This Wednesday, Eduard Pons and Jaume Betriu overcame the first stage of pure desert in the Dakar with good feelings. The fifth special, of 118 kilometers, headed towards Shubaytah and ran entirely through the Empty Quarter, where the Pons Rallysport team finished 11th in the SSV category after 2 hours of competition among the dunes. Despite a technical problem, they have only given up 17 minutes to the leader, and overall they gain one position and rise to 9th place overall.
The special stage was the shortest of this Dakar, but it was preceded by a very long link of more than 500 kilometres, also the longest of this edition. During it, the Pons Rallysport team had to solve a mechanical incident, due to a cylinder failure. “It was around kilometer 170. Fortunately, the assistance team was riding very close to us. Apparently one coil was bad; They have changed it and we have continued until the beginning of the special,” explains the driver from Lleida.
Everything seemed to be going well, but at kilometer 40 of the time trial the coil failed again and they had to stop to dismantle it and change it again. “Then we were able to run at a good pace until the end, although there we lost precious time,” he adds.
Another complication for those in Can-Am Maverick The route was complex, because there were many cut dunes that are delicate. The bad thing is that, starting so far back, we had to do the last half hour of the special at night. On the other hand, our direct rivals have been able to finish the day,” Pons asserts.
Both handicaps, the breakdown and finishing at night, give even more value to the team's performance, which has really enjoyed the dunes. “We did the stage very well. We have found ourselves very comfortable with Jaume in the car, very close. The sensations in the dunes have been fantastic, and Jaume has been very good with the orientation. We are high in morale and very eager, although every day we have had some problems, but this is the tone of the Dakar”, explains the veteran rally driver, immersed in his first participation in the toughest race in motorsport.
After five stages completed, the Pons Rallysport team faces this Thursday and Friday the queen stage of the Dakar, the so-called “48-hour time trial”, with the aim of once again doing a good job and coming back.
This unprecedented stage concept consists of a 584-kilometer special stage in the Empty Quarter, with the peculiarity that it will be held in two parts. On Thursday, at 4 p.m., the pilots will have to stop at one of the 7 bivouacs (or “breakzones”) arranged along the route, where the vehicles will not have assistance (beyond the means of the pilot and co-pilot). . The next morning, they will resume their march to complete this sixth stage.
Automatic translation of the original Spanish version
Source: Pons Rallysport / Mediagé Comunicación
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