Organization interrupted the end of the race due to risks to the public. Representatives of the Brazil aim for podium and even titles
On what was classified as the most chaotic and dangerous day of the 2024 edition of the Dakar to date, Brazil continues to be well represented and with the possibility of unprecedented achievements in the race, which will end on the 19th, in Saudi Arabia. After yesterday (8) becoming the first Brazilian to win a special in the main category in the 46 years of the race, Lucas Moraes and Spanish navigator Armand Monleón faced problems this Tuesday – a day that totaled 299km of timed section. The duo, who drive a Toyota GR DKR Hilux, were the first to start and, therefore, “opened” the trail for the entire grid, which is considered a disadvantage in the rally.
“We got lost before 60km of the race and I think we did five kilometers more than any other car. It took us a while to find the trail again. It's difficult when you don't have experience. I'm still in my second Dakar and I've never started at the front in the desert. It's something you can only learn by doing”, explained Lucas Moraes, who ended the day in 11th in the Cars category and remains fourth in the Dakar general classification.
Official driver of the Toyota Gazoo Racing team, Lucas has his 2024 Dakar campaign supported by Red Bull, Repsol, Strava, Oakley and Zapalla. The São Paulo driver's performance was also essential for the Brazilian tire brand SpeedMax to become a sponsor of Toyota, current Dakar champion.
Continuous overcoming – In the UTV T4 category, the Brazilian duo Rodrigo Varela and Enio Bozzano (Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo) continues to draw attention to the conditions in which the Team Brazil team – made up of Brazilian technicians and family members – is overcoming the challenge of competing with a makeshift car and a lack of parts.
This Tuesday, the team duo sponsored by the companies Divino Fogão, Can-Am, Motul and Quadrijet arrived in seventh place and rose to third place in the accumulated result. “With 30km to go, we had a flat tire. It took us about six minutes to change, because the quick-change equipment is not top-notch and the lock that holds the spare tire is damaged. But that's what I had to do. And we are very happy with what we have achieved so far”, explained Rodrigo Varela, who is the current South American Rally Raid champion and is making his Dakar debut.
Brazilian Cristiano Batista, who drives a Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo with Spanish navigator Fausto Mota in the UTV T4, is fourth. Marcelo Medeiros (Yamaha Raptor 700) remains firm in Quadricycles. Today, the driver supported by Mardisa/Viação Estrela/Taguatur Fiat/Sedel came third and maintained the same position in the general classification.
Unpredictable trajectories – In a statement signed by race commissioner Pedro Almeida, the organization justified the interruption of the end of the special for competitors in the Trucks category: “Considering the large number of public and vehicles present at the end of the special, in an area of dunes where the competitors' trajectory is difficult to predict, for safety reasons we interrupt the route for all trucks that arrive at km 273, after 3:10 pm. Competitors will be instructed on site on the route to be followed to resume the rally route.” The statement was signed by Portuguese Pedro Almeida, race secretary and Dakar sports commissioner.
The fifth of the 12 Dakar special stages, to be held this Wednesday, should be tiring. The race only starts after a long journey of more than 500km. The timed section, which is the special stage itself, will only be 118km long. But it will mark the return of the convoy to the enormous dunes of the Empty Quarter – or Abandoned Territory, in free translation, the name of a huge desolate region in the Saudi desert. “Most of the competitors will only arrive at the camp at night, which will be exhausting and really dangerous if you get lost in the desert”, observes Rodrigo Varela.
Automatic translation of the Brazilian Portuguese version available on www.todoterreno.pt
Source BestPR
Photo: MCH Photo/TGR
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