Atacama Rally: a cobweb of mountainous paths and cancelled prologue

The Atacama Rally in Chile began with a false start. Though short, the prologue caused a lot of trouble to all contestants, who got lost in the labyrinth of mountainous paths. The organizers decided to disregard the results in all categories.

Rafał Sonik is the only Polish rider to appear at the start line of the Chilean round of the FIM World Cup series. ‘This is quite a burden, because while I do know this desert quite well and I raced in almost all its corners, the feeling of being alone at the endless Atacama desert is not really inspiring. I’m here to fight for the podium of the World Cup – the highest place is preferable – so I certainly won’t lack motivation,’ commented Sonik before the start of the race.

The prologue turned out to be a lottery. Due to imprecise rules and mistakes in the roadbook many riders got lost at the 15-kilometre section, losing valuable minutes. ‘As we entered the mountains, we faced a true cobweb of paths that were not marked. It was a great challenge to find the way in this labyrinth, and some contestants missed waypoints for this reason. We certainly didn’t lack emotions at the beginning of this race,’ commented Sonik with a smile.

The Leader of the World Cup is too experienced not to know that the organizer is usually forced to react in similar situations. And this is exactly what happened. ‘The results were cancelled. The riders who had the best results didn’t really want to go for it, so the judges came up with a compromise. They kept the order to determine the starting order for the first stage, but they deleted the times,’ explained the World Cup leader, who will begin the first stage as the fourth quad in the line-up.

On Monday, the contestants will face a loop around the Copiapo city. They have over 270 km to cover along huge dunes, which will be a test of their skills and their current form.