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Stage Two – Pisco to Pisco – 328km
- Stage Two – The First Real Challenges
Simon has a strong second day on the first real stage of the 2013 Dakar Rally as the race begins to claim it’s first victims.
The first real stage of the 2013 Dakar saw racers tackle the first difficult dunes of the race, with tricky navigation, high speeds and some dangerous sands catching many riders out and ending the event prematurely for many.
Despite the difficulties that many encountered, Delta Kunststoffe Husqvarna rider, Simon, rode consistently in a stage that saw the leader board flipped around. In claiming 54th place, Simon moved up a few spots in the overall standing and continued to avoid mistakes and trouble.
Don Hatton, the team’s second rider also had an uneventful and solid day in the sand as he came to grips with riding a new bike and bedding in with sand riding. Stage two saw Don roll into the end of the stage 163rd, a solid result for the Canadian as he looks to overcome his previous bad luck.
Simon Pavey – “ I really enjoyed the stage today, I’m not a massive fan of the big speed stuff but actually it was really fun. I didn’t push hard at all, I just cruised along at a good pace and ended the day with a decent result. We are so early in the race, there is no need to push and make mistakes. A few people went out of the race today and I can see why. The stage had some dangerous bits and it was quite hard to see them. There were a few areas with sand ‘waves’, the ground had baked hard there too and you just couldn’t see them. I think everyone had a few scary moments in them.
There was also some difficult navigation at about km 70. I missed the waypoint at first and had to turn back to find it. I think a few people made the same mistake too. The bike felt great again today, it’s just so easy to ride, and we have done a good job with it. There were a few difficult dunes today, the kind of thing that in the past has proved challenging but today I cruised through everything.
Don Hatton – “Today was exciting. It was a tough stage, lots of sand and really hot. The medics said it was 39 degrees in the stage. The sand was a little intimidating at first; some of the dunes were really big and soft. I am so much more comfortable with the bike, it amazing in the sand. It was working really well; I wouldn’t change anything on it. It’s only the second day that I’ve ridden it but I feel so at home already on it. Over the stage I was able to push on a little bit more, but my goal is just to finish this race
There were a few dangerous moments on the stage today too, I passed a few abandoned bikes from people crashing but the worst moment was when the lead cars caught me. Out of the ten that came past, only two used their sentinel’s, that’s terrifying.
I’m looking forward to getting these first few sand days behind us so we can get into the terrain that I do know and can ride. Tomorrow will be another hard day but I’m feeling really good about everything.”
Stage three has the rally heading south toward the famous city of Nasca. The stage is completely sand and will prove a difficult challenge for the whole race. Starting out gently for the first 100km the sand will quickly become extremely difficult.
Stage Two Results.
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56. Simon Pavey – 03:16:50
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164. Don Hatton – 05:03:56
Overall Standings.
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54. Simon Pavey – 04:03:45
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163. Don Hatton – 06:20:16
