Atacama Rally: a lesson in patience for Rafał Sonik

Rafał Sonik was very anxious before the beginning of the first stage of the Atacama Rally. Ever since the accident in Sardegna, he had no opportunity to drive a full distance of a special stage on a quad and he had no idea how his injured knee would behave. ‘I couldn’t keep my own strong speed, but the leg was working well and, more importantly, it is in a no worse condition after the entire day of driving than it was in the morning,’ commented the Polish rider at the finish line.

After Sunday’s prologue, the judges cancelled the times, but kept the order determined in this way, and so the starting order quads opened with Kees Koolen, who finished the warm-up with the worst time. As a result, the leader of the World Cup found himself in a difficult situation, with all his most dangerous rivals behind his back.

‘Casale caught up with me around the 50th kilometre. After the hundredth kilometre, Hernandez appeared, followed by Guillioli. The first of the two tried to drive away from us, but navigation was so difficult and complicated that he didn’t manage to do so. Roadbook had many mistakes, up to the point that we drove around for six minutes in one place before we found the right way. We appeared at the finish line together, all three of us,’ said last year’s winner of the Atacama Rally.

The stage was won by Ignacio Casale, who is competing outside the World Cup classification. ‘He knows every nook and cranny here. As he drives up a steep dune, he knows perfectly well what awaits for him on the other side. He trains here regularly and it’s clear that he is unrivalled here. I’m not going to race with him at any cost. This race will be a lesson in patience for me, as I can’t keep my usual pace. On one hand, I must watch out for my leg, and on the other – I must fight for the points in the general classification,’ said Sonik, who was fifth on the first day.

The only Polish rider among all competitors stated that despite the difficulties, he enjoyed the Monday’s drive quite a lot. A lot of credit goes to Stanisław Czopek, an osteopath, who has been accompanying Sonik during rallies for years, and now in Chile rehabilitates the injured knee.

‘Tomorrow, we are in for 382 km of driving, with a special stage covering most of this distance. I feel calm about my form. I won’t be at my best, but I won’t have anything to be ashamed of in terms of my result,’ concluded Sonik.

Results of the first stage:
1. Ignacio Casale (CHL) 3:06.36
2. Alexis Hernandez (PER) +12.11
3. Rodolfo Guillioli (GUA) +14.35
4. Kees Koolen (NLD) +17.45
5. Rafał Sonik (POL) +18.31