Administrative checks & scrutineering
A record breaking edition
The first ever start from Portugal coincides with another historical fact for the 2006 Euromilhoes Lisboa-Dakar: indeed the record number of competitors has officially been beaten after the last day of scrutineering today. For this 28th edition, 475 vehicles will be taking off in the race (232 bikes, 174 cars and 69 trucks) added to 108 assistance cars and 129 assistance trucks. 775 competitors (bikers, drivers and co-drivers) will be competing in the event. The Dakar caravan could even have been bigger if it hadn’t been for the DAF trucks. The new Dutch vehicles have indeed not been cleared to start the event after technical checks.
The race hasn’t yet started and there was already drama in the truck race… Indeed the big DAF trucks of Jan De Rooy and his son Gerard failed to go through administrative and technical scrutineering. Both trucks have therefore not been cleared to start the race tomorrow and that seriously is a blow for the truck competition… But rules are rules….“Technical marshals found out that the trucks didn’t’ stick to the required documents and so we heard what the participants had to say which is normal in such a case. And then we took our decision, explained Robert Lagulhon, president of the official jury. They have some parts on their trucks that do not correspond to what is indicated on the documentsâ€.
The issue concerning the De Rooys also hits the trucks of Bekx, Van Vliet and Duisters. A real blow for the truck race! The Kamaz trucks are more and more the favourites of the event with title holder Kabirov and multiple winner Tchaguine, but the Tatras (Loprais, A.De Azevedo) and the Hino (Sugawara) have promised battle it out with the Russians.
All the other competitors have been cleared to start and will certainly enjoy the New Year’s Eve, and celebrate calmly just after stage 1… That should certainly be the case of David Frétigné, an expert in European specials having won the last four specials on the continent, in Narbonne and Castellon (2004), and then in Barcelona and Granada (2005). This year, the Frenchman hopes to confirm the excellent form of his Yamaha, a bike that quite a few other competitors have chosen to compete on (60 compared to 23 a year ago). “I like taking initiatives and I’m not afraid of giving it a go. Anyhow, I’ll do my best to try and make it the podium », insisted the biker who finished fifth last January.
On the eve of the start, the Mitsubishi received a very warm welcome from the Portuguese crowd and all eyes were on car title holder Stéphane Peterhansel who is back with the ambition of a third straight success and an overall eighth crown (six on a bike, two on four wheels). The Frenchman looked very serene despite the fierce opposition of the Volkswagen team. “It’s true that Volkswagen has really worked a lot and should be close to us in the competition. But we didn’t worry about what they did and our car has been improved and should be even better, so everything should go wellâ€. The Mitsubishi clan looks stronger thane ever and the atmosphere within the team has maybe never been so good. “If I don’t win, I would be delighted if one of my team-mates doesâ€, added ‘Peter’. And indeed Luc Alphand, 2nd last year could prove to be a dangerous rival. “I’ve gained a lot in confidence, now it’s time to make a difference on the Dakar. Of course, the competition should be tough with VW that’s closed the gap on us and also Schlesser that has the fastest car. Let’s not forget my team mates! But between us, the atmosphere is great, we’re a real bunch of mates and although we all hope to win, there’s a lot of respect between us. Let the best driver win…â€
Alongside, Peterhansel and Aphand, Mitsubishi will be counting on Hiroshi Masuoka and Nani Roma.
Also present today for scrutineering, Jean-Louis Schlesser feels he could well be in the battle for success. This year, the two-time winner (1999-2000) has recruited Thierry Magnaldi in a team that will have three cars. “These last few years, I was very careful because the Mitsubishis were really better than the others. But this year, we’ll be in the competition. We’ve worked during the whole season on the buggy. We’ve tested it a lot and I believe that we’re ready. The fact that we have three cars with Magnaldi and Servia is good news because I can focus on attackingâ€.
Schlesser will probably have to wait for sandier tracks to maybe worry his main rivals. Indeed is buggies are exactly suited to the first two European stages that could be rather muddy. Let the battle begin!
Breaking news
Five DAF trucks not cleared to start
According to the officials technical report the competitors of these vehicles don’t have the proper documents.
For these reasons, a jury of officials has decided after speaking to the competitors that based on a part of article 25.4 of the rule book as well as the whole of article 25P1 « every vehicle that is not in conformity can’t be cleared to start the rally. (decision of the jury of sporting officials) ». Article 25P2 B must also be taken into consideration. This decision was announced to the competitors at 15h20 and they now have an hour to appeal.