Stage 11: 346km of Dakar’s toughest special stage
Nothing was certain before the loop around Bisha, which had the potential to turn the race. It was the biggest technical challenge in the final part of the rally. The vehicles spent about half of the stage on dunes of all shapes and sizes, including the softest ones that the desert has in store. It was the last big fight for the podium contenders!
A stage that confirms Team Galag’s potential
All boosted up by yesterday feeling, Jerome and Mika were ready to fight against the elements in that 11th stage that promised to be one of the rally toughest.
They pushed like mad and according to the sector times they were in a fight for 5th position in this stage. A broken dune that wasn’t anticipated enough provoked a huge impact and our crew was a bit knocked out for a moment, and understood quickly something was wrong on the mechanical part. They had to stop two times to fix it and lost more or less 10 minutes.
Then Jerome and Mika got their pace back and fought until the end of this tough stage to finish 7th in our class and gained a few places in the overall rankings. Most satisfying part was the moment they followed and even raced the fastest car of our category as they seem untouchable during the whole rally.
There is just one stage remaining, a formality after the past two weeks, but we keep in mind that the rally will be finished when we will reach final podium in Jeddah tomorrow night.
Jerome de Sadeleer – Driver : « I was pushing really hard today and once again we were keeping up the pace of the fastest guys in front. My mistake was to misread a broken sand dune which we hitted pretty hard. During a bunch of minutes I had to recover before pushing hard again. Tonight I’m exhausted, that stage was the hardest of the rally, by far! »
Mika Metge – Navigator : « We knew that Dakar organizers prepared something special for this loop around Bisha. It was a tough stage, maybe the toughest of all. We were pushing hard all day. Beside a missed landing on a broken dune where we lost some time fixing something unplugged from the car, the pace was definitely there. It helps finishing on a positive note. We gave it all. »
Cyril Neveu – Team Manager : « With a fixed car, a crew back on top form, I knew they were about to push hard today. Following the live time today was pleasing as their progression among top5 was awesome today. A small mistake cost them 10 minutes but that’s also where they keep learning the Dakar. It is very encouraging for what’s next, 2023. Before that, one stage remains and we have to finish. »