car
It was not really a good dayWe had a puncture with a piece of tree inside the tyre so we stopped for a first time. After, we pushed a little bit more and then we had a second puncture so it was not really a good day. We stopped two times to change tyres, but we are still here. We lost five minutes, but we'll see.
quad
It's a great DakarThe stage was very hard, even really difficult, with places that we haven't seen before. There were descents that were so steep the brakes weren't really any use. It was a fine stage with magnificent landscapes, but really tough. It was a pleasure to ride, though. I think it's a great Dakar, a real good battle.
quad
I hadn't won anything since the Pharaohs RallyThere was a lot to make you suffer. I wasn't bothered about our rivals. We ride at our own pace, we ride as well as we can. We can't go any faster. We are at the limits of our capacities. We didn't look to see how the others were doing, in particular Lafuente who I don't know at all. I won? That's great. I haven't won anything for such a long time, since the Pharaohs Rally.
car
We followed the motorcycles!When we drove through the water there was really bad visibility and we took a branch which was really heavy properly full on in the front of the car. It broke the windscreen. One time we lost about 30 seconds maybe more because we followed the motorcycles and they went the longer way. We had to reverse after 500 metres but we had to go very slow to avoid hitting any of the motorcycles because they were going the opposite way. It was a good stage, for sure, a good stage without technical problems. Everything was ok.
bike
I've proved that Sherco is capable of a fine performance!I rode really well at the start without taking any risks, taking care to navigate properly and that turned out well, because I finished 2nd behind Cyril so I'm very happy. What's more, I think that a fair few riders missed at least two waypoints, numbers 23 and 24, but I made sure I found them. I'm really pleased, because I proved today that Sherco is capable of a fine performance!
bike
I thought ‘I need to get to the finish'Today was very, very difficult; very technical and very hard. I fell and got a small scratch after 15 km, so I had to stop, but I thought ‘ok, I need to get to the finish'. Also, the water in the camelback was finished and the last 20 kilometres were very, very hard.
truck
A very, very tiring day...We didn't have any problems today, only the dust from the trucks in front of us, but even so we drove really well and didn't get any punctures, so that's good. But it was really hot, especially on such a technical route. It really was a very, very tiring day.
car
It was a good job todayFor our car it was very difficult because it was a very technical stage and we hadn't been really fast. We lost one place, but then we managed to win it back again. But the car is ok, everything is good. We started first and finished first, but it was a good job today because it's a very long rally. The car actually wasn't that good on the technical parts, but when it's open land, it's really good and more comfortable. I must get to know just how big our car is, to know when we can push and when we can go easy. Today we felt the very high altitude, there was no big power, but I'm happy to finish the stage without any problems.
car
The windscreen completely fogged up...We went quite well there at the beginning, but we lost some time when we got to the water. We had a problem with the windscreen and it completely fogged up on the inside. We basically had to stop. It was quite a long section in the canyon in the water, but obviously that's something we should have worked on so we lost a little time there. But the rest was fine, no problems, no overheating, the Toyota ran well.
truck
It's very close!It was shorter than the stage yesterday, but it was more difficult and felt much longer. I'm looking for the right adjustment for the rear suspension. It's not working as I want it to do, but it's ok. Apart from that, there are no problems. I think Gerard will stay in front too, but it's very close, it's always very competitive, though I don't know: we'll see at the bivouac!
truck
It's only the beginning of the rally!We lost all the water from the radiator and had to wait for 5 minutes before we could fill it back up. As a result, Hans overtook us and from then on we were driving in his dust without being able to overtake him. It's not a good day for us today, but it's only the beginning of the rally!
truck
I hit a rockAfter twenty kilometres, I made a mistake, because I didn't see a big rock that was hidden in the scrub. I hit it and we had to stop and change the wheel, which cost me around 12 minutes. It's my fault. I need to make sure I pay more attention. Apart from that incident, it was an interesting stage, even if there were a bit too many rocks.
bike
Quite a good day, apparentlyWell it was a quite good day, apparently. It started quite badly for me because I smashed a finger this morning. My navigation repeater broke down after the first 100 km. It was at least 300 km long, but it was tough because the race director David Castera organised us a loop of 70 km for just the bikes which was even tougher than endurance riding because the tracks were completely invisible because of the rain. At the river it was crazy, but I took my time and I didn't want to push too much. On the last bit on the special stage I was thinking that I wasn't sure if there was a bike in front of me. The track was not well marked, sometimes only a little bit, but apparently I've finished the special first, a little bit tired but with a good time.
car
It's more important for us that we drove really wellWe'll have to wait for the other cars to arrive, but for the moment, it's good and we are happy about it. We drove really well with Michel, without making any mistakes, but we were fortunate to set off later on, follow the tyre tracks and see where to brake. But all in all, it's more important for us that we drove really well, rather than the stage victory.
bike
Yesterday was my day, but today definitely wasn't!After 170 km, there was a different track for the bikes and the cars. I checked the road-book and thought I was on the right track, but then I saw that wasn't the case, because the next note was after 8 km and it wasn't correct, so I turned round! 16 km is a lot! So, after that, I went on the attack to tray and gain back some time, but today was a difficult day, even if the scenery was spectacular... Well, in the end, I've lost 13 minutes. It's a lot, but when you make a mistake, you shouldn't be surprised that the gaps open up. That's racing for you. Yesterday was my day, but today definitely wasn't!
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