DAKAR 2003

[transalp]

14. januar, 12. etapa, "ta veseli dan" za Slovence :D

Krožna etapa po puščavi južno od Siwe je bila do sedaj ena najzanimivejših, pa tudi težkih in nevarnih. Med nepreglednimi ravnimi peščenimi tepihi in sipinami sedaj nekoliko svetlejšega peska so bile zahrbtno razmetane skale. Nekatere mogočne, stopničasto obrušene v fantastične oblike, druge zahrbtno skrite v pesku skoraj enake barve, čakajoč na žrtve kot morske čeri. Prav ta čudovita in nevarna etapa je bila našemu Miranu zelo všeč. Z mojstrsko vožnjo je pristal na etapnem tretjem mestu, kar je nepojmljiv dosežek. Na Eurosportu je zato spet dal izjavo v slovenskem jeziku in pravo veselje ga je bilo videti tako nasmejanega in srečnega po tem res izvrstnem rezultatu. Miran, bravo, bravo, bravo!

Vodilna trojka Sainct, Despres in Meoni se tokrat ni najbolje odrezala. Sainct se je kar dobro potolkel ob navidezno nedolžnem padcu. Vajeni smo namreč padcev po mehkem pesku, tokrat pa je Sainct padel po skalah. Sainct sicer ni izgubil preveč časa, zato pa je imel toliko več težav na skalah in sipinah Meoni s svojo dvocilindrsko "kamelo", zato za vodilnim Sainctom v skupnem seštevku zaostaja že natanko 30 minut. Težji dvocilindrski motor pa očitno ni opravičilo, saj je včeraj etapo dobil Giovanni Sala s prav takim motorjem... Skupni vrstni red ostaja nespremenjen: Sainct, Despres, Meoni, tudi Miran Stavnovnik ostaja na 19. mestu.

Najodmevnejši avtomobilistični dogodek je bil prav gotovo zelo verjeten odstop tretjeuvrščenega De Meviusa, ki je zapeljal na skalo v pesku in močno poškodoval krmilni mehanizem na BMW X5. Kot pravi sam, ga ne bo mogoče popraviti. Odstopil je tudi Servia, ki mu je v buggy-ju Schlesser teama odpovedal Fordov motor, podobno kot šefu Schlesserju že precej na začetku rallyja. Peterhansel je imel neznansko srečo, saj se je njegov Mitsubishi nekaj trenutkov peljal le po dveh kolesih ene strani vozila, preden se je odločil "pasti nazaj". Le malo je manjkalo, pa bi padel na "sončno stran" (kjer ni koles :D ), kar bi se lahko zelo klavrno končalo. Ampak - sreča je na strani pogumnih in brez sreče prav gotovo tudi ni zmage na Dakarju. Vrstni red pri vrhu je: Petehansel, Masuoka, Fontenay. Sicer pa je trenutno vseh prvih pet vozil Mitsubishijevih. Če bo tako ostalo, bo triumf Mitsubishija v Sharm-el-Sheikhu popoln.

Drama pri tovornjakih: 22-letni De Rooy, ki je ob stalni pomoči očeta vodil pred znamenitim Rusom Tschaguineom, je odstopil. Udarec pri nesreči njegovega tovornjaka je bil tako močan, da je odtrgalo jeklene pletenice, ki držijo kabino v dvignjenem (servisnem) položaju, tako da je celotna kabina ležala pred tovornjakom, obrnjena na streho. K sreči nihče od posadke ni bil poškodovan, mladi De Rooy pa se je razjokal na očetovi rami. Tudi to je Dakar... Tschaguine, ki je prevzel vodstvo, pred drugouvrščenim De Azevedom sedaj vodi več kot uro.

Danes bo na vrsti ena najdaljših letošnjih hitrostnih preizkušenj - 569km. Miran, vso srečo!

[Noise]

Danes bo na vrsti ena najdaljših letošnjih hitrostnih preizkušenj - 569km. Miran, vso srečo!

In tudi ena najsrhljiveljših.

Prečkajo Great Sand Sea (ogromne sipine, "katedrale", ki so tudi preko 100 metrov visoke)... organizatorji so zato celo ponekod označili vrhove, kjer morajo tekmovalci prečkati zadevo, da ne bi prišlo do tragedij...

Ko pridejo čez se spustijo v belo puščavo (White Desert)...

Ne dvomim v to, da bo Miran ponovno pokazal svoje mojstrstvo in dokazal celemu svetu, kaj zna.

Go!!!!!!!!

[CAPIROMZY]

Miran no.1 !!!!! 8)

[BRANE]

Danes na CP2 trenutno dvanajsti

[Noise]

NEWSFLASHES

11:00 - At CP 2 after 242kms, Ari Vatanen (Nissan - n.204) still has the best time. Second is Alphand (BMW - n.221) at 2min32, followed by Masuoka (Mitsubishi - n.200) at 4min42, De Villiers (Nissan - n.217)at 6min18, Peterhansel (Mitsubishi - n.206) at 6min35, Sousa (Mitsubishi - n.211) at 7min36, Biasion (Mitsubishi - n.207) at 9min02, Fontenay (Mitsubishi - n.202) at 10min23.

10:37 - At CP 2 after 242kms, Meoni (KTM - n.1) still has the best time. Second is Despres (KTM - n.7) at 5min29. Sainct (KTM - n.3) is at 5min41.

10:26 - 107 bikes, 64 cars and 28 trucks have made it to the start line of the special between Siwa and Dakhla in Egypt. Have pulled out of the rally: De Mevius (n.205), Katayama (n.243), Salinero (n.234), Morize (n.251), Servia (n.209), De Rooy (n.414).

O9:53 - At CP 2 after 242kms, Meoni (KTM - n.1) still has the best time. Second is Despres (KTM - n.7) at 5min29. Sainct (KTM - n.3) is at 5min41.

O9:33 - Before CP 1. Spaniard Marc Coma (KTM - n.10) has seriously damaged his tyre. He has made it to the CP over an our adrift.

O9:33 - At CP 1 after 107kms, Meoni (KTM - n.1) has the best time. Second is Despres (KTM - n.7) at 2min. Sainct (KTM - n.3) is at 2min11.

O9:30 - A full crossing of the ‘sea of sand’, a real ocean of dunes that will be crossed for the first time from end to end. A place where no-one really wants to go : the ‘cathedral’ dunes are over 100m high with each time, steep descents. 100kms later, a sudden hot water lake appears from nowhere. The second part of the stage goes across the ‘white desert’ starting from the Farafra oasis. The turning track goes through giant calcar mushrooms, typical of the area. The wind will also be an important factor in this special. It finishes with the path between canyons before the end of the stage at the Dakhla oasis. The track was built by the English troops during the war.

Vir: Dakar.com

[Noise]

Še mal fotk iz Great Sand Sea (ki je, mimogrede, velikosti ANGLIJE!)

[Ice]

na prvi fotki...... si to ti na poti po benc?! :P :lol:

[Noise]

na prvi fotki...... si to ti na poti po benc?! :P :lol:

:evil:

[Ice]

je to "da" ali "ne" :?:

[BRANE]

miran pršu na cilj kot 14.

[Noise]

Res je ... 14. v tej etapi, v tem trenutku je skupno na 16. mestu, le dve mesti za SALO !!!! Miran je dejansko na robu fabrikašev in ultra-super-duper motoristov...

Da ne govorim o tistih dveh urah pribitka, ki bi ga - če jih ne bi bilo - prinesle na SKUPNO 12. mesto danes...

Bravo Miran, sploh nimam besed!!!!

Sicer je Meoni za polovico skrajšal čas do trenutno vodilnega Saincta... zaostaja le še za 16 minut --> mu bo ratalo tudi letos ali ne?

[peterpan]

Včeraj je bil spet "movie star" na Eurosportu :lol: , smejalo se mu je pa tako, da so ga komaj v objektiv lovili...

Ali se kaj ve kaj je bil razlog, da je takrat spustil eno CP in pokasiral +2 uri ?

Znanje ima, da bi mu le sreča služila še nekaj teh etap...

Škoda le, da je naš motorističen trg premajhen in s tem tudi on manj zanimiv za KTM in velike sponzorje... :(

Vseeno po tem Dakarju "nič več ne bo tako kot je bilo" :D

[Roman]

Ali se kaj ve kaj je bil razlog, da je takrat spustil eno CP in pokasiral +2 uri ?

Takole je dogodek opisal na svoji strani:

»Napaka je bila povsem moja, saj sem kontrolno točko, ki je bila nekje med sipinami enostavno spregledal. Sam sem se namreč osredotočil na GPS in vozil v smeri kot mi je kazala puščica na zaslonu. Zgrešil sem jo za kakšnih 500 metrov, saj smo se vseskozi vozili v razpotegnjeni skupini. Žal se tudi kaj takega lahko pripeti na Dakarskem rallyju. Toda kar je bilo, je bilo, čakajo me še deset etap. Kdo ve kaj bo rally prinesel jutri? Morda uspeh, morda novo razočaranje«?

[transalp]

Dakar, 15. januar, 15. dan, 13. etapa:

ena najdaljših, najlepših in sploh "najbolj dakarskih" etap letos. Orjaške sipine, ocean peska, zagrizena borba... Tisti, ki niso zadovoljni s svojo uvrstitvijo, ugotavljajo, da je zadnji čas, da nadoknadijo zamujeno. Ure in kilometrski števci rallyja se počasi iztekajo - do konca so še štiri etape, Afrika pa pričenja utrujenim borcem kazati bolj zeleno podobo.

Včeraj se okoli končnega vrstnega reda pri vrhu ni nič spremenilo. Pri motoristih ostaja: Sainct, Despres, Meoni. Vendar je Meoni vozil, kot bi ga "spustili z verige". Po besedah komentatorja so bili v snemalnem helikopterju "resno zaskrbljeni zaradi njegovega tveganja" oziroma celo "za njegovo duševno zdravje"... Meoni je res vozil kot nor in zmanjšal zaostanek za Sainctom (ki je izgubil nekaj minut zaradi težav z dovodom goriva iz zadnjega rezervoarja) za dobrih 13 minut, torej trenutno zaostaja še za slabih 17 minut. Ni odveč poudarjati, da je najmanjša napaka pri takšni vožnji lahko pogubna... Kakorkoli že, Dakar je dirka, Meoni pa si bolj kot vse želi dakarski "hat trick" - tretjo zaporedno motociklistično zmago. Pokazali so tudi znamenitega Šveda Pera-Gunnarja Lundmarka, ki je včeraj dvakrat padel, a brez posledic. Lundmark se rad šali, zato je svoja padca komentiral takole: "Na tleh pred seboj sem nenadoma zagledal denar..." :lol:

Pri avtomobilistih sta tokrat Peterhansel in Masuoka vozila nekoliko bolj preudarno. Naskok pred zasledovalci je zaenkrat dovolj velik, Peterhansla pa je morda nekoliko prestrašila tudi včerajšnja "kaskaderska dvokolesna izkušnja", ki bi ga lahko stala dirke, če ne še kake hude poškodbe. Zanimivo je, da kljub razmeroma pohlevni Peterhanslovi vožnji Masuoka ni poskušal prehiteti, ampka je vozil tesno za klubskim kolegom. Peterhansel je to pojasnil takole: "Saj mi itak ne more uiti. Čim bi me prehitel, bi ga lovil jaz, tako da bi bila spet tesno skupaj. " :D Pokazali so tudi komentarje v zvezi z odstopom BMW-jevega voznika De Meviusa, ki je bil prej odličen tretji. De Mevius je zelo razočaran, še posebej zato, ker je, kot pravi, "sam kriv za nesrečo". Kot sem že pisal, je spregledal skalo, zaradi česar je uničil krmilni mehanizem. Za ta del avtomobila BMW žal ni imel pri roki rezervnih delov... Mitsubishi še vedno dominira: Peterhansel, Masuoka, Fontenay.

Pri tovornjakih je prav tako vse nespremenjeno - vodi znameniti Tschaguine z naskokom debele ure. De Rooy starejši je po sinovem odstopu nekoliko slabe volje, a nadaljuje z dirko.

[miki]

Miran je bil danes 6., zaostanek okoli 10 minut

[Noise]

12:12 - At km 263, Alain Duclos (KTM n.102) crashed and hurt his neck. He appears to be suffering from a back trauma. His condition is not too worrying.

11:57 - On the finish line of the stage between Dakhla and Louxor (274kms), Alphand (BMW - n.221) has clocked the fastest time of the day. Second is Fontenay (Mitsubishi - n.202) at 22sec. Third is De Villiers (Nissan - n.217) at 1min06, followed by Vatanen (Nissan - n.204) at 2mn05, Biasion (Mitsubishi - n.207) at 3min11, Peterhansel (Mitsubishi - n.206) at 4min27, Masuoka (Mitsubishi - n.200) at 5min50 and Sousa (Mitsubishi - n.211) at 7min18.

In he new overall, Peterhansel has a 27min13 lead on Masuoka and 2h25min28 on Fontenay.

11:12 - On the finish line of the stage between Dakhla and Louxor (274kms), late starter Marc Coma (KTM - n.10) has clocked the third best time, 3min08 behind Sainct.

10:37 - 103 bikes, 63 cars ad 28 trucks remain in the race on the start line of the stage between Dakhla and Louxor (274kms). Has pulled out : Lassoued Abla (Mitsubishi - n.334).

10:36 - On the finish line of the stage between Dakhla and Louxor (274kms), Sainct (KTM - n.3) has clocked the best time. Despres (KTM - n.7) is 8sec behind. Lundmark (KTM - n.16) is third at 9min32 followed by De Azevedo (KTM - n.25) at 11mn28, Brucy (KTM - n.9) at 11min42 and Flick (KTM - n.22) at 13min27. Meoni (KTM - n.1) finishes at 22min37. In the new overall Sainct has a 11min20 lead on Despres and 39min21 on Meoni.

09:42 - At km 221, Meoni (KTM - n.1) has stopped to repair the front of his bike that appears to be very damaged after a fall earlier in the special. Again he has lost more time.

09:41 - Two kilometres before CP1, (km169), Fabrizio Meoni (KTM - n.1) has had a bad crash and has broken the front of his bike (road book). The Italian is back on his bike but has lost considerable time.

09:37 - The special is staged on a forgotten track that was used by the camel caravans to go to Sudan. It is almost totally staged in the mountains and finishes with a very steep descent. The start of the special goes upwards like in a hill race on 5kms that take the competitors to a camel track. The track then becomes very rocky. The only visible details are centenary piles of stone about a metre high. The special is then totally off-piste. The competitors will have to find the good valley and find the right crossing to go downhill. This descent is the key point of the special. They will have to find at the top of cliffs a dune that will allow them to go down on a very steep kilometre. The rally then meets with history wih the archeological site of Karnak, the valley of Kings, the valley of Queens and quite a number of temples including that of Ramses II and the Pharaoh Queen Hatchepsout, the only women to have governed ancient Egypt.

[Noise]

F*** F*** F***

Tudi Miran je včeraj hudo padel in resno poškodoval tako sebe kot svoj motor... Kljub temu skozi CP2 kot šesti in skupno na 15. mestu! :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: Po protibolečinskih tabletah bojda že cel dan počiva... :( :( :( :( :( :( :(

Več o tem tukaj :arrow: http://www.motosvet.com/index.php?View=000...=739&M_ID=12003

Hmm, zanima me samo, kako to, da mu dovolijo, da mu Roland Mueller popravlja motor... Upam, da ne bo kaj narobe. :shock: :shock: :(

In pa seveda, Miran, srečno srečno srečno za naslednjo današnjo etapo... Pokaži jim + po pameti !!! 8) 8) 8)

[Noise]

Uraden Press Release -- 14. etapa!

--> Meoni izgubil vse upe, Sainct previden...

Stage 14 of the Telefonica Dakar 2003 between Dakhla and Luxor had its fare share of drama. A crash just before CP1 and Meoni's hopes of possible victory faded away. On the 274kms of the bike special Sainct eased to victory while the Italian lost over 22 minutes on the day. On four wheels, Luc Alphand made the history books with the first ever Dakar stage victory of a driver coming from another sport. The former skier also gave BMW their first win in the car category. In the truck race, Firdaus Kabirov clinched his 2nd straight special to overtake De Rooy for 3rd place overall while Russian compatriot Tchaguine added a few minutes to his overall lead.

Frontlights smashed, roadbook thrashed, added to a painful ankle and a sore back... It'll certainly take quite some time for Fabrizio Meoni (KTM - n.1) to forget this nightmare of a day. Km 171, a couple of metres from the first check point of the day, will be remembered as the place where the Italian definitely gave up all hope of a 3rd straight Dakar win.

"It was completely flat and I wasn't fully focused at over 150km/h. And suddenly the handlebar went from side to side and the bike went crazy. I still can't explain why. Maybe it's just the way it had to be because I had no reason to attack at that moment. The race for victory is over. Now all I want is to get to 'Sharm' in one piece with no more problems."

The stubborn Toscan went immediately back on his bike only to lose 4min50 on Sainct at CP1. But on a destroyed KTM, Meoni was forced to stop again and repair. On the finish line of the special, he had lost 22min37 on the day's winner Richard Sainct (KTM - n.3). Second was Cyril Despres (KTM - n.7) at 18sec while late starter Marc Coma managed a very encouraging third spot at 3min08 and PG Lundmark, first amateur of the special, finished fourth.

In the overall, Sainct can now count on a 11min20 lead on his Gauloises team mate Despres and over 39min21 on Meoni. The Frenchman remains, as usual extremely careful: "The race is not over yet. There still are three days. The best proof is that Meoni lost a lot of time today. It can happen to me tomorrow."

The day was a lot sadder for France's Alain Duclos (KTM - n.120). Eleven kilometres before the end of the special, the 10th biker overall was forced to pull out of the rally after breaking a leg and hurting his back on a crash.

Exactly like yesterday, the car race crowned a non-Mitsubishi representant for the 3rd time of the Dakar. After finishing second in Siwa and Dakhla, Luc Alphand (BMW - n.221) finally grabbed that win he was waiting for. For the first time in the rally's history, a driver coming from another sport (and not a motorsport) claims a special. Six years after winning the overall alpine skiing World Cup, 'Luco' writes his name in the Dakar book with a special win and as the driver of the first victorious Diesel car.

"Vatanen had a puncture. Maybe it's destiny. To be in front makes me so happy. People told me a few days ago when I finished second that I could become the first sportsman from another discipline to win a special. So the goal was to win a special. To finish twice second is great...today is fantastic."

Taking off in second spot behind Ari Vatanen, the Frenchman had trouble keeping up with the pace of the Finn: "Vatanen took off like a bullet in front of me. I couldn't see Vatanen anymore so I drove faster not to be too ashamed."

He eventually made the best of Vatanen's puncture and his navigational skill to finish the special only 22sec ahead of Fontenay (Mitsubishi - n.202) while De Villiers (Nissan - n.217) took third spot, 1min06 adrift, and Vatanen (Nissan - n.204) was fourth at 2min06. The quest for overall victory was rapidly overshadowed by Hiroshi Masuoka's (Mitsubishi - n.200) two punctures in the early stages of the special. After 274kms, Masuoka who finished 7th lost an extra 1min23 on Peterhansel (Mitsubishi - n.206), sixth of the day at 4min27.

"I just want to keep my second spot overall. I'm ready to leave the victory go to Peterhansel. I believe that Stephane has perhaps won the rally today", admitted Masuoka.

In the car overall, 'Peter' has a 27min13 lead on the Japanese and 2h25min28 on Fontenay. The biggest upset of the day was for Kleinschmidt (Volkswagen - n.202) who finished over 1h29 adrift after mechanical troubles. The German is under the pressure of Alphand in the battle for 9th spot.

"I still have the objective of overtaking Jutta in the overall. 25 minutes to catch up in two days is possible", insisted Alphand.

In the truck race, Firdaus Kabirov (Kamaz - n.412) stormed to stage victory. His team mate and overall leader Tchaguine (Kamaz - n.407) took it very easily finishing in second spot 29min13 and basing his race on that of his closest rival Andre De Azevedo (Tatra - n.410) who finished third at 31min21. In the overall, the biggest change concerns third spot with Kabirov overtaking De Rooy (Daf - n.409), fourth of the special at 41min17, by over 16 minutes. Meanwhile Tchaguine now has a 1h11in01 on De Azevedo.

Še intervjuji iz uradne strani Dakarja...

======

BIKES

Fabrizio Meoni (KTM - n.1)

14th of the special, 3rd overall

"I was riding well and had gained a few minutes. At km 170 just before the CP it was completely flat and I wasn't fully focused at over 150km/h. And suddenly the handlebar went from side to side and the bike went crazy. I still can't explain why. Maybe it's just the way it had to be because I had no reason to attack at that moment. Unitl then I was having fun. Yesterday was a lot more dangerous. It's destiny! Of course I have my chances are over. After the fall I stayed there because I had broken the fuel pipe, the oil radiator... I lost a lot of time. The race for victory is over. Now all I want is to get to 'Sharm' in one piece with no more problems. Now it's the race of the wounded coming back from war."

Richard Sainct (KTM - n.3)

1st of the special, 1st overall

"The race is not over yet. There still are three days. The best proof is that Meoni lost a lot of time today. It can happen to me tomorrow. For the moment all is OK. I didn't make any mistakes and that's the most important. Now I have to wait a little."

CARS

Luc Alphand (BMW - n.221)

1st of the special, 10th overall

"This morning I thought I would be able to drive fast but Vatanen took off like a bullet in front of me. He had 2 minutes then 3. The tracks were tough and I wanted to take it easy on the car. I couldn't see Vatanen anymore so I drove faster not to be too ashamed. I saw De Villiers far behind so I thought I had a good pace. Followed a game of hide and seek in a magical scenery where all of us took a different track. Vatanen had a puncture. Maybe it's destiny. To be in front makes me so happy. People told me a few days ago when I finished second that I could become the first sportsman from another discipline to win a special. So the goal was to win a special. To finish twice second is great...today is fantastic. There are still two days to go so it would be a pity to ruin everything. I still have the objective of overtaking Jutta (kleinschmidt) in the overall. 25minutes to catch up in two days is possible. We're still a bit disappointed for Gregoire (De Mevius). To be here with only one car is tough. I'm learning well. I don't make a lot of mistakes at the high pace I drive. I'm simply happy today. We already have a great engine. There still is some work on the car. With some extra help from the manufactor, it could be great. Maybe they (BMW) waited to see what our team could do... What we've already done is good and maybe it can help them (BMW)."

Ari Vatanen (Nissan - n.204)

4th of the special, 8th overall

"It's a pity for today. I was first at CP1 and CP2 but then we had a puncture and went on a wrong track. We lost a lot of time. It's a day to be forgotten. We'll try in the next days to clinch another one. I'm still confident. Tomorrow the special is made for good drivers but you never know what can happen."

Stephane Peterhansel (Mitsubishi - n.206)

6th of the special, 1st overall

Masuoka had two punctures early in the special. I don't know for what reasons. Was he trying to catch up time? Anyway we base our race on his and today went again in our advantage. We'll carry on like this until the end of the rally. If he catches me up I'll either stay in front of him or keep him within reasonable distance. But for me all is not done. In motorsports you have to remain careful. I've already lost bike races I should have won for mechanical reasons. We've been leading since the first day but this is a motorsport. Until we make it to the finish line, nothing is won."

Hiroshi Masuoka (Mitsubishi - n.200)

7th of the special, 2nd overall

"I just want to keep my second spot overall. I'm ready to leave the victory go to Peterhansel. I believe that Stephane has perhaps won the rally today. I don't want to take risks and lose my overall position. I prefer to finish second rather than having nothing at all. I'll be back next year to win."

===== Vir: Dakar.com

[Noise]

08:43 - The track is well signaled, fast with soft sand and rocky portions. Not a lot of details and quite a few changes in direction. The special is done wihout the help of a GPS system. The special goes from canyon to canyon where everything looks alike. It’ll be important not to miss out on the right crossing at the end of the special close to Abu Rish.

09:34 - At CP1, (km180), Fabrizio Meoni (KTM - n.1) has the best time. Second is PG Lundmark (KTM - n.16) at 5sec followed by Coma (KTM - n.10) at 1min34, Brucy (KTM - n.9) at 2min33, Sainct (KTM - n.3) at 3min14 and Despres (KTM - n.7) at 3min21.

VIr: Dakar.com

[BRANE]

miran na cp2 11.

[miki]

tudi na cp3 11.

zaostanek pa okoli 16 minut za Meonijem

[miki]

na današnji etapi STANOVNIK 11. z zaostankom 18' 59"

[D.J.]

bom raj kvaliteten slovenski komentar počakal - dejmo Transalp :wink:

[Noise]

Miran je bil kljub poškodbi danes odličen 11. in je skupno obdržal 15. mesto za Salo...

Meoni je sicer prvi pripeljal skozi cilj, a je za Sainctom še vedno več kot pol ure, ki jih - če se ne zgodi kaj hudega prvima dvema - ne bo mogel nadoknaditi.. Depres je še vedno 10 minut za Sainctom in bo - bojda - jutri štartal na vse ali nič... zanimiva etapa se obeta jutri, v nedeljo pa cilj v Sharm el Sheikhu...

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12:39 - On the finish line of the stage between Louxor and Abu Rish (477kms), Fabrizio Meoni (KTM - n.1) wins the special. Second is PG Lundmark (KTM - n.16) at 1min47sec followed by Coma (KTM - n.10) at 3min56, Despres (KTM - n.7) at 4min32, Sainct (KTM - n.3) at 5min23, Brucy (KTM - n.9) at 6min50 and De Azevedo (KTM - n.25) at 9min29. In the overall, Sainct has a 10min29 lead on Despres and 33min58 on Meoni.

11:02 - On the start line of the day's stage between Louxor and Abu Rish 102 bikes, 62 cars and 28 trucks are still in the race. Has pulled out: Yves Loubet (n.228).

10:23 - At CP2, (km252), PG Lundmark (KTM - n.16) has the best time. Second is Fabrizio Meoni (KTM - n.1) at 1min05sec followed by Coma (KTM - n.10) at 1min38, Despres (KTM - n.7) at 3min35, Sainct (KTM - n.3) at 3min43 and Brucy (KTM - n.9) at 5min.

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Napisali ste že vse, tako da skoraj ni kaj dodati. No, če sem že začel z dnevnimi poročili, bom vztrajal do konca. :D

Dakar, 16. januar, 14. etapa:

Tokratna hitrostna preizkušnja je merila 274km. Bilo je veliko kamenja in skal, vmes pa seveda pesek, po posnetkih sodeč pa je bila vožnja po večjem in manjšem kamenju zelo nevarna. "Panika" med udeleženci dirke, ki bi radi pridobili kako mesto v skupni razvrstitvi še narašča, tako da je tveganje vse večje. Prvi jo je včeraj skupil Meoni, ki je iz prednjega dela svojega dvocilindrskega KTM-a naredil nekakšen "streetfighterski" nos. Kot ste zvedeli iz že napisanega, je motocikel ostal najmanj brez prednje maske in roadbook-a. Po Meonijevih besedah je pri hitrosti okrog 150km/h z roko želel premakniti roadbook, tedaj pa je najverjetneje zapeljal na večji kamen... Meoni je nato še dodatno izgubil nekaj časa s saniranjem poškodb motocikla, tako da se je njegov zaostanek za Sainctom s približno 17 minut povečal na 39 minut. Medtem, ko je Meoni urejal motor, se je ob njem ustavil četrtouvrščeni Brucy, da bi mu pomagal. Meoni se je Brucyju zahvalil in od njega zahteval, naj takoj pelje naprej in skuša osvojiti tretje mesto, na katerem je Meoni sam... Po besedah komentatorja in Jeana Brucyja: "Meoni je res pravi športni gentleman!" Ni kaj, Meoni je pokazal pravi športni duh Dakarja, ki ga je do sedaj menda najgrše potlačil Jean-Louis Schlesser pred dvema letoma. Od tedaj nima sreče... Saj res - pred leti je priznanje za "fair-play" na Dakarju dobil prav naš Miran Stanovnik!

Despres je zelo dobro lovil Sainct-a, tako da ima še vse možnosti za končno zmago, Meoniju pa se je najverjetneje ta možnost že izmuznila. Vrstni red pri vrhu ostaja enak: Sainct, Meoni, Despres. Privrženci Dakarja se verjetno spomnite, da je Sainct leta 1999 in 2000 zmagal na Dakarju z BMW F650 RR.

Za našega Mirana Stanovnika tudi že vsi veste, da je bil odličen šesti, doživel pa je tudi hud padec. Držim pesti, da Miran srečno pride v Sharm-el-Sheikh!

Pri vodilnih avtomobilistih je v nasprotju z motociklisti vsaj pri vodilnih dirkačih zaznati modrost in preudarnost. Na etapi je s fantastično vožnjo slavil Luc Alphand, ki je bil leta 1997 sicer skupni zmagovalec svetovnega pokala v alpskem smučanju! Tudi sicer Alphand letos odlično vozi, vendar je imel žal med potjo ogromno smole. Kakorkoli že, s turbodizelskim BMW X5 se mu letos obeta zmaga med dizelskimi avtomobili. Končni vrstni red pri vrhu je enak: Peterhansel, Masuoka, Fontenay - vsi vozniki Mitsubishijev, seveda...

Od zanimivosti so pokazali, kako je posadka Vatanen-Thorner zašla s poti na nekakšno peščeno polje, gosto in enakomerno posejano s skalami, ki so molele iz tal kakih 30cm, tako da je bila vožnja preko njih prava muka (nekako kot bi vozil po orjaški embalaži za jajca). "Leteči Finec" Vatanen se je zelo diplomatsko hudoval nad navigacijo svoje švedske sovoznice Kristine Thorner, kar smo lahko videli preko kamere v njunem Nissanu. Če se spomnite - Thornerjeva je bila nekoč sovoznica Jutte Kleinschmidt.

Še najmanj se je dogajalo pri tovornjakih. Etapo je dobil voznik drugega Kamaza, Kabirov. Vrstni red: Tschaguine (Kamaz), De Azevedo (Tatra), Kabirov (Kamaz). De Rooy je na nehvaležnem četrtem mestu.

Naslednja etapa (ki je danes seveda že mimo, vendar je Eurosportovo poročilo šele ob 22:30) je spet daljša - 477km, GPS ni dovoljen.