bike
Psychologically very tough
I am not the kind of person who derives pleasure from the problems of teammates, and even less when it is Marc Coma who is in trouble. I started with the knife between my teeth, knowing he would do the same thing. I took no risks but tried to gain ground on other riders in turns. At the refuelling station I saw I had clawed back 5 minutes from Marc. I then got lost a couple of times; it was never a big problem but I had to stay focused. Today's stage was psychologically very tough. I always wait until the last day to enjoy things. I have seen so many things happen at the Dakar, and even more today. I want to stay calm and enjoy things a bit more.
bike
I feared I would not be able to continue
I started very fast, as fast as I could, because I knew it would be difficult to stay in the lead of the rally. 25 km into the stage I had a mechanical problem which forced me to slow down. It was a gearbox problem and I feared I would not be able to continue. So I am happy to be here, in second position, which is quite good. I fought throughout the entire rally and gave it everything I had got at all times. That is the way it is. I am disappointed because I was not able to fight until the end.
bike
A stage win is always great
A stage win is always great, and finishing on the overall podium is also cool. I might have been able to perform better in certain stages, but I had a few little problems and it was impossible for me to win. But today I gained some time on Cyril and Marc, I rode very fast. That is good. I may be able to do better next year. We can do it, if we work hard with our team all year round. I may take the new motorcycle. First, I will have to test it, and then we will see.
quad
A beautiful stage
There is only tomorrow's stage left. And we have reached Lima, which was one of our goals. Today's position is a good one, of course. I am happy. It was a beautiful stage near the sea in which we had to cross very high dunes. Navigating and maintaining a certain pace while riding together is certainly different from riding alone.
quad
I am deeply moved
You feel good when you reach the finish. There are a 29-kilometre special and two liaisons to go, and then we can think of another Dakar victory. We had to finish today's stage. Everything went OK. I am deeply moved and very happy. If I win tomorrow, this will be a great moment for our family, our team, Argentina and Las Flores. We still have to pray nothing bad will happen during the last special and the two liaisons. The gaps have been made. Everything is perfect.
car
I am still holding my breath this evening
It was not a stage we were trying to win. First and foremost, we wanted to avoid falling into traps, especially after getting stuck in the sand yesterday. It was the toughest stage of the entire Dakar with regard to the dunes. We made a tactical choice to start with lower-than-normal tyre pressure, so we had to be very careful at certain points, but we did well on the dunes. We were under psychological pressure because we came within an inch of losing the Dakar yesterday. Victories are earned day by day and I still feel like I am in the race. There is still a 30-kilometre special to go and we could have a technical problem. I am still holding my breath this evening. I will breathe again once I am on the podium.
car
I ended up in a swallow hole
Today was one of the most difficult stages I have ever experienced. I ended up in a swallow hole trying to avoid a motorcycle rider who fell in front of me. Luckily, Ricardo dos Santos got me out of there, although we were stuck in the whole for quite a while. We are still 22 minutes ahead of Giniel, but he also got stuck in this hole. I later lost some time on a waypoint I spent a lot of time looking for, which cost me over 12 kilometres. But it was my fault for losing my focus. But we are here, and that is not half bad. This is the Dakar.
car
Incredible!
I was driving at a high pace when I crossed a dune and suddenly the front of my car crashed into the sand. We were stuck and lost 40 to 45 minutes there. In the meanwhile, Stéphane overtook us and we set off behind him very quickly. Then my car did a somersault, but we put it back on its wheels and continued the special! Incredible! I wanted to beat the Minis with a big margin today. Actually, there was a moment when we were leading them by 30 minutes. At least we had fun.
car
We did a good job
I am happy to finish this special, once again a very difficult stage. We had to stop several times to deflate the tyres. We saw Nani stuck in the sand, just like Robby. We ended up leading the field, we did a good job. If we finish in this position tomorrow it will be like a victory for us. The car proved not just its reliability but also its performance by netting us a podium place.
truck
I was unable to inflate my tyres
Today was the toughest stage for me. I tried not to make any mistakes despite being under more pressure than usual. I had problems with my tyres and was unable to inflate them. It was very stressful because we had to be extremely careful with the rocks. I am happy to have made it so far. I had no physical problems this year round, no back pain. I am very happy and we will see what the future has in store for me.
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