|
 | AD Desert Challenge: T2-Class win for Laurent Rosso and Team Dessoude.
|
At the end of the 2010 edition of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, first round of the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies, Laurent Rossi had good reasons to be smiling. What better result could he have hoped for than second position overall behind Leonid Novitskiy’s BMW, and the T2 category victory?
Moreover, his father, Joseph, claimed fourth place overall and was on the T2 podium with Nissan Patrol, prepared by Team Dessoude. Magnificent results which have crowned an exemplary week of racing. The World Cup has started extremely well for the Rosso family, scoring as many points as possible should they decide to go for the title.
The final (fifth) stage was meant to be a formality, but for Laurent Rosso, despite his strong lead, it could have turned into a catastrophe: "There were no particular problems until things got quite unexpectedly complicated. While we were crossing a chain of sanddunes, a competitor was stuck behind a dune, but did not leave any signs as you usually do. It gave us such as shock when we hit him! I really thought everything was going to finish there. Miraculously, there were no serious problems. This sort of incident really annoys me. It all finished well, but it could have had quite serious consequences, purely by negligence. All’s well that ends well, and that is the main thing."
"I am very pleased with the result here, and delighted to win again. Everything turned on the second day, with that epic stage. It allowed us to pull away. The other factor which explains our win is our consistency over the sand. Here, you pay dearly for the slightest mistake. As for the rest, if we can find the budget, we will continue in the World Cup. We are thinking hard. I would also like to mention my father’s excellent result. For a young man of 66, it’s not bad ! I am very proud of him!"
As Laurent mentioned, Joseph, with Jean-Marie Lurquin as his navigator, worked hard behind the wheel of his Patrol, and admitted that he enjoyed himself. After taking some time to get used to the vehicle, he was able to get the most out of the car.
Back in France to prepare the Rally of Tunisia, which takes place in one month’s time, André Dessoude was very satisfied with the results: "Consistency and wisdom paid off. Laurent made some very good choices and once again proved his skills up against some very experienced rivals over this sort of terrain. In that country, all sand and heat, the slightest mistake can be terminal, and he was able to avoid all the traps. I would like to congratulate him on this brilliant result. I am also very pleased with Joseph’s result, as he well understood the driving style needed for the Patrol, as shown by his results. Victory in the T2 category opens up many possibilities for Laurent in the World Cup. A World title is of great value for any sportsman, and I hope he will be able to continue on this path."
For Team Dessoude, the next event will be the Rally of Tunisia, in early May. The team from Saint-Lô will be entering a number of cars, including the Proto 05 for Christian Lavieille.
Final positions after Leg 5 - Cars
01) Leonid Novitskiy / Andy Schulz I 21:32:27
02) Laurent Rosso / Francois Borsotto I 26:43:03
03) Abdul Bari-Bin Sugat / Ali Mirza I 34:40:00
Final positions after Leg 5 - Bikes
01) Marc Coma I 20:26:09
02) James West I 20:47:48
03) David Casteau I 20:57:05
2010/04/02 | 21:05 CET | ARTICLE: MR/ARPIZOU
|
|
