Atacama Rally: “golden” second place – Rafał Sonik with the World Cup title

For the fourth time in his career, Rafał Sonik holds the World Cup title. Like in the two previous years, he managed to ensure his triumph one round before the end of the season – after coming up on the second place in the Atacama Rally. The first place went to Ignacio Casale.

The last special stage was “only” slightly over 100 km long. ‘Every time we drive along the ocean in Chile and whenever a west wind is blowing, it carries that salty and humid air with it. It’s winter here in this part of the world, so low temperatures are added to the mix. It was simply cold during that last special stage, fog was all around us, and the salt covered our goggles completely, so I had to take them off half-way through the stage so that I could see. After arriving at the finish line, I got chilled and my teeth were chattering the entire way to the bivouac,’ said Sonik.

The fifth stage led the participants largely on rocks and boulders, and the Polish representative wished it could have been like that all the way through the stage. ‘Then, I would be able to work out a better advantage over Ignacio, who kept on driving right behind me. At some point, I was able to run away, but he caught up with me, and so we reached the finish line,’ said “SuperSonik”.

Rafał Sonik came up second in this rally, but he really had a lot to be happy about – he started Atacama Rally as the World Cup leader, and finished it as the World Cup winner. The points he got at the Atacama Rally ensured his first place in the FIM cross-country rallies. Mohamed Abu-Issa, who held the second position, did not come to Chile, and as such, he gave up on his opportunity to catch up with his rival. At the moment, there are 30 points between them, and there are only 28 points up for grabs in Morocco.

‘I’m satisfied and happy, because it’s not only my third World Cup title in a row (and my fourth in the entire career), but also I have finished all the races and special stages I started in since the beginning of 2012. This is something I’m really overjoyed about,’ commented Sonik, and added: ‘I know that I could have won both in Abu Zabi and in Egipt in this season, but as I gave in to Mohamed, I learned a lot. These experiences will come in handy – and helpful – during the upcoming Dakar Rally and the entire next year’s season!’

The last round of the World Cup will take place in Morocco between 3 and 10 October. It will be the last true test before Dakar.

PKN ORLEN supports Rafał Sonik’s participation in the rally.

Results of the fourth stage:
1. Ignacio Casale (CHL) 01:45.25
2. Rafał Sonik (POL) + 0.38
3. Mauro Almeida (URY) + 6.43
Rally classification:
1. Ignacio Casale (CHL) 12:53.21
2. Rafał Sonik (POL) + 13.22
3. Mauro Almeida (URY) + 37:51.54
World Cup Classification:
1. Rafał Sonik (POL) 125 points
2. Mohamed Abu-Issa (QAT) 95
3. Kamil Wiśniewski (POL) 58