OiLybia Rally of Morocco Day 1 + 2
OiLybia Rally of Morocco first 2 days of competition. At day one, Peterhansel and Despres open the rally raid. Mountainous, winding and rocky tracks followed by sandy dunes all the way to Foum Zguid, then it was full throttle to the finish line in Tagounite: The Organizers called it “The unavoidable”, this first stage of the OiLybia Rally of Morocco will leave indelible memories in the minds of all competitors. Three hundred and ten kilometers on the clock, which for many of them, were much, much more than just a warm-up. At the cars BMW is laughing and Chicherit is crying! It was as predictable as the sun shining over Tagounite (the arrival village of this first stage): the XRaid team succeeded. Leaving first this morning, Stéphane Peterhansel and Jean-Pol Cottret (BMW X3 No. 300) escaped, relegating their closest teammates, twenty minutes behind them. And yet, if you count the four flat tires and stopping at the assistance park, Leonid Novitsky and by German Andreas Schulz, one can estimate that despite a rougher style, the Russian has been almost on a par with the leader. Unfortunately for the X-Raid team, the BMW X3 No. 302 with
Guerlain Chicherit and Michel Perin was announced immobilized at kilometer 180 with serious mechanical problems. They were joined by the Portuguese Leal Dos Santos (BMW X3 No. 308),
Good news for other competitors obtaining unexpected classification of this first step. This was particularly the case for Patrick Sireyjol (Bowler Cummins No. 313) author of a near-perfect rally
and an unexpected 4th place, just ahead of the Springbok MD Rallye Sport driven for the first time by the duo-Pélichet Decré , in high spirits but with a faulty GPS! A few concerns for theYellow MD Rallye Sport team buggies with cylinders, pipes and starter problems for Jean-Luc Blanchemain and Jean-Marc Davoy, conceding precious minutes on the track. Ditto for Pascal Thomas and Alex Winocq (Buggy Optimus MD No. 303 mechanical problems costing them nearly 2 hours.
Tenth car on arrival, the Russian Kuznetsov, accompanied by Konstantin Zhiltsov (Mitsubishi Pajero Re Autoklub No. 321) who signs the victory of the day in the T2 category reserved for production vehicles before the Toyota Ricopat No. 329 of the French Perez and grazing.
Interviews
- Stephane Peterhansel (Fra / BMW X3 No. 300): “Beautiful special, very varied. At first it was
really slow in the mountains. I really thought we were wasting time. But we did not puncture!. After
Foum Zguid it got significantly faster and more pleasant for us. Jumps, Intense navigation, overall
it was a good run. Tomorrow really is a another day … “- Leonid Novitsky (Rus / BMW X3 No. 301): “We attacked a little strong at first, which won us three
punctures before reaching the assistance. Then, in the fast portion we still had to change a wheel.
In the end, we saw Holowzcyc turn round that saved us some time … “- Holowzcyc Krzysztof (Pol / BMW X3 No. 304): “Step one was very technical, and very slow at
first, then it got faster. We suffered a slow puncture after 20 km. Then, just after CP3, a herd of
camels and tourists made us miss a branch. But the key was to start quietly, without damaging the
car … “- Patrick Sireyjol (Fra / Bowler Wildcat Cummins No. 313): “Being the first of 4 BMW’s is frankly
a performance that we were not expecting. We had to fight off Pélichet. I can’t wait for tomorrow,
in the dunes, it will be even better. “
Day 2
Going gaga in the Chegaga Sandstorms and a little wind of madness on the Rally of Morocco on the occasion of this second stage of two identical loops in the erg of Chegaga. 130 kilometers in the ocean of dunes on the edge of the Algerian border, with a neutralization of 30-minute in the assistance park half way at M’Hamid. In these weather and difficult visibility conditions , given the new navigation rules, drastically limiting the field of view of the mandatory WPM (Hidden Way Points), big surprises were predictable …
Whether it be sand, dunes, off piste, technical, fast rolling…. Whatever, nothing seems to stop Stéphane Peterhansel and Jean-Pol Cottret aboard their BMW X3 X-Raid No. 300. And even when
the king ‘Peter’ takes the time to stop for his friend David Fretigne motorcyclist who fell, he then resumed his irresistible flight.
Today he signed his second consecutive stage victory ahead of
teammate Guerlain Chicherit who had turbo problems yesterday. Novitsky (No. 301), Holowzcyc (304) and Leal Dos Santos, completed the top five fully powered by the BMW X-Raid. Behind this
breathtaking result the “men in yellow Pascal Thomas and Alex Winocq” of Optimus MD Rallye Sport in their buggy No. 303. Peter Lachaume (Bowler No. 309) did well even if delayed by a stranded competitor in front of him known as the ‘black beetle’ he was closely followed by the buggy MD No. 308 (Jean-Marie and Alain Davoy Guéhennec). just behind them the MD Springbok No 311 of -Pélichet Decré, who stopped for a quarter of an hour a few miles from the finish to help Jean-Luc and Jean Brucy Blanchemain, stranded for … 4th time today! In the T2 category, the day was difficult for the Russian Ilya Khuznetsov (Mitsubishi Pajero),
Interviews
- Stephane Peterhansel (Fra / BMW X3 No. 300): “The stage was magnificent. Only David
Fretigne’s accident shook me a little today. I confess that after that, I took a few long minutes to get
back into the race. “- Guerlain Chicherit (Fra / BMW X3 No. 302): “After our turbo troubles yesterday, it is certain that
we had a beautiful stage. Stephen showing the pace and it was high!. It was great to fight at this
pace … “- Holowzcyc Krzysztof (Pol / BMW X3 No. 304): “This car is really incredible in the sand and
dunes. During the first lap we got lost a bit and I missed a gear in the dunes,. Otherwise, it was
really perfect “- Ricardo Leal dos Santos (Por / BMW X3 No. 308): “. The BMW X3 cannot be compared to
anything that I have driven before! “- Pascal Thomas (Fra / Buggy Optimus MD No. 303): “A great day for us, essentially thanks to
Alex Winocq, my co-pilot he made me a hell of navigation today. First behind the untouchable
BMW’s , I think we could not ask for more. “- Pierre Lachaume (Fra / Bowler Wildcat 309): “Too bad we were blocked by another car stuck in
the sand on the first lap, otherwise we would still have done better today”- Jean-Marie Davoy (Fra / MD Rallye Sport Buggy No. 308): “No mechanical problems or
punctures. One leg that I likes: hard, clear and smooth … “- Pélichet Jerome (Fra / Springbok MD Rallye Sport No. 311): “Another great day, but by playing
the Good Samaritans we lost a quarter of an hour . But it was still nice “
Content credits: OiLybia Rally of Morocco Press release, images credits: Arnaud Delmas-Marsalet
Related posts:
- Rally of Morocco OiLybia stage 3
- OiLybia Rally of Morocco day 5 Ait-Attas
- OiLibya Rally of Morocco
- Rally OiLibya Shamrock Morocco 2010 results
- Peterhansel aiming for third Morocco success
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This post was compiled by Memin Pinguin
