Leg 9: La Serena – Copiapó
Liaison, 88 km; special, 430 km; liaison, 19 km; total, 537 km.
Weather conditions: cool and cloudy in La Serena – 15 degrees Centigrade (am) and warm and sunny in Copiapó – 35 degrees Centigrade (pm)
For immediate release
Monday, January 12th, 2009
MITSUBISHI’S ROMA MAINTAINS STRANGLEHOLD ON FOURTH OVERALL IN DAKAR RALLY
Ninth Dakar special heads into the daunting Atacama desert
Mitsubishi Racing Lancer Joan ‘Nani’ Roma / Lucas Cruz Senra
COPIAPÓ (Chile): Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart’s Joan ‘Nani’ Roma and Lucas Cruz Senra (both Spain) maintained their stranglehold on fourth overall in the 2009 Dakar Rally, after setting the seventh fastest time on the ninth special stage across the southern extremities of the Atacama desert in Chile on Monday.
Roma and Senra were the sixth quickest crew into the first PC at 131km, as the special stage from La Serena to Copiapó wound its way north through the first competitive kilometers of the Atacama desert, the highest and driest region in the world, surrounded to the west by the Pacific Ocean and to the east by the Andes mountains.
They dropped 17 minutes to overall stage leader Mark Miller (USA) at PC1 after early navigation problems, but maintained a top pace through the second, third and fourth passage controls. The Spaniards eventually reached the finish in seventh position after clawing a little time back through the middle reaches of the special, only to lose it again with an overheating problem in the dunes.
Overall leader Carlos Sainz (Spain) ultimately set the fastest time, after Miller was forced to stop and change a tire before the fifth passage control, and extended his lead in the general classification to 19m 52s.
Teams had left the bivouac in La Serena in cool, misty conditions – an effect caused by cold air from the ocean colliding with the warm air of the desert – and it caused some small logistical delays for the ASO.
The stage had been shortened by 19km in any case at the previous evening’s drivers’ briefing and the lost kilometers were added to the final liaison section to the bivouac, situated in a natural bowl in the Atacama desert, surrounded by sandy peaks and rolling dunes.
Tomorrow (Tuesday) service vehicles and event officials will remain at the Copiapó bivouac, while competitors tackle the longest stage of the entire event – a punishing 666km classic loop around the Atacama desert taking in a series of high dunes at altitude in extreme temperatures.
The stage will finish at the Copiapó bivouac and includes seven passage controls in a gruelling loop through the dunes and sand trails of the upper Atacama.
What they said?
Dominique Serieys, team director
‘Nani’ and Lucas lost some time at the beginning and the end of the stage. They had a navigation problem near the start and a little overheating scare after 200km. It was not easy to pass the dunes. We are learning all the time. Let’s see what happens over the next two or three days to see if we are still in the fight and what happens.”
Joan ‘Nani’ Roma
“It was not such a good day for us. At the beginning of the stage we made a navigation mistake. We were behind (Giniel) de Villiers in one wadi in the dust and we did not see a junction and went the wrong way. Then, at km 200, the engine temperature began to climb and we stopped too many times to try and make sure we reached the finish. Everybody will try and find the problem now. Tomorrow is another day and we will take each day as it comes.”
Lucas Cruz Senra
“Giniel started very fast but, at km 45, we made a small error and missed one junction and took the wrong valley. We turned around and found our way again behind (Robbie) Gordon. He was doing ‘the same job’ and we stayed behind his dust trail.”
Live footage of the 2009 Dakar Rally can be seen on Eurosport at the following times:
18.05 hrs GMT – 18.30 hrs GMT
22.00 hrs GMT – 22.45 hrs GMT
SS9 CLASSIFICATION
1. Carlos SAINZ (VOLKSWAGEN RACE TOUAREG – T1.2)
– 5:56:08 (**:**)
2. Mark MILLER (VOLKSWAGEN RACE TOUAREG – T1.2)
– 5:57:55 (+1:47)
3. Robby GORDON (HUMMER H3 – OP1)
– 5:58:24 (+2:16)
4. Orlando TERRANOVA (BMW X3 CC – T1.2)
– 6:06:14 (+10:06)
5. Giniel DE VILLIERS (VOLKSWAGEN RACE TOUAREG – T1.2)
– 6:08:09 (+12:01)
6. Leonid NOVITSKIY (BMW X3 CC – T1.2)
– 6:12:23 (+16:15)
7. Joan ROMA (MITSUBISHI RACING LANCER – T1.2)
– 6:20:49 (+24:41)
8. Krzysztof HOLOWCZYC (NISSAN NAVARA – T1.1)
– 6:22:56 (+26:48)
9. Ivar Erik TOLLEFSEN (NISSAN NAVARA – T1.1)
– 6:35:55 (+39:47)
10. Bernard ERRANDONEA (SMG V8 BUGGY – T1.3)
– 6:49:06 (+52:58)
OVERALL CLASSIFICATION AFTER LEG 9
1. Carlos SAINZ (VOLKSWAGEN RACE TOUAREG – T1.2)
– 33:26:07 (**:**)
2. Mark MILLER (VOLKSWAGEN RACE TOUAREG – T1.2)
– 33:45:59 (+19:52)
3. Giniel DE VILLIERS (VOLKSWAGEN RACE TOUAREG – T1.2)
– 33:49:05 (+22:58)
4. Joan ROMA (MITSUBISHI RACING LANCER – T1.2)
– 34:24:19 (+58:12)
5. Robby GORDON (HUMMER H3 – OP1)
– 35:00:24 (+1:34:17)
6. Krzysztof HOLOWCZYC (NISSAN NAVARA – T1.1)
– 36:50:00 (+3:23:53)
7. Ivar Erik TOLLEFSEN (NISSAN NAVARA – T1.1)
– 37:31:26 (+4:05:19)
8. Orlando TERRANOVA (BMW X3 CC – T1.2)
– 39:30:54 (+6:04:47)
9. Rene KUIPERS (BMW X3 CC – T1.2)
– 40:03:30 (+6:37:23)
10. Dieter DEPPING (VOLKSWAGEN RACE TOUAREG – T1.2)
– 40:06:06 (+6:39:59)
DAKAR RALLY 2009
Topic of the Day
Jean-Marc Bonnay – deputy sport director
A modest man who shuns the limelight or any form of self-publicity, Jean-Marc Bonnay (France) is the most experienced member of Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart. He is taking part in his 27th Dakar Rally out of 30
events that have been held and has lost none of his enthusiasm for the world’s greatest off-road race. He joined the Mitsubishi team in 2001.
Bonnay has a varied role within the team and is more often than not seen at the PC Course or race control, discussing the events of the day with race officials or collecting road books for the following day’s special
stages. It is Bonnay’s responsibility to keep a close check on any route amendments, attend the evening briefing to ensure that Mitsubishi staff are fully aware of what is happening in the rally and also to act as the liaison between the team and event officials.
Bonnay works in close association with the team’s legal advisor, Matthias Feltz (German), will compare notes and information before proceeding with any action. Bonnay is also responsible for passing route information on to team management and crews and making sure that nothing of major significance goes unnoticed that may affect the team’s chances of success.
Bonnay has seen many changes to the format and route of the Dakarover more than a quarter of a century, but is pleasantly surprised by the move to South America and the welcome that the event has received inArgentina and Chile.
“The actual format of the Dakar in Africa or South America is very similar, but the difference between the two is the welcome that we have received in South America. It is incredible how many people have turned out to watch the rally and how enthusiastic they are about motor sport and how respectful they have been. I don’t think it has made much difference to the competitors and service teams, in terms of the work and effort that is required.
“Maybe it has helped us at Mitsubishi that we have taken part in the Las Pampas Rally on a number of occasions and we were aware of some of the terrain and how difficult this rally was going to be. We knew that it was going to be tough. We were under no illusion about that.
“Of course, when you compete in Africa for 20 years you have many good connections and Mitsubishi and the ASO have started afresh so to speak in South America. Saying that, Mitsubishi Chile and MitsubishiArgentina have been very helpful to us.
“I think my most impressive memory of the Dakar so far this year was the fantastic welcome and send-off we had in Buenos Aires. We were not pushed to the corner of the city. We were the center of all the attention. It was incredible.”
