Liz Swanton has been sending releases each day on Bruce and Pelle's progress. Here's yesterday's ...
PHOTOS TO FOLLOW
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JANUARY 6, 2010 AUSSIES INTO THE TOP 20 IN DAKAR RALLY SWEDISH TEAMMATES NOT FAR BEHIND
Australias Bruce Garland and Harry Suzuki are just cruising after the fourth stage of the 2010 Dakar Rally but they have broken into the top 20.
The Sydney-based pair finished the stage in 23rd place*, while their Swedish teammates Pelle Wallentheim and Olle Ohlsson finished 31st*, both crews driving Isuzu D-MAX utes built by Garland MotorSports. The results put them in 19th *and 23rd* outright, respectively (*correct at time of writing).
Stage Four from Fiambalá to Copiapó was to have included a special (competition) stage of 203km, but after many competitors were stranded in the sand dunes at nightfall the previous day, organisers decided to start todays stage 90 minutes later, and make it shorter. Around 43km was slashed from the competitive distance, making it 160km long.
The 394km transport section took competitors across the Andes Mountains and the border between Argentina and Chile at an altitude of more than 4000m, before heading to the outskirts of the Atacama Desert for the special stage, which included another lengthy section of sand dunes.
Were just cruising, said Garland, admitting it had been a tiring day even though it was shorter than originally expected.
We cant compete with the speed of the guys at the front so were not even trying, but I cant believe the way they are bashing their cars around not all of them will make the finish line.
At least today was a bit cooler than yesterday. It was probably in the low 40s today compared to yesterday when our temperature gauge showed the ambient temperature was 59°C. It was a really bad stage last year and I think it was even worse this time around.
Todays stage had a lot of what I would call dune crossings sort of mountains and valleys of dunes, but they cut out the worst of it because so many people got held up in the sand yesterday.
We started the stage up around 3600m above sea level, and were now at Copiapó, which is 800m, so its a nice change. Youre working hard when youre up that high. The service truck isnt due in for another hour they couldnt leave till all the competitors had started so were just filling up with fuel and then we might go looking for a beer with Pelle and Olle I think weve all earned it!
When the crew gets here, theres nothing they need to do to the cars, other than basic maintenance. Theyre both running really well.
At the head of the field, just one second separated the top two at the end of the stage, with American NASCAR star Robby Gordon (Hummer) pipping Dakar legend Stéphane Peterhansel (BMW) for the stage win.
In outright terms, Peterhansel still leads the event with Carlos Sainz and Nasser Al-Attiyah behind him, both in VW Touaregs.
Of last years podium place-getters, defending champion Giniel de Villiers (VW) is making up ground after some major mechanical issues on Monday. Hes now sitting in 20th place, just 33 seconds behind Garland. Mark Miller (VW), who was second last year, is still in fourth while 2009s third placed driver, Robby Gordon (Hummer), has gained one place from yesterday and is now in eighth.
Garlands prediction of carnage among the leaders has already proved to be correct Stage One leader Joan Nani Roma (BMW) has been forced to withdraw as a result of damage from a big accident during yesterdays stage. Fortunately neither of the crew was hurt.
Tonight (Australian time) the rally crosses the daunting Atacama Desert, passing numerous gold and copper mining projects, en route to the booming coastal city of Antofagasta.
High temperatures are likely to make the soft sand and fesh-fesh extremely difficult to cross, as the crews embark upon a massive 483km special stage. They have a 90km liaison (transport) taking them to the start and a 97km link spiralling down towards sea level and the overnight camp by the Pacific Ocean.
A total of 302 vehicles started the fourth stage, compared with the 362 vehicles which left the official start ramp in Buenos Aires on New Years Day. They have now completed three stages in Argentina and one in Chile. Continuing their 9030km journey, there are six more stages in Chile (plus a rest day on Saturday) before the caravan crosses the Andes back into Argentina on January 13 for four stages and the official finish (in Buenos Aires, January 17).
Garland and Suzuki are driving an Isuzu D-MAX 4x4 ute, built in Garlands Sydney backyard. The standard 3.0-litre turbo-diesel production engine has been slightly tweaked for better performance, especially for the high altitude sections of the event. It has maximum torque of 600Nm up 66 per cent on the standard roadgoing D-MAX ute and peak power of 180kW, which is 50 per cent more than the standard vehicle. It competes in Class T1.2, which is modified 4WD diesel.
In 2009, the Australian pair finished 11th outright and were first amateur (non-factory team) home. They also claimed bragging rights as first diesel ute and first production chassis car. Their Swedish teammates (Tubus Racing) finished 44th outright.
The Dakar Rally is the worlds premier off-road endurance competition. First staged in 1979, it was traditionally run in Europe and Africa, but moved to South America in 2009 because of safety concerns. The 2008 race the last to be held in Africa was cancelled on the eve of the start after the deaths of four French tourists. Their killers had links to the Al Qaeda terrorist network and threatened Dakar Rally organisers and competitors.
There will be regular updates on the teams performance on the official Isuzu Ute Australia website (Official Isuzu UTE Australia Website - Isuzu D-MAX 4x4 Ute, Isuzu D-MAX 4x2 Ute) and also on the SBS website (www.sbs.com.au/dakar); SBS ONE will show daily highlights of Dakar 2010, every night at 6:00pm AEDT to January 18 and then a one-hour Dakar review from 11am to 12noon on Sunday, January 24.
Australian driver Bruce Garland says he knows what hell looks like, after racing for six and a half hours during the fifth stage of the 2010 Dakar Rally.
Garland and his co-driver Harry Suzuki finished the 483km stage through Chiles Atacama Desert in 24th place*, while their Swedish teammates Pelle Wallentheim and Olle Ohlsson finished 39th*, both crews driving Isuzu D-MAX utes built by Garland MotorSports. The results have dropped them back marginally in the order, to 21st* and 26th* respectively (*correct at time of writing), from 19th and 23rd * yesterday.
I know what hell looks like because I drove through it today, says Garland.
Not a blade of grass the whole way. Just mountains, rocks and heaps of bulldust. Its just so fine it gets into everything and its murder to drive through.
We got stuck behind a truck in all of that, for about 200km, just eating his dust. Im going to have my eyes flushed out later tonight because they are so gritty, and I need to see the doctor because Ive got some sort of cold or chest problem the dust certainly didnt help!
We just tried to maintain the best pace we could, but taking it as easy as we could in the rough stuff. The stage is just littered with broken down vehicles we passed so many of them, including Stéphane Peterhansel.
He might have been leading yesterday but he isnt any more. He was having some major problems. I still cant believe how these guys just thrash their cars, but then they get into camp each night and their mechanics replace everything!
Stage Five was always going to be a marathon. While it was a similar distance to yesterday, there was a major difference: today there was only 187km of transport to do compared to 426km yesterday. The battle today was the 483km of competition, the second longest special stage in the event.
There was sand, sand and more sand, including the treacherous fesh-fesh (bulldust to Australians), which is more like talcum powder than sand, and extremely difficult to cross in high temperatures.
At the top end of the field, the nine-time (bike and car) winner, Stéphane Peterhansel (BMW) is no longer a player. He began the day ahead of Carlos Sainz (VW), but major mechanical problems forced him to stop twice on the stage and he struggled to the end in two-wheel drive, finishing the day in 33rd, which put him back to 10th in the outright placings.
The stage was won by Mark Miller, but it is his teammate Carlos Sainz who now leads the field, by four minutes and 37 seconds, ahead of Nasser Al-Attiyah with Miller third, all three in factory-backed VW Touaregs.
Miller was second outright at the end of last years event. This time around, hes ahead of both the drivers he shared the podium with. Defending champion Giniel de Villiers, also in a VW, had another day of drama to finish the stage 17th, putting him in 18th outright, while US NASCAR star Robby Gordon (Hummer), who was third last year and won yesterdays stage, was fourth on the stage and is fourth outright.
The sixth stage (to be run tonight, Australian time) from Antofagasta to Iquique is a total of 598km, including the 418km special stage. It features dune crossings, fast off-piste tracks and mountainous walls of sand before the descent to the overnight camp beside the Pacific Ocean.
The stage also passes through the Pampa del Tamarugal National Reserve, world renowned for its rare forests found in the middle of the rainless Atacama Desert.
Iquique is the capital of the Tarapacá region of northern Chile and is one of the largest duty-free commercial ports in South America. Copper mining is a major contributor to the local economy.
A total of 268 vehicles started the fifth stage, compared with the 362 vehicles, which left the official start ramp in Buenos Aires on New Years Day. They have now completed three stages in Argentina and two in Chile. Continuing their 9030km journey, there are five more stages in Chile (plus a rest day on Saturday) before the caravan crosses the Andes back into Argentina on January 13 for four stages and the official finish (in Buenos Aires, January 17).
Garland and Suzuki are driving an Isuzu D-MAX 4x4 ute, built in Garlands Sydney backyard. The standard 3.0-litre turbo-diesel production engine has been slightly tweaked for better performance, especially for the high altitude sections of the event. It has maximum torque of 600Nm up 66 per cent on the standard roadgoing D-MAX ute and peak power of 180kW, which is 50 per cent more than the standard vehicle. It competes in Class T1.2, which is modified 4WD diesel.
In 2009, the Australian pair finished 11th outright and were first amateur (non-factory team) home. They also claimed bragging rights as first diesel ute and first production chassis car. Their Swedish teammates (Tubus Racing) finished 44th outright.
The Dakar Rally is the worlds premier off-road endurance competition. First staged in 1979, it was traditionally run in Europe and Africa, but moved to South America in 2009 because of safety concerns. The 2008 race the last to be held in Africa was cancelled on the eve of the start after the deaths of four French tourists. Their killers had links to the Al Qaeda terrorist network and threatened Dakar Rally organisers and competitors.
There will be regular updates on the teams performance on the official Isuzu Ute Australia website (Official Isuzu UTE Australia Website - Isuzu D-MAX 4x4 Ute, Isuzu D-MAX 4x2 Ute) and also on the SBS website (www.sbs.com.au/dakar); SBS ONE will show daily highlights of Dakar 2010, every night at 6:00pm AEDT to January 18 and then a one-hour Dakar review from 11am to 12noon on Sunday, January 24.
TIMES: STAGE FIVE (all correct at time of writing)
1. Mark Miller (VW): 5h 6m 15s 2. Carlos Sainz (VW): + 2m 10s 3. Nasser Al-Attiyah (VW): + 4m 27s
An errant spare wheel has ended the gallant 2010 Dakar Rally effort of Australian driver Bruce Garland and co-driver Harry Suzuki on the event's 418km sixth special stage from Antofagasta to Iquique in Chile.
Garland's Isuzu D-MAX's spare wheel dislodged from its special rear tub mounting on the rough trackless wastes after being hastily refitted by Garland after he used it as a safety auxiliary stand while effecting some minor underbody repairs.
The wheel bounced forward, hitting and cracking the rear-mounted radiator and causing the engine to overheat. Garland then had to depart the rally route and limp to the stage end via the highway, whereupon rally stewards ruled him out of the event.
"We'd fixed the problem but it put us back last on the road, behind all those trucks and their blinding dust, ruts and rocks," said Garland.
"We were going alright and wouldn't have lost our overall road position until the spare wheel flew off when we hit yet another of the many washaways in this talcum-powder filled furnace.
"We patched up the water leak but we'd lost too much coolant and the lack of cooling with a tailwind meant we had to back off.
"I reckon I've got about 100kg of dust in my belly," Garland said ruefully.
Garland had hovered around 20th outright throughout the event and was looking to consolidate his position as more of the speedier cars up front were claimed by the conditions in the enduro's second week ahead. He'd had a torrid time on Stage 5, caught behind one of the 12-tonne truck competitors and eating its blinding dust for 200km while fighting a chest infection.
Garland and Suzuki's Swedish teammates Pelle Wallentheim and Olle Ohlsson finished 43rd fastest on the stage, enough to hoist them up three places to 23rd position, their best yet.
The latest stage featured dune crossings, fast off-piste tracks through bone dry wastelands and mountainous walls of sand the last a three kilometre slide down in view of the Pacific Ocean to the overnight seaside camp.
Friday's stage (tonight, Australian time) takes the competitors south to Antofagasta again, the last stage before Saturday's rest day. A short 37km liaison section guides crews to the start of the longest special stage of the entire rally a daunting 600km competitive challenge, which finishes just four kilometres from the coastal city. The stage features seven passage controls and two refuelling points for the bikes.
Event officials reckon that this will be the most varied special of the entire Dakar, featuring sand dunes, an unusual area called the salar (crystallized salt blocks) where speeds may drop as low as 10km/h and faster and rockier sections to the finish. The rulebook permits competitors to reach the rest day by 1800hrs the following day such is the potential severity of the stage.
