the accuracy of the entries.”
“…The absence of a stamp or the failure to hand in the time card at any control will result in a penalty which may go as far as exclusion. Loss or deterioration of the time card will result in a minimum 15 minutes penalty but may include penalties up to and including exclusion from the race in case of fraud.”
“For easier manipulation and gaining of time at CP and TC, the time card must be placed in a flapped pocket fastened with Velcro on the fuel tank or a fixed place in the usual place for the main fuel tank.”
