– A tough day for Tim and Tom Coronel
Today was a day of extremes in the Dakar Rally. Competitors took the start at temperatures of over 35 degrees. A few hours later, however, hats and gloves were anything but a luxury as the mercury only rose to about five degrees. Above all, this was the effect from the huge mountains that had to be conquered. From an altitude of 1,400 metres to well over 4,000 metres, with a peak at more than 5,000 metres above sea level.
The summit was reached during the neutralisation of the stage. That effectively split the stage into two parts: a first part of over 200 kilometres, a long neutralisation and then another part of more than 100 kilometres to make it to the finish. All in all: a long and demanding day.
That was the case for Tim and Tom Coronel as well. The day started off well with a good pace, but halfway through the first section, Tom’s car came to a halt with clutch problems. He got a tow from his brother and thus, the two reached the start of the neutralisation. For the second half of the special stage, Tom opted for a tow from the Boucou fast service assistance. Tim made it to the bivouac under his own power, albeit at a considerably delay due to the tow he gave to Tom.
Improvising, towing and onwards!
“This was a peculiar stage,