Dakar 2012, Stage 5
Chilecito - Fiambala
416 km in total, 265 km special test (shortened to 186)
Team result keeps improving
Overnight rain before the start of stage five gave the
organisers extra work. Some areas in the second part of the
special test were flooded and made the course dangerous.
The special had to be shortened to 186 kilometres. Not all
went perfect today for the Husqvarna Rallye Team by
Speedbrain, but altogether the German-Italian squad had a
decent Thursday, with Paulo Goncalves improving to fifth in
the standings and Joan Barreda earning the team´s third
podium.
The stage itself was tricky, as Goncalves found out at the
beginning of the special test. The Portuguese crashed at a
section where a new road is being built. The course was not
well marked with deep ditches.
Goncalves crashed into one of them and was lucky not to
injure himself. His bike was okay also. Fellow competitor
Frans Verhoeven was less lucky and damaged his machine. The
following riders were able to take advantage because they
now got warned. Paulo Goncalves: "I was lucky not to
get hurt. Thanks God I was able to continue."
He later had to search for Checkpoint 2 like other riders.
Goncalves still managed to finish the day in tenth position
and improve in the standings. Teammate Joan Barreda was one
of many riders who struggled with the navigation. The young
Spaniard rode error-free almost all day. He only had some
trouble at a checkpoint after taking the wrong way. Barreda
had to lift his bike over a fence with difficulty. He still
took his second podium of the rally.
Brasil´s Zé Hélio enjoyed another solid stage. He only had
to deal with early dust, following those who started before
him. Zé Hélio improved to 16th in the ranks. Jose Manuel
Pellicer had one minor crash, and finished the day around
the top twenty.
The coming night asks for a spectacular Andes crossing. The
riders will climb up to 4,700 metres altitude and are
certain to face temperatures below the freezing point.
Right now it´s unusually cold in the region and there might
even be snow. A contrast awaits the field once in Chile,
namely the Atacama desert. First the ground will be hard,
then sandy through the dunes of Copiapó. Tomorrow´s special
test is 247 kilometres long.
1. Cyril Despres (FRA) KTM, 2:28:33 hrs
2. Marc Coma (SPA) KTM, 1:41 min behind
3. Joan Barreda (SPA) Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain,
12:42
4. Stefan Svitko (SVK) KTM, 13:55
5. Jordi Viladoms (SPA) KTM, 14:17
10. Paulo Goncalves (POR) Husqvarna Rallye Team by
Speedbrain, 19:31
19. Zé Hélio (BRA) Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain,
28:20
21. Jose Manuel Pellicer (SPA) Husqvarna Rallye Team by
Speedbrain, 30:47
Overall standings
1. Despres, 14:19:00 hrs
2. Coma, 9:51 min behind
3. Helder Rodrigues (POR) Yamaha, 47:56
4. Francisco Lopez (CHI) Aprilia, 49:00
5. Paulo Goncalves (POR) Husqvarna Rallye Team by
Speedbrain, 54:47
16. Zé Hélio (BRA) Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain,
1:44:17
30. Jose Manuel Pellicer (SPA) Husqvarna Rallye Team by
Speedbrain, 3:00:56
32. Joan Barreda (SPA) Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain,
3:13:26
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