The Dakar Series is in full flight, and the last few days are guaranteed to be tight and exciting. The struggle between the contestants in the four-wheel category could not be more level. In the motorcycling category, Jordi Viladoms climbed positions after overcoming his initial problems.
Today’s stage, disputed on the outskirts of the Hungarian town of Vezsprem, consisted of two loop-style specials -well differentiated-, both in better condition thanks to the sun that shone this morning. The absence of mud and more compact ground allowed the participants to enjoy a good day for racing. This morning’s 157 Km route was right next to the assistance park, while the afternoon special, 54 Km, forced them to make a 35 km connection to the start, and a further 61 Km until the finish line.
As for the cars, today’s first special made some changes to the general classification: Peterhansel conceded the lead to Carlos Sainz by a margin of just three seconds, while on the other hand, Nani Roma climbed to fourth position, just over two minutes behind fellow countryman Sainz when he raced the third fastest time; and Luc Alphand climbed to fifth place in the general classification. De Villiers, one of Volkswagen’s hopes for this test, was out of the race after suffering a spectacular accident, though fortunately neither he nor his co-pilot were hurt. American driver Gordon won this first special.
In the day’s second special, the leader of the competition lost his position in the Central European Rally when one of the wheels of his Hummer H3 was ripped off after a series of hard jumps. Peterhansel reacted and took the lead of the special, in spite of problems with the gearbox of his Mitsubishi MPR13 when he was 15 kilometers away from the finish, thus retaking his position in the lead of the general classification, though with an insignificant advantage of just 22 seconds over his immediate rival, Spaniard Carlos Sainz. Third in today’s special and also in the general classification, Nani Roma had a good day where he climbed from seventh to a provisional third position 2 minutes 38 seconds behind teammate and classification leader Stèphane Peterhansel. Luc Alphand, fourth in today’s second special, also recovered positions in the general classification and is in a provisional fifth place at 3 minutes 8 seconds behind teammate Peterhansel. After five days of the Central Europe Rally, there are five drivers who are separated by little over 3 minutes. The three MPR13’s of the Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart are in that group, along with Sainz and Depping’s Volkswagens.
As for the motorcycling category, Jordi Viladoms is still climbing positions in the general classification thanks to his improved adaptation to the peculiar characteristics of the terrain. While yesterday he climbed from twelfth to tenth position, today the Repsol KTM rider gave a good enough performance to place himself in sixth place in the general classification. Viladoms ran the fifth fastest time in the morning, and sixth in the afternoon.
Stéphane Peterhansel >> Audio
“We hadn’t had a single technical problem until now. Nothing. But today, we had problems during both specials. This morning a piece of metal punctured a tyre, and it took us over three minutes to change it, because we had a lot of trouble getting it off. In the afternoon I drove full throttle, very aggressively, and things were going well. But fifteen kilometers away from the finish the gearbox broke and was blocked in third gear. It was impossible to drive fast in the long straights, and we lost a few seconds there. Although we won the second special, we should have done so with a greater margin, because we’re leading the general classification, but the advantage is very slight. We’ll see what happens”.
Luc Alphand >> Audio
“It wasn’t a bad day. This morning we lost some time with respect to Nani -Roma- and in the second special we did more or less the same. We drove quite well, though Dominique -Serieys, Repsol Mitsubishi Team Manager- asked us not to take too many risks, because accidents happen easily. In fact, in two specials, two rivals, Gordon and De Villiers, were out of the race, so we’re lucky to be still in there. The lead is some distance away, but at the same time we’re not that far behind. So, we’re doing well and coping with the problems”.
‘Nani’ Roma >> Audio
“In the end it was a positive day, the thing is that it was also a bit complicated. The first special was dangerous, with a few traps which weren’t very well indicated in the roadbook. This made the stage really stressful, because you never knew what was coming, and at the pace we’re driving, you need to know these thing very precisely. But in general we’re doing well. We’re driving very well and I’m getting better since the race started. I’m happy. Of course, I’d prefer to be in a higher position, but we made a few mistakes, and though we all make mistakes, we have to be constant right until the end”.
Jordi Viladoms >> Audio
“It was a positive day and I feel more and more comfortable on this terrain. Now we have to fight so we don’t fall any positions from here to the end of the race, and avoid any mistakes. We’ll try to stay close to our rivals, and seize the opportunity if they make any mistakes. We have to make the most of the specials that are left and try to keep up a good pace. I’m happy because things are working well and we’re going to give it our best until the end”.
