The 48 Hours Time Trial will go down in the annals of the Dakar as the toughest stage not only of this edition, but at least of the last decade. For veterans, an epic double stage so as to remember the endless days when we still raced in Africa. For young people, the special to post on social media and to tell at home upon returning and one day to the grandchildren.
With the cars and motorbikes starting together from the same checkpoint and then separating on their path, which like a spiral moved away and then crossed again, the 48 hour time trial without assistance was a feat for everyone, pros and amateurs and a real puzzle.
For motorbikes 625 km of special to be covered in two days, for cars 570 km. Shared checkpoints, refueling and 7 basic bivouacs under the stars. The 100% sand route put the vehicles and drivers to the test. The extremely soft sand and the scorching heat made life even harder and there were many defections due to mechanical failures. Among these also Tommaso Montanari.
Born in 1991, from Terni, the Fantic Racing driver gave it his all right from the start of the special in the dunes of the boundless desert of the Empty Quarter – the size of France – but in the end he had to give up due to electrical problems. A real shame also because he was having an excellent first week with constant results in the Top 30. Tommaso will still be able to continue his run in the Experience category.
“The Dakar ends here for me. I'm disappointed because I wanted to finish it, given what happened last year. I knew I had to grit my teeth for this 48h. Physically I'm fine, and after the day of rest I will resume the race in the Experience category to bring home experience and precious data. It's a shame because we were doing well, we will definitely try again next year,” said Montanari.
His teammates Jeremy Miroir and Jane Daniels, who started a few minutes apart from each other, completed the first part of the special before sunset. Together with the other competitors they spent the night in the bivouac in the heart of the desert. For them a tent, sleeping bag, a ration of food and water. No electricity, no running water, no telephone coverage. This morning we woke up at 05:30 with the first motorbike starting at 06:20 for the remaining kilometers to be completed up to the Shubaytah bivouac. The Frenchman Jeremy Miroir finished the stage 36th, 28th overall with the Dakar at the end of the first week of the race.
Jane Daniels was slowed down at the end by a bad fall with 164km to go. In the accident, the multiple enduro champion damaged the instruments but she managed to finish 54th, 52nd overall.
The pilots will reach Riyadh today for a day of well-deserved rest with a special organization flight while the teams will have to travel 800 km to reach the capital of the Kingdom.
#Dakar #Montanari #due #electrical #fault #Fantic #shines #Miroir
