Atacama Rally: painful “surfing” on short waves
Rafał Sonik completed the third stage of the Atacama Rally with a grimace of pain on his face and with a small loss to the leading three rivals. As he promised before the race, Rafał is not easing up, not even for a moment, and even though the wind is blowing into his eyes, he perseveres in his fight for the World Cup podium.
‘Today, we drove along short, low dunes for many kilometres. The sandy but hard waves we drove on caused strong vibrations. I couldn’t push through at higher speeds, because my knee was acting up again, and there’s only so many pain-killers that you can take. I just had to clench my teeth and keep on,’ commented the sole Polish rider after reaching the finish line.
Alexis Hernandez was the fastest rider on today’s special stage that was almost 350 km long. Kees Koolen was just behind him, followed by Ignacio Casalee. ‘I couldn’t keep up with their pace. The Dutch construction, the Barren Racer, showed its strengths today, in particular. This is why I was pleasantly surprised with the small loss, despite the problems I had,’ conceded the World Cup leader.
He also had the opportunity to prove that he always plays fair. This time, he helped a rival, who is only one step behind Rafał Sonik in the general classification. ‘I gave one wheel to Hernandez at the neutralisation. He got a flat in the first section of the stage, and his technical team didn’t have a spare. Without it, he wouldn’t have had such a great result,’ noted Sonik.
As to the classification of the race, it’s not all roses for the Polish rider. Due to the failure of the meter (a device that converts speed into distance), the six-times winner of the World Cup drove into the restricted speed zone too fast. All because the device read that the zone begins in 800 m. ‘The judges imposed a penalty of 50 minutes, which at this stage of the race means that the win is something of a dream. I’m still happy that I managed to reach the finish line at all. This failure is quite serious. It makes the roadbook information false and does not notify us about any dangerous places on the road… and this, as you might guess, may lead to tragedies. Luckily the mechanics managed to repair it,’ said Sonik.
On Thursday, the rally’s column will cover the longest special stage in this year’s Atacama Rally. As many as 375 km of rivalry will take the competitors to Iquique, a town situated between the rough waters of the Pacific Ocean and the huge dunes that being at the coast.
Results of the third stage:
1. Alexis Hernandez (PER) 04:22.13
2. Kees Koolen (NLD) +0.20
3. Ignacio Casale (CHL) +3.47
4. Rafał Sonik (POL) +6.43
5. Giovani Enrico (CHL) +38.58
General classification:
1. Ignacio Casale (CHL) +9:37.22
2. Kees Koolen (NLD) +19.23
-. Alexis Hernandez (PER) +19.23
4. Rafał Sonik (POL) +1:16.07
5. Rodolfo Guillioli (GUA) +1:24.22