In the first real test, a few scary moments. Coma takes the lead on bikes
After a brief warm up yesterday, the 21st edition of the Rally dos Sertoes has really begun this Saturday, when the competitors run 414 kilometers, 287 staged. They left Pirenopolis to Uruaçu, in the countryside of Goias state, known for having one of the largest artificial lakes of hydroelectric plant in the world, the Serra da Mesa Lake, with 1,700 km². The competition today was tough, rocky and took a lot of tires and had some incidents.
In the duel between the international riders in bikes, Spaniard Marc Coma (KTM) won the stage and went up to the overall lead, with Frenchmen Cyril Despres (Yamaha) second and Portuguese Paulo Gonçalves (450 Speedbrain Rally) third. Coma is now the overall leader with a lead of only 1min56s over second-placed Gonçalves, who lost the breaking point 20 Km before the finish line and lost about five minutes tangled in a barbed wire fence.
"With 20 kilometers to the end I got a little incident, but it was really scary. I was braking and then I lost the front of the bike and curled up in a barbed wire fence. It took me about five minutes to get the bike on its wheels again. I was leading the way the whole time and this problem made me lose time, so Coma passed me", said the Portuguese, who won the first stage, yesterday. Coma enjoyed the battle. "Today we had a really fast first part and then it was becoming increasingly technical, with many good fights", the Spaniard summarized.
Two-times Sertoes champion, Cyril Despres highlithed he is still adapting to his new motorcycle. "I lost the odometer at the beginning of the stage and it was not easy to stay navigate without reference. More importantly, I began to understand how the bike works, but its still a long process and you cannot be forcing the equipment so early at this stage. Moreover, it is very hot here, at least 20 degrees Celsius more than it was in France. So from the physical point of view, it has been very difficult", he said.
Among the Brazilians, Ike Klaumann (Honda Rally Mobil) was the best, with the sixth fastest time of the day, he climbed to sixth place overall. "I knew today would be tough and to the fuelling point it was going well fast. Then there were lots of stones, loose ground and very hard to hold the bike, and it was very demanding to the tires", he said.
Accident takes Nielsen out of contention
Klaumann is teammate at Honda Mobil, Nielsen Bueno, who was the best Brazilian overall in the second day of competition, had and accident. With a broken wrist, he is out of the Sertoes. "I was very happy yesterday being the fastest Brazilian and today I was in a safe pace, trying to keep on. The thing I got really upset about was the attitude of (Michael) Metge (French rider). I ran about 100 km in his dust, I had taken about four or five minutes to him and he would not let me pass. In the refueling spot, I asked him twice to go and he did not leave. I consider it an unsportsmanlike attitude", he told.
"I myself let Ruben (Faria) overtake me in the track because he was faster, and so did Metge. It is really dangerous to stay on someone else dust and that is what happened. I slipped on a stone, fell to the ground and my left wrist entered in the protective handlebar and had a fracture. Unfortunately I am out of the rally", lamented Bueno.
Quads
Polish Rafal Sonik won the third stage and is on the track as a favorite. But the fight between the Brazilian was breathtaking. Tom Rosa (Yamaha Raptor 700) came second just six seconds away from Robert Nahas (Honda TRX 700), who finished third. In the overall standings, Sonik leads with an 8min34s gap ahead of Nahas, who moved up one position in the overall standings. Marcelo Medeiros is now third only 12s30 seconds behind, and Rosa is now fourth.
"It was a very hot day with no wind and it demanded a lot from vehicles and competitors. My quad was also getting too hot. I tried to ride at a strong pace, but being careful at the same time. I am enjoying this rally very much and today's stage was a particularly beautiful one. We had it all today with quick stretches, slow stretches, climbs, descents, wide and tight stretches. I liked it", he said.
Communication FGCom - www.fgcom.com.br -