Stage 13: Bamako to Kayes
January 13, 2005
Liaison 205 km - Special 370 km - Liaison 93 km
Total 668 km
From the start of the - Special to the Manantali barrage, the still laterite
track is on the wide side and allows for fast Rally style driving.
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Stage 13: 2005-01-13, Bamako to Kayes. Photo by A.S.O.
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For the next 150 km, it's back to bush landscape, where the track more often
than not takes the form of a bush path through the middle of nowhere.
Motocross specialists will be the most confident in the crossing of the
Tambaoura cliffs.
The finish of the - Special will be judged in Sadiola, a small Malian town
known for its opencast gold mine.
Bike:
07:45 Back on the bikes
The sand and shovelling is over... Not a dune in sight or a once of sand
for
the competitors still in the race. The strongest have managed to make it
past Mauritania and the difference will now be made on speed and driving.
The best will indeed have the possibility to climb up a few places in the
overall. New landscapes with trees and growing nature have replaced the
tough desert portions.
For the return of the bikers after a day of mourning in memory of Fabrizio
Meoni, enjoying the ride and being careful will be the most important thing.
The competitors will have to take it easy in the many village crossings. The
'trial-type' portions will please many and the technical ability will be
key. In the car race, the fastest will have a serious advantage. Drivers
like Giniel De Villiers (a winner yesterday), Robby Gordon or Bruno Saby,
will be closely followed. This is their kind of terrain.
General:
10:29 NIGHT WATCH
Mechanical worries, late arrivals, injuries, bad luck and withdrawals... All
you need to know about what happened on the bivouac during the night.
22h45 -- De Rooy, first truck
Only truck in Bamako with Kabirov, Gerard De Rooy is delighted with his
first win on the 2005 rally especially on such a difficult stage. "It was
very dusty and the road was really narrow for the trucks. I even damaged the
side and broke the windscreen. I spent a total of 12h30 in the truck,
including the evening. And I was the fastest! It's going to be very
difficult for the others because you can't see with so much dust".
23h00 -- Servia helped by Magnaldi
Josep-Maria Servia has worries to sort out and his race assistance truck
still hasn't arrived. After hitting a tree, the Catalan has damaged his
buggy. No mechanical problems however! "The road was very slippery and 60kms
from the finish of the special I stuck the car in a little tree. Nothing
serious but the car was trapped and I asked Thierry Magnaldi for help to
pull out the buggy. Once freed, the wheel was bent and I punctured a few
kilometres later. So I lost a lot of time.
23h10 -- 520 leaves the bivouac...
A solution needs to be found for the Kamaz truck of Firdaus Kabirov. Indeed,
despite making it to Bamako, the back of truck is detaching from the front
cabin. The Russian team decides to leave the tarmac of the Bamako airport.
Wait and see!
23h20 -- Debanne too nervous
We all know that on the Dakar, patience is a key asset. And that's what
Alexandre Debanne seems not to have had on the day's special when he
suffered a crash that could be annoying for the last stages of the rally.
"There were a lot of cars who were driving slowly without letting anyone
overtake. I went crazy with all that dust. I went to overtake and hit a
tree. Therefore, as of km 150, the gearbox was damaged and I had to drive in
third gear. I also damaged the front suspensions.
23h30 -- Chicherit not sure
The winners of the Volant Dakar competition (giving them the opportunity to
compete the rally on a Bowler vehicle), Guerlain Chicherit and Mathieu
Baumel, only just finished the stage but weren't sure if they could carry on
to the finish line at the Lac Rose. In the middle of the special, they
crashed into Latvia crew Saukans -- Zarins who were driving in the opposite
direction. "We were in a village where quite a few cars were looking for
their way. We were almost stopped but they were going in the opposite
direction. The crash occurred and the damage was pretty bad. The breaking
liquid container broke and the car chassis was bent. I had to drive the
400kms with my hand-break. I'm pretty pessimistic.
0h00 -- Another buggy in pieces
After that of Josep-Maria Servia, Philippe Gache's buggy eventually made it
to the bivouac in sad state. "I was really unlucky because on this sinuous
special, the steering broke just before km 100. On this 14-hour day, I
therefore hit a lot of trees and rocks. The front of the car is broken and I
hope they will let me carry on because I've lost a light. I will work on the
car to put the left light instead of the right so it'll be less dangerous
and I hope that in Kayes, the car will be totally repaired. We've also lost
the co-driver door.
03h00 - ... and here comes 520!
After leaving the bivouac for about 4 hours, the Kamaz truck of Kabirov
eventually came back as good as new with a fixed back cabin. The truck is
ready to go.
3h05 -- The absent
5 trucks and 5 cars are still on the special. 58 cars and 17 trucks have
made it to the bivouac on the 122 that took off on that very morning.
Bike:
11:38 Caldecott fastest at CP1
At the first CP of the bike race (km 152), the best time had been clocked
by Andy Caldecott (KTM). The Aussie had a 4" lead on Blais. Third was
Fretigne (YAM) at 1'34, followed by Brucy at 2'09 and Cox at 2'39.
Overall leader Cyril Despres made it to the CP, 5'58 adrift.
12:05 Fretigne fastest at CP2
At CP2 of the bike race (km246) the best time has been set by David
Fretigne (YAM). Second is Andy
Caldecott at 1'13, followed by Chris Blais at 2'07. Alfie Cox is fourth at
2'38.
Marc Coma, seventh at the CP appeared to have broken his Trip Master.
Overall leader had to cut his right exhaust pipe after damaging it on a
stone.
Car:
12:24 Alphand loses time
After clocking the fastest time at the first CP of the car race (ahead of
Peterhansel and Kleinschmidt), Luc Alphand (MIT) appeared to have navigation
mistakes and lost some time on his main rivals. At km 175, 'Peter' was
leading ahead of De Villiers (NIS - who took off first this morning). Jutta
Kleinschmidt (VW) was just behind, followed by team mate Bruno Saby, helping
out in case of a problem.
General:
13:15 The remaining competitors
114 competitors in the car and truck races still remain in the rally and
have started the day's special. Have failed to start in the car race: Dro
(446), Roca (422), Bartin (377). Have failed to start in the truck race:
Lacourt (534), Van Ginkel (564), Molina (546). Meanwhile 108 riders are
currently competing in the bike race.
Truck:
13:18 Gerard De Rooy fastest at CP1
In the truck race, Gerard De Rooy (DAF) who took off first after winning
yesterday's special, had managed the best time at the first check point (km
152). Second was Vladimir Tchaguine (KAM) at 6'45. Overall leader, Firdaus
Kabirov (KAM) was 20' adrift.
Bike:
13:28 Caldecott wins special
For the second time on this 27th edition, Andy Caldecott has clinched the
special win. The Australian KTM biker beat David Fretigne (YAM) by 2'06
while Chris Blais was third at 3'32.
Overall leader Cyril Despres, who suffered exhaust pipe problems finished at
8'16 and comforts his leadership with a 16' advantage on Coma (9th of the
special).
Car:
13:51 'Peter' fastest at CP2
At the second check point of the car race, Stephane Peterhansel (MIT) has
the fastest time. The Frenchman has a 1'40 lead on team mate Luc Alphand.
Third is Josep-Maria Servia (SCH) at 2'56, followed by Roma (MIT) at 4'29
and De Villiers (NIS) at 5'07. Third overall, Jutta Kleinschmidt (VW) is
7'46 adrift.
14:59 Fourth win for Peter
On the stage between Bamako and Kayes in Mali, Stephane Peterhansel (MIT)
captured his fourth special of the rally. On the 370kms of the course, the
Frenchman beat his team mate Luc Alphand by 4'17. After being caught and
passed by Peter, Giniel De Villiers (NIS) eventually managed the third best
time, 7'59 adrift. Thierry Magnaldi (HON) grabbed an excellent fourth spot
at 9'19 while Nani Roma (MIT) managed his best performance on four wheels
with a fifth place at 11'43.In the overall, Peterhansel has a 27'33 lead on
Alphand.
Truck:
15:38 Gerard De Rooy leads at CP2
At CP 2 (km 246), Gerard De Rooy (DAF) had the best time of the day with a
huge 19'55 lead on Duisters (DAF). Overall leader Firdaus Kabirov (KAM) was
close to 40' adrift.
Car:
15:46 Servia goes for a tumble
Ten kilometres after CP2 (km 246) where he had clocked the third best
time, Josep Maria Servia crashed his Schlesser-Ford buggy. Both driver and
co-driver are fine but the vehicle went for a roll. Servia is now back on
the special but driving at a very slow pace.
Truck:
17:02 Easy win for Gerard De rooy
Gerard De Rooy (DAF) conquered his second special win of the Dakar in
outstanding fashion. The Dutchman beat his father Jan by an 18'50 lead.
Third on the day was Belgian trucker, Duisters (DAF) at 31'23. Vladimir
Tchaguine finished fourth at 33'17 while his Kamaz team mate and overall
leader Firdaus Kabirov crossed the finish line 51'55adrift.
-dakar.com
