Dakar 2021: Lourenço Rosa -  The most difficult challenge I have faced so far

At the end of the first stage, Lourenço Rosa and Joaquim Dias are in 18th position in the T4 SSV category
Two flat tires in the crossing of a stone "sea", but with a positive final balance

And the real Dakar Rally just started, the one that as usual puts challenges after challenges for drivers and machines in every kilometer of competition, but before the dunes came the stones. This first stage left scars in the caravan with many competitors having many problems to solve and punctures, many punctures, in a stage marked primarily by the rocks that were making it difficult for the teams to advance.

Lourenço Rosa and Joaquim Dias also had their share of problems, with two stops to change two punched tires, as many as the spare wheels they were able to transport in their Can-Am Maverick XRS, which ended up conditioning their rhythm after they had used the spare wheels so as not to risk to reach the end of the stage too late.

However, upon arrival, the team was informed of a 6-minute penalty for exceeding the speed limit in one of the control zones. The mathematics done at end of the day put them in 18th place among competitors in their category.

"The Dakar is in fact a very tough race, it was the most difficult challenge I have faced so far, we feel that now the race has really started, very hard and a lot of effort, for us competitors.

It is incredible to see the resistance that these cars need to have to withstand stages like the one we found, with many, many kilometers always passing in rocky areas. We've found dozens of competitors stopped with technical problems and punctures, and we punched twice, but despite all the problems, (...) we managed to reach the end, albeit at a much slower pace after the second puncture for security.

We arrived in 8th, and right now we are in 18th place in our category after a distraction that was worth a small penalty. We are pleased and also because we realize how important it is to be aware of when we should grant and slow down with our eyes on the final goal. We knew we could count on a tire borrowed by a Spanish colleague from the South Racing team who was racing behind us and had not yet punctured, but luckily it was not necessary and we finished this first stage in a result that makes us both happy.

Tomorrow we will have more dunes, more sand, and it is time to recover physically as today was also very demanding for us, with the body having to absorb a lot of bumps and bumps in the transposition of the course. This is the Dakar and if it is like that at the beginning, I am curious to see what lies ahead. "

The second stage of the Dakar Rally places the teams tomorrow on another 457 kilometers of timed special, with the real dunes taking place for the first time, and on a route almost entirely carried out through the desert and sandy paths, connecting Bisha to Wadi Ad-Dawasir.

Official press release