Wednesday, 3 October
3rd Leg : Tibniya – Abu Mingar
Special Section: 426.25 km – Road section: 154.88 km – Total: 581.13 km
The third leg of the Pharaohs Rally took the riders southwards from Tibniya to Abu Mingar It was a tough day, in terms of the distance – 580 km in all, 426 of them making up the Special -, the terrain and the softness of the sand even at dawn.
This Special Section, touted as a decider by organiser Daniele Cotto, was again won by Joan Barreda (Husqvarna) 2'24 ahead of his team mate Paolo Goncalves. “After 100 km, says Barreda, I caught up with Viladoms and Przygonski and managed to overtake them. I had a good pace and I gradually realised that I could shake them off. So I really pushed and before the refuelling I had built up a good lead. Paolo had also managed to pass them, so we worked well together. On the second part, I set off at a cracking pace to open the track. I am pretty happy, it was a fabulous day !”
Second in the Special, Paolo Goncalves is also in second position in the overall rankings and is edging closer to the second spot in the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship. “It was a great leg, very long but with nice stretches of dunes and soft sand. Joan was behind me at first but then he took control of the race, and thanks to his pace, I gained a lot of time over my rivals. The machine is working really well, the team has done a fantastic job every day and we are really seeing the difference.”
Kuba Przygonski came in third ahead of Juan Carlos Salvatierra from Bolivia. “I did a good Special, said the young Pole, but the Husqvarnas are much faster than the KTMs. When the going is rough, we stay together but as soon as we get on the flat they just leave us behind. Still, it was a great Special, tough but with long straight stretches to recuperate in between.”
In fifth place again, we find Pal Ullevalseter. “I am not taking any risks, says the Norwegian with a smile. I am feeling my age a bit in relation to the youngsters going all out for it up ahead. I would have liked to step on the gas a bit more but I couldn’t manage it. I probably haven’t done enough rallies this year. But the competition between the different manufacturers, especially the “flying Husqvarnas”, is interesting to watch. It’s a good thing for the discipline that the factories are investing again, but I don’t really like it when I have them in front of me on the results sheet!”
For Jordi Viladoms, it was an unlucky leg. Forty km shy of the refuelling point, his KTM’s engine started to cut out… Despite this problem and a minor crash, he nevertheless managed to finish the race, but his problems cost him over 28 minutes. Marek Dabrowski too had his share of bad luck, as he crashed and may have broken a wrist.
In quad, Rafal Sonik still has Lukas Laskawiec on his tail, but he won the leg ahead of his team mate. Camelia is keeping up a steady pace in third position among the quads. “I am in my element, says the 2012 FIM Women’s Cross Country Rallies World Champion (motorcycle/quad), and I am having fun. It’s a real treat and a foretaste of the Dakar!” Communication AMADLOZI Edition - amadlozi.blogspot.ch -