Rafał Sonik: I will keep the pressure on until the very end!

After the fourth stage of the Sardegna Race Rally Rafał Sonik kept his second place in the classification and managed to catch up to the leader, Sebastien Souday, by two minutes. ‘We have only two special stages on Thursday ahead of us, but I will keep the pressure on until the very end. As always, we fight until the very last kilometre,’ promised the quad rider.

The fourth stage was composed of two special sections. The first one had 52.5 km, the other – 35 km. For cross-country standards, these distances are pretty slim, but each rider said after reaching the finish line that it was a route through hell. ‘While short, these special stages were very intense. At the finish line, I had to pour a lot of water on me for some time, because I got overheated like a Skoda 105’s engine after driving up a steep and long mountain,’ laughed “SuperSonik”.

Both distances were filled by navigation traps and sections that were technically difficult, covered by treacherous stones and rocks. ‘For the past two years, we have been considering rebuilding my Yamaha 450 like the one Souday is riding on, and I think we will finally do it. We use it only once per year, but it is clear that the bigger gap gives a lot of extra possibilities. Sebastien drives very fast, but despite that, there are only slightly over 10 minutes between us. I’m not going to give up and we’ll see if he deals with the pressure.

Rafał Sonik avoided major navigation mistakes on Wednesday, and as a result, he won the second of that day’s sections with a minimal advantage. Kamil Wiśniewski was once again third on the finish line. ‘Our cooperation is going very well. Even though we are a few minutes apart at the start line and we don’t meet along the route, we share our experiences, fears and the driving plan, both before the beginning of the given special stage and at the service points. Each of us learns something from it,’ emphasized the younger Polish rider.

On Thursday, the competitors will face the last, fifth stage of the race, divided into two special stages of 70 km and 74.5 km, respectively. The closing ceremony of the Sardegna Race Rally will take place in San Teodoro in the afternoon.

Results of the fifth stage:
First section:

1. Sebastien Souday (FRA) 01:12.22
2. Rafał Sonik (POL) +3.21
3. Kamil Wiśniewski (POL) +7.40

Second section:
1. Rafał Sonik (POL) 49.57
2. Sebastien Souday (FRA) +0.02
3. Kamil Wiśniewski (POL) +3.58

General classification:

1. Sebastien Souday (FRA) 11:14.12
2. Rafał Sonik (POL) +12.47
3. Kamil Wiśniewski (POL) +6:07.13