Iveco is
continuing to stamp its mark on this year's Dakar Rally
and Gerald De Rooy in the #502 entry made it two
consecutive stage wins on yesterday's shortened SS5 to
extend his advantage at the front of the truck pack.
Slowing down is not
Gerard De Rooy's forte and the Dutchman proved yesterday
that he can also win using the hand brake as he rattled
off the fastest time on SS5 which was chopped down to
200 kms due to heavy rain. “Sometimes you have to do it,
but it’s not easy,” he added.
The stage from
Chilecito to Fiambala – the last one in Argentina –
turned out to be less difficult than had been expected
due to heavy rainfall over the last few weeks. “There
were even puddles in the dunes,” said De Rooy. Thanks to
the rain, the normally powdery white dunes of Fiambala
were rock-hard and thus much easier to cross. “This
doesn’t mean that they were easy,” says de Rooy, “some
of them were very steep and one even precipitous; that
one was tough, it didn’t end.”
De Rooy's mechanics
had worked through the whole night on the rally-leading
#502 truck as there had been a problem with the cooling
system. “You can’t win much in such a short stage, you
can only loose. But it’s not easy to slow down,
certainly not when you have your rhythm. But I didn’t
see anyone in my mirrors, so I can also win when I use
my hand brake.”
Team mate Hans Stacey
in the #505 Iveco had a problem with just one dune. “I
didn’t make it the first time, I tried it in a low gear
but it didn’t work. I had to go back, make a turn and
take a new run-up before I went up the dune with full
speed.” Stacey finished the stage in fourth place, just
behind the #511 Iveco Trakker of WRC legend Miki Biasion
who took a splendid third place.
#518 Pep Villa, who
had to hold position behind de Rooy, Stacey and Biasion
so as to be ready to offer service if necessary,
finished the stage with the ninth fastest time. The
Spaniard faced lots of difficulties last year with the “Fiambala”
test, but this time he crossed the dunes without any
problems. “The sand was very odd,” he said "I've never
seen this before. Hard and still soft. It was only a
short trial of 200 kilometres, but it was hard work.”
Today test (SS6) has
been cancelled due to the rain meaning that the Dakar
action will resume tomorrow (Saturday). Tomorrow will
also be extra special for Biasion in the #511 Iveco as
he will be celebrating his 54th birthday. Biasion carved
out his own place in the history books when he won the
FIA World Rally Championship in 1988 and 1989.
