Mobilized Rafał Sonik after “an awful stage”

The fourth stage of  Desafio Ruta 40 will surely be one of those that most riders would like to quickly forget. They drove through the desert covered by low shrubbery in rain and against the wind, and the temperatures were on the lower side. Navigation was also not easy. In the quads category, Kees Koolen was once again the fastest. Rafał Sonik had the second time.  

Dakar Rally’s terrain shows a completely different face in the spring. The temperatures of the sands of Fiambalia, lower than in January, were a salvation for the riders, but further north, they turned out to be troublesome. The participants of Desafio Ruta 40 were welcomed by rain, wind, and low temperatures at the start line of the fourth stage.

‘This stage was awful. The worst type of desert that I have ever raced on. Overgrown, unfriendly. I think that must’ve wanted to punish us by sending us here. No satisfaction from driving. That was one of those racing days that you simply need to survive. Many competitors buried themselves in the marshy sands. I helped a few of them get out of there. It was also very difficult to find waypoints. I managed to do so, but others experienced many problems. Only a part of the route in the mountains was worth remembering,’ said Sonik at the finish line.

The Wednesday’s special stage took the riders 3600 m above the sea level – and their path was not a bed of roses. The defender of the trophy did not catch up with Kees Koolen, who won the stage and became the leader, with 12 minutes of advantage over the Polish rider. ‘From this point of view, the second place is not enough. Thursday will be the last day of the race, at a section that has 180 km. It is not a distance that can change the situation in any significant way, but cross-country rallies are filled with sudden changes in the course of action. This is why I will fight until the very end and I will chase both the Dutch rider and Pablo Copetti until the finish line,’ commented Sonik, clearly angry.

The sport anger usually is a good mobilizing factor for the six-times winner of the World Cup, and when the leading position in the series and taking a step towards the win in the summary of the season are on the line, we can be sure that “SuperSonik” will do everything he himself and his quad can.

The fifth stage will take the riders from Tafi del Valle to Tucuman, where the final ceremony will be held. On Friday early in the morning, Rafał Sonik will fly to Buenos Aires. There, in the building of the Senate, he and the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland, Marek Pernal, will open the exhibition “Poland and Polish people versus independent Argentina 1816-2016”.

Results of the fourth stage (FIM):
1. Kees Koolen (NLD) 6:11.42
2. Sonik (POL) +15.25
3. Rodolfo Guillioli (GUA) +15.53
4. Pablo Copetti (ARG) +20.05
5. Alexis Hernandez (PER) +31.46
6. Nicolas Robledo (COL) +2:50.47

Quads classification (FIM):
1. Kees Koolen (NLD) 23:04.13
2. Pablo Copetti (ARG) +5.28
3. Sonik (POL) +12.32
4. Rodolfo Guillioli (GUA) +18.46
5. Nicolas Robledo (COL) +6:39.07
6. Alexis Hernandez (PER) +36:17.29