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 | Dakar 2010: All five JMB Stradele Mitsubishi reach finish line.
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The 32nd edition of the Dakar Rally has just finished and approximately 50 cars will be at the La Rural podium in Buenos Aires. The JMB Stradale Off Road is the only team to have brought all the cars entered to the end of the race. The five crews finish in between the "factory teams" by coming in 6th, 9th, 10th, 12th, and 13th of the general ranking.
After having obtained the 15th place in today’s timed stage, the tandem Sousa-Baumel maintain the 6th place in the general ranking at 4h 31mn 45s from the winners of the Dakar, Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz. This duo was very consistent and had excellent results despite the regulations imposed by ASO which penalized their car’s performance by making mandatory a 5 speed gear box instead of 6 and a restrictor of 32 mm instead of 34. "A sixth place behind the factory cars is a good birthday present", states Carlos Sousa. "The last stage was on a highway therefore made for the cars with more engine power than ours. After two years of having not participated in the Dakar, we still have good results and this is very satisfying. I will have to ponder on what to do next year."
The beginning of the race did not go as foreseen for Terranova and Maimon but despite their mishaps, the Argentinean-French duo were able to partly catch up by the middle of the race. They finish in 9th position in the general ranking after having finished the last stage in 8th place. "A big congratulations to the whole team" announces Orly with a big smile. "We came in 9th which is extraordinary for us after our problems at the beginning of the race. We ended up proving that we were efficient and the performances were good".
For Brasil, Guilherme Spinelli and his co-driver, Filipe Palmeiro finish 10th in the general ranking after having come in 13th on this last stage. "Our objective was to finish the Dakar" comments Guiga. "Out of two participations, this is the first time that I finish this race. Therefore, we are very happy with our results and coming in 10th is the icing on the cake!"
Miguel Barbosa and Miguel Ramalho finish 12th of the general ranking and also 12th on this last stage. Miguel Barbosa comments "I’m very satisfied with the results of the whole team. The problems we had are part of the race and a bit of luck is always needed. I’m very happy to have finished the Dakar and come back to Buenos Aires".
The two Frenchmen of the team, Nicolas Misslin and Jean-Michel Polato maintain their 13th place in the general ranking after having come in 10th on this last timed stage. "It’s a big satisfaction for the team and our objective to have 3 cars in the top ten has been achieved" explains the president of the JMB Stradale Off Road team. "The difference in engine power between the diesel and the gasoline cars has proved true. The buy over of the team was done very quickly and I’m extremely happy with the results and the work done by the team in such short time. Our next goal is to find sponsors and partners in order to prepare the future and eventual victories. Our knowhow and experience can even be of interest for a manufacturer."
The last months have not been easy for the team but despite this, the team manager, Dominique Serieys is very proud of the team’s work. "The results which we obtained are very promising for the future. I’m very happy and proud to be part of the JMB Stradale Off Road team. Nevertheless, in the future, we must equalize the performances between the diesel and gasoline engine as there is too much disadvantage for the gasoline cars. The positive point is that we proved that our cars are very reliable. A big thank you to everyone who believed in this project!"
2010/01/18 | 15:02 CET | Editor: MR/HS/JMB
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