Team Dessoude keeps the pace! 16.01.2013: 2013 DAKAR, Team Dessoude Leg 10 - 15th of January 2013 Cordoba / La Rioja : 633km - Liaisons : 280km - SS : 353km

 2013 DAKAR, Team Dessoude
Leg 10 - 15th of January 2013
Cordoba / La Rioja : 633km - Liaisons : 280km - SS : 353km
 



The tenth stage between Cordoba and La Rioja was not easy under an extreme heat. After the rain and its excesses, the heat could undermine even more men and machines, already tired by ten gruelling race days. The 353 km of the stage were alternating twisty or faster tracks, wooded areas or clear plateaux.


Setting a steady pace, Christian Lavieille and the Buggy Juke confirm yesterday’s stage and their ranking in overall classification. In excellent shape since the rest day, to five stages to the finish, Frédéric Chavigny and Proto Atacama are back in the race with determination and continue to move up in the rankings. Yves Tartarin, like his teammates, suffered from dust everywhere and had to stop due to a puncture but remains on the same position overall.
 

Heading northwest, the temperature rose a few degrees to turn into a real heat wave in La Rioja area. This new stage was very similar to the previous day with the main common point, dust ...  Just like yesterday, Christian Lavieille and Jean-Michel Polato fought well but the dust was the main obstacle. "On the 350 km of the special stage, we drove in the dust during 250 km ... nothing exciting.


The “train moved” and we all follow ... You must constantly slow down and push without being able to be close to the car you want to overtake. I did not want to tear out a wheel. Trying to overtake while driving blind, is to take a lot of risks. We had to be patient.  Today, off-piste and dunes will be back. It seems that the special stage is shortened of thirty kilometers but in Fiambala, anything could happen!”
 

Yves Tartarin and Christian Poirault also took their troubles patiently. Despite some concerns yesterday, the crew maintains its position overall. "Yesterday it was a little hard ... we ripped the inflation-deflation system, we had a puncture and we made a small navigation mistake. In fact, we were far in the starting list of this morning.


On this kind of track, overtaking is already a problem but with dust, it is almost an impossible mission. The first 100 km were not too bad but then we had a puncture! The stage was very nice but I feared to have a new puncture so I stayed very careful. I think the worst of the day was the last half hour. Half an hour in the terrible dust of a quad… A quad makes more dust than a car. Unable to move, I was going crazy ...


Today back to sand ... and to trucks on a common route. We discover the two-wheel drive category, then we just want to reach the finish of the rally."
 

The trio Chavigny Leneveu-Atacama works great! For proof, a new move up in overall standings and during the stage."The stage was beautiful but as yesterday, the dust remains a real problem to overtake. We set a good pace, without being impatient. Tomorrow, back to the dunes ... The dunes of Fiambala may be terrible but morale and condition are at the top!”


Today, the rally will head to Fiambala, an area visited many times by the Dakar, but this year the race will take new tracks. Fiambala, its dunes and its white sand will probably wake up some memories for regulars competitors. With a very high temperature, look out to overheating, and to the navigation during the 219 km of stage. This come back to the sand dunes could offer some surprises.
 
 

Géraldine DESHAYES, photo DPPI