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 | SA-Dakar Rally: "Chaleco" Lopez "SS3 was hard because heat and stones".
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A true burning Dakar: Two continued days with over 40° celsius and this time at the motor racing track of San Juan with hellish temperatures. Aprilia´s Francisco "Chaleco" López arrived to the bivouac exhausted, he managed to conclude this massacre stage without big problems. Just a fall in which he damaged the cowl against a rock and some difficulties in the "Trial" part.
At the end of the 270 km of special stage, the Aprilia rider obtained the 8th best time, 18 minutes behind stage winner Cyril Despres, who also profited from Marc Coma´s navigation mistake to take the overall lead. Chaleco is now 4th overall, 17 minutes from Despres and 7 from Marc Coma, while he has only some seconds of difference with David Casteu.
"The 3rd stage was very hard not only because of the heat but also because of the stones" Chaleco said. "We made 20 kilometers in a river with enormous rocks; it was "trial only". But what counts is to have completed a stage like this. Day after day, we look forward to arrive to Chile in a good position."
But what matters in a Dakar announced to be very demanding, is that the duo Chaleco/Aprilia must keep a good pace to arrive to Chile. Until now, the Team Giofil Aprilia Racing´s rider is showing his character and strength only eight month from the accident in Tunisia.
Meanwhile, the situation for Alain Duclos is uncertain. The French-Malian rider obtained the 5th time of the stage and takes the 6th position overall, but it seems he would be a missing a WPM (Way Point Masqué, hidden way point), so he is waiting tonight for the eventual time penalty that might be applied. "I´m mad. The stage was fine but I missed a way point that was impossible to find! It was tricky. Now we will see what happens."
2012/01/04 | 14:43 CET | ARTICLE: MR/SY/BAUER
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