Another day, another problem

Dakar 2018 | Stage 11 | Belén > Fiambalá / Chilecito
January 17 ^th 2018 - 03:33 [GMT -3]

For his second attempt at the Dakar, Simon Marcic is experiencing a genuine ordeal, in the true sense of the word. He has only four more stages between him and the finish in Cordoba… but how many more mishaps must he suffer?

He has been caught in a chain of events from which few emerge victorious and none unscathed! Since the second stage, Simon Marcic has accumulated mechanical problems, which have been accentuated by monumental navigation errors and now extreme tiredness. On completion of the Peruvian section of the rally, the Slovenian was already asking himself serious questions concerning his future on the race: “You need at least a bit of luck to complete the Dakar. I’ve not had any…” Last year, he already experienced the cruel disillusionment of being knocked over by Stéphane Peterhansel, several days from the finish. “Mister Dakar” has since personally helped Simon to ensure that he could try again on the 2018 edition. However, this time, the list of his problems is even longer than a chain of dunes in the Tanaka Desert: “I broke my chain, then my battery conked out, the joint between the carburettor and the engine split and the power supply to my Iritrack cut out. I also have had problems with my headlights twice and today I need to repair the rear brake as well as my handlebars which are coming unstuck. The only thing that is still working is me, and not that well any more, to be honest!” As if that was not enough, Marcic is taking part in the “Original by Motul” category. As a result, he spends a considerable portion of his nights trying to make repairs. “Each day, I get the feeling that the stage is longer than the one before… I don’t know what to expect tomorrow”. It certainly will not be a calmer day, because today’s menu includes a big helping of Fiambala!