– Can-Am 1-2 stage finish moves Uribe and Varela into first and second overall
Racing for the new South Racing Can-Am Team, the Brazilian duo of Reinaldo Varela and Gustavo Gugelmin put first stage delays firmly behind them to set the fastest time in the new SxS category of the 2018 Dakar Rally on the demanding 267km special stage that looped through the deserts and sand dunes, near Pisco, in Perú on Sunday.
Varela lost over 30 minutes stuck in the dunes on the opening stage but the experienced Brazilian delivered an impressive performance in the new South Racing Can-Am Maverick X3 on the second special. He controlled the pace in the category from the outset and a stage time of 4hrs 18min 44sec enabled the Brazilian to climb from an overnight eighth to second overall in the SxS category.
Peruvian debutant Juan Carlos Uribe is taking part in the event with navigator Javier Uribe Godoy and support from Can-Am Perú, Alsol, Friopacking and Chiawel Agro in a chassis built by South Racing.
They were classified sixth and first of the Can-Ams through day one and reached the night halt in Pisco leading the SxS section after clocking the second fastest time to make it a Can-Am 1-2 finish on the day. Stage winner Varela finished 8min 59sec in front of the Peruvian and now trails by 12min 08sec in the overall standings.
Leonel Larrauri and Fernando Imperatrice suffered delays on the short opening stage on Saturday after rolling their Maverick X3 nose-over-tail. They slipped to 10th place, but the Argentinean duo were back in a better pace on day two around Pisco after the car had been repaired overnight. They suffered delays early in the stage but remained on track to reach the stage finish in Pisco on Sunday evening.
Today and Tomorrow
Today’s stage of 267km saw the cars and ATVs precede the motorcycles into the desert on a stage that took place on around 65% of a sandy surface. Navigation was of paramount importance through the difficult dunes and in enabling the crews to decipher the necessary route waypoints.
On Monday, day three of the Dakar heads south from Pisco to the town of San Juan de Marcona. The special stage of 296km starts at the town of Ica along the Pacific Coast after a liaison of 208km and winds its way through canyons and dunes, skirting the famous UNESCO world heritage town of Nasca, to finish in San Juan de Marcona.
WHAT THEY SAID:
Scott Abraham, Managing Director, South Racing Can-Am Team : « I guess it’s been a tale of two days for us so far. Reinaldo got stuck in the dunes yesterday and lost time, but today he controlled the stage and didn’t take any risks. Leonel had some slight delays today at WP2 but continued on a good pace after that. It’s been a positive day today and we have proved that the Can-Am Maverick X3s can fight for the overall win with the best vehicles in the UTV category. Reinaldo and Juan-Carlos gave us a 1-2 finish today and that has given us first and second overall. We will continue to push forward. It’s a long race and we still have 12 stages to go. »
2018 Dakar Rally SS2 result (SxS category @19.23hrs CET):
1. Reinaldo Varela (BRA)/Gustavo Gugelmin (BRA) South Racing Can-Am, 4hrs 18min 44sec
2. Juan-Carlos Uribe (PER)/Javier Uribe Godoy (PER) Can-Am, 4hrs 27min 43sec
3. Patrice Garrouste (FRA)/Steven Griener (FRA) Polaris RZR 1000 Turbo, 4hrs 40min 41sec
4. Jose Luis Pena Campo (ESP)/Rafael Tornabell (ESP) Polaris RZR 1000, 5hrs 10min 08sec
5. Anibal Aliaga (PER)/Juan Pedro Cilloniz (PER) Polaris RZR 1000 XP, 5hrs 11min 23sec
6. Claude Fournier (FRA)/Szymon Gospodarczyk (POL) Polaris RZR 1000 XP, 6hrs 11min 21sec
TBA. Leonel Larrauri (ARG)/Fernando Imperatrice (ARG) South Racing Can-Am
2018 Dakar Rally overall after SS2 (SxS category @19.23hrs CET):
1. Juan-Carlos Uribe (PER)/Javier Uribe Godoy (PER) Can-Am, 5hrs 17min 45sec
2. Reinaldo Varela (BRA)/Gustavo Gugelmin (BRA) South Racing Can-Am, 5hrs 29min 53sec
3. Anibal Aliaga (PER)/Juan Pedro Cilloniz (PER) Polaris RZR 1000 XP, 5hrs 42min 50sec
4. Jose Luis Pena Campo (ESP)/Rafael Tornabell (ESP) Polaris RZR 1000, 5hrs 44min 36sec
5. Patrice Garrouste (FRA)/Steven Griener (FRA) Polaris RZR 1000 Turbo, 5hrs 46min 17sec
6. Claude Fournier (FRA)/Szymon Gospodarczyk (POL) Polaris RZR 1000 XP, 6hrs 46min 11sec
TBA. Leonel Larrauri (ARG)/Fernando Imperatrice (ARG) South Racing Can-Am
Neil Perkins,