The first day of the Dakar\u2019s marathon stage is the day when majority of participants eases up a little, so that the equipment is in better condition for another day of the contest. Unfortunately, Rafa\u0142 Sonik had to slow down for a completely different reason. His quad was losing oil and he feared he would not be able to reach the finish line of the special stage. <\/p>\n
On the way to the special stage the ORLEN team champion noticed a problem that caused troubles for the entire day \u2013 and he will have to deal with it on Thursday as well. \u2018My clutch cover is leaking oil. Probably it\u2019s just a damaged seal. It\u2019s all because sudden changes of temperatures or sudden changes of pressure. It\u2019s happened before and we don\u2019t know how to avoid it,\u2019 commented Sonik, clearly worked up.
\nDespite that, Sonik did not want for optimism. \u2018It could\u2019ve been worse. I reached the finish line, and for the majority of the route I wasn\u2019t sure I would make it. <\/p>\n
At the Jujuy bivouac the competitors have left their rides in the ferme park and may not make any repairs. On Thursday, \u201cSuperSonik\u201d will need to fight the leak again. \u2018I\u2019ll just top up the oil and see what happens. If it\u2019s not too bad, I\u2019ll try to go faster. In my current situation, I have to push harder,\u2019 he concluded. <\/p>\n
Even more so, Rafa\u0142 Sonik, who won the Dakar Rally last year, arrived at the finish line with the 9th time recorded. The competition is made harder by the fact that the local participants know the area like the back of their pockets. \u2018Today I drove standing, with my eyes keen and looking straight ahead, like a miner. A meter-deep ditch could pop up at any time. And Marcos Patronelli passed me by, sitting, at full speed…<\/p>\n
On the second day of the marathon the Dakar Rally\u2019s convoy will enter Bolivia, where another special stage will take place at 4,600 m above sea level. Luckily, Rafa\u0142 Sonik adjusted quite well to the 3500 m above sea level he had to face on Wednesday. \u2018I was a bit sluggish at the beginning, but I got better. I\u2019ll have to take coca leaves on me tomorrow, because we are going much higher, and it\u2019ll be much more difficult,\u2019 said Sonik. <\/p>\n
PKN ORLEN supports Rafa\u0142 Sonik’s participation in the rally.<\/p>\n
Results of the fourth stage:
\n1. Alexis Hernandez (PER) 4:53.23
\n2. Marcos Patronelli (ARG) + 0.04
\n3. Ignacio Casale (CHL) + 0.38
\n…
\n9. Rafa\u0142 Sonik (POL) + 9.12
\nGeneral classification:
\n1. Ignacio Casale (CHL) 11:55.41
\n2. Marcelo Medeiros (BRA) + 11.17
\n3. Alejandro Patronelli (ARG) + 14.08
\n…
\n7. Rafa\u0142 Sonik (POL) + 20.07<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The first day of the Dakar\u2019s marathon stage is the day when majority of participants eases up a little, so that the equipment is in better condition for another day of the contest. Unfortunately, Rafa\u0142 Sonik had to slow down for a completely different reason. His quad was losing oil and he feared he would […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n