Atacama Rally: scrutineering

Gepubliceerd op: 13-08-2017 15:38

While the desert is flourishing like never before, rain and cold weather are evident at the start of the third round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship. The Atacama Rally takes place exclusively in the desert of the same name, recognised as the driest desert in the world. Here, in Chile, climate change has seen temperatures in Copiapò no more than 13°C during the day’s administration and scrutineering checks….when the sun is shining.

That said, these strange weather conditions have not stopped the riders from going to test in the immense Copiapò dunes. Pela Renet (Husqvarna) and Pablo Quintanilla (Husqvarna) returned with a smile. “It is always a pleasure to do a tour of the desert on the motorcycle,” commented the Frenchman. “And, despite the wet sand, there was grip, which bodes well for tomorrow.”

The best riders in the world are reunited for this third round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, but we also note with sadness the absence of two great champions who should have been present: Toby Price (KTM), whose fractured femur on the Dakar was complicated, and Antoine Meo (KTM), who injured his knee last week.

So Sam Sunderland, Matthias Walkner and Laia Sanz will defend KTM colours, while, at Honda, we find the oldest but no less talented of the riders, Paulo Gonçalvez, and the Argentinean Kevin Benavides. We also welcome Yamaha France, which, for the first time, has registered its three rookies Xavier de Soultrait, Adrien Van Beveren and the Argentinean Franco Caimi. Two British riders who reside in Dubai, David McBride and Dave Mabbs, have also made the trip to the Atacama Desert.

Quads

In quads, no less than eight riders are registered and seven in the FIM category, including Rafal Sonik, Ignacio Casale – who is preparing for the Dakar with Yamaha – Rodolfo Guillioli, Kees Koolen and Alexis Hernandez…Tomorrow, after the press conference and the riders’ briefing, the Prologue of 14km takes place at 15.00hrs in the Copiapò dunes, 20km from the service park situated in the parking area at the Antay Hotel. On Monday, there is a long 226km loop solely in the dunes and sand that the competitors will tackle before leaving the mining town and heading north….

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Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Racing riders begin their assault on the Atacama Rally

Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Racing riders have made the best of a difficult Prologue stage at the 2017 Atacama Rally in Chile, where stage times were eventually cancelled due to navigation problems. Riders’ times will be used to determine their start positions for stage one on Monday. FIM Cross-Country Rallies Championship leader, Sam Sunderland, rode well on the fast prologue stage. Unfortunately, navigating proved difficult and the 2017 Dakar winner made a number of small but costly errors. Sunderland: “It’s always tricky here in Chile. The road-books are never perfect and you often find a lot of locals in the desert. Trying to follow tracks in the sand is difficult when there are locals driving around – it’s easy to get put off course. I missed one waypoint and had to turn back, which unfortunately cost me a couple of minutes. Eventually, with the times being scrapped, it meant those riders who returned soonest, despite missing check-points, would be placed higher. “It’s a long rally, so I just need to refocus for tomorrow and do the best I can.” Sunderland’s team-mate, Matthias Walkner, also found navigation difficult, especially due to the previous night’s rain and vehicle tracks in the desert. Walkner: “It was always going to be tough riding the prologue today. It’s such a short loop and in theory, the fastest riders should win. Today was more like flipping a coin. The route was incredibly difficult due to other vehicles using the desert for practice or just driving around. The weather meant the course was almost impossible to follow, too. I think the organisers made the correct decision in scrapping the times from today. Tomorrow we will start a fresh and I hope to do well.” KTM Rally Factory Racing’s Laia Sanz, enjoying her time back on the KTM 450 RALLY, rode a solid prologue in difficult conditions. Sanz: “It was such a strange day today. I felt good on the bike and for me, this is all about preparation for the Dakar at the beginning of next year. I am happy with how I rode so I just want to focus on tomorrow now.” On Monday, the riders will head into Stage One, the first of the five full stages of the Atacama rally. The stage leaves Copiapó and heads north before circling through the desert and later heading back to the starting city.

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