- STAGE 10 – CALAMA – SALTA 14th January 2015
- Liaison Sections: 520 km
- Racing Stage: 371 Km
- Total Distance: 891 Km
What happened Tuesday 13th January at the Dakar 2015 Rally:
Another demanding stage of 451 Km’s, Marc coma had a faultless run and finished 3rd on the stage. He said the navigation was tricky and he made a few mistakes but is happy with the day. Toby price got lost looking for waypoint 9, at the 365 Km mark, losing around 20 minutes on the stage. Toby finished 8th on the stage and retains his fourth overall.
Helder Rodrigues won the stage ahead of Paulo Goncalves who gained 3 minutes 43 on Marc Coma reducing Coma’s lead to just 5 minutes 28.
Matthias Walkner had a small crash and burst his camelback, leaving him a bit dehydrated as he had no water for the last 150Km’s. He felt comfortable on the bike and is getting to grips with the rally style of racing.
Yesterday’s stage:
It was the start of the second marathon stage of the rally and there was already some upset early in the morning when one of the KTM Factory team’s young guns stopped on the transfer section between Calama and the start of the special test. Matthias Walkner retired after suffering from a stomach condition, made worse by the high altitude of just under 5000 metres. He had already thrown up 5 times before his body could not carry on anymore and he received medical treatment. Matthias is super talented and he will be back to prove that his stage win was no flook.
The crossing of the Andes for the second time was bitterly cold with temperatures reaching minus 11. The liaisons are probably the toughest part of the rally riding hundreds of kilometers at a limited speed.
Marc Coma retained his lead today, finishing 1 minute 39 seconds behind stage winner Joan Barreda, his overall lead is now 7 minutes 35 over Paulo Goncalves who finished fifth on the stage. Ruben Faria was third and Toby Price fourth.
In the overall standings, Toby is now in fourth overall, just 24 seconds behind Quantanilla on his KTM, this will be the race to watch.
Tonight the bikers are on their own in Cachi, they will have to work on their own bikes, we see them tomorrow again.
Behind the scenes at the Dakar 2015 Rally:
Riaan van niekerk had his first experience of what pit crewing is all about, he was less than impressed when our camper van once again went into safe mode at 5000m, with the high altitude and safe mode, top speed up a hill is about 20 kays an hour. This allowed the rest of the SA boys, Brian Baragwanath and crew to catch us as we doused them in water and had some fun.
Our slow puncture got the best of us and went flat, only to find that our two spare wheels had the wrong rims and didn’t fit. None other than Nasser Al-Attiyah came to the rescue with his Mini and onboard compressor – pretty cool. It soon reached the end of its life a few kays later and we ended up changing camper tyres on the side of the road with bike tyre levers – we found an inventive way. We had a chat to Giniel before the start of the car special and sped into Salta where the heavens opened and flooded the bivouac. It will be an interesting night for the car crews.
What’s happening today at the Dakar 2015 Rally:
The rally will continue on two separate routes, following the famous Ruta 40 and winding through its magnificent landscapes. This long stage, which is the second half, of the second marathon stage, will start taking its toll on competitors. Fatigue will set in and competitors will have to pay maximum attention to the route and road book.
