On day 2 of the Desafio Ruta 40, round valid for the World Rally Raid Championship (W2RC), the Rally caravan left La Rioja heading to the bivouac in Belen.
Stretching for almost 460 km, stage 2 explored the dunes that the Dakar experts know very well and with them also the fech fech, a challenge for the drivers but especially the machine.
It was a fantastic for #400 Japanese Shinsuke Umeda and Maurizio Dominella – CST Polaris Xtremeplus, that after getting the medal on day 1 for winning the stage of the FIA 2R Championship.
« It was a smooth stage for us and the Polaris worked very well, despite the soft sand that created serious problems to many competitors. We won the stage and this was a great satisfaction », said the Japanese Umeda. « it was a good stage. There was a lot of fech fech but we had no issues », added Maurizio Dominella.
If everything went smooth for the crew #400, it was not the case for #401 Italian Enrico Gaspari and Argentinian Ricardo Torlaschi – ABC TOOLS Polaris Xtremeplus. They started really well and they were leading the race but then they suffered due to a mechanical issue. « It’s a pity because we had a very fast pace and we were aiming to get a great result, but unfortunately the fesh fesh damaged a piece of the machine and we lost 3 hours to fix it, we rejoined the race but we finished last. Anyway we don’t lose our motivation and we are ready for stage 3: Belen Belen
The Race: STAGE 3 August 30
For today’s stage, a loop around Belén, competitors head north to the Pie de Medano area, which the Dakar visited more than once. The first part will take place to the east of Ruta 40, while the second part will intersect with it and jump to the west of this strip of asphalt. Sand will be the name of the game here. Sandy tracks, dunes and navigation will be on the menu. Halfway through the first part of the special, the highest dunes since the race got under way will peak at 2,600 metres above sea level. The second part of the special, coming after the refuelling stop at km 164, will be more of the same, with a combo of sandy tracks and dunes. A gruelling stage in true Dakar style.