{"id":5479,"date":"2018-08-27T13:43:52","date_gmt":"2018-08-27T11:43:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rafalsonik.pl\/en\/?p=5479"},"modified":"2019-05-20T13:46:10","modified_gmt":"2019-05-20T11:46:10","slug":"desafio-ruta-40-grueling-start-rally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rafalsonik.pl\/en\/rally\/desafio-ruta-40-grueling-start-rally\/","title":{"rendered":"Desafio Ruta 40: a grueling start of the rally"},"content":{"rendered":"

The organizers of the 4th round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship did not waste any time to put the participants\u2019 skills to a serious test. Difficult navigation through treacherous, dry riverbeds and a long, final stretch overgrown with desert grass and shrubs provided the racers with a real challenge. \u201eI suppose they wanted to make us suffer. That plan has worked out very well,\u201d commented Rafa\u0142 Sonik at the finish line, smiling despite the exhaustion.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

The Belen area is well-known among cross-country riders since it has been a part of ten past editions of the Dakar rally and almost every edition of the Desafio Ruta 40. Interestingly, the racers struggled down the same route but in the opposite direction last year. Rafa\u0142 Sonik\u2019s impressions shared at the finish line were quite similar. \u201eIt was a nasty stretch. The worst type of desert I\u2019ve ever had to race in. Overgrown and unwelcoming. This must have been a punishment to make us ride that way. There was no pleasure in competing there; it was just one of those days you somehow had to plow through and survive.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year, the 6-time FIM World Champion had similar comments. \u201eFirst, we had to overcome rough, damaged riverbeds. One of the world\u2019s leading bikers, Kevin Benavides, crashed and left the rally with a skull fracture. However, the overgrown desert was the worst of all. Many participants still wonder why on earth were we made to drive through that terrain while much more pleasant alternatives abounded. It was an awful, lousy route and a huge challenge for my knee. Fortunately, I managed to reach the ending line without any serious issues,\u201d summed up Sonik, who was ranked fifth in the general classification.<\/p>\n

Quite a few participants, however, faced serious challenges along the road. An excellent biker, Juan Carlos Salvatierra, who had switched his bike for a quad, was among them. The Bolivian rider had acquired a Barren Racing vehicle, an innovative Dutch quad used by Kees Koolen, a former world champion.<\/p>\n

\u201eChavo\u201d caught up with me at the beginning of the stage,\u201d reported Sonik, \u201e However, barely twenty minutes later in intensely difficult terrain, there he was, standing on the side of the trail, swinging his gold drive chain above his head. He broke it during the ride and he was looking for a spare one, but unfortunately, I wasn\u2019t able to help. My quad has 20 horsepower less than his model and so I don\u2019t run into that kind of issues very often. Moreover, he\u2019s got a heavy duty \u201e530\u201d chain and my \u201e520\u201d is much lighter. So his situation was quite hopeless with no chance for a quick repair. Pablo Copetti was also out of luck, having gotten a puncture along the way, but he was able to fix it and make it to the finish line.\u201d<\/p>\n

The stage was claimed by Nicolas Cavigliasso, the winner of the recent Atacama Rally, followed by his two fellow citizens, Jeremias Gonzalez Ferioli, and Gaston Gonzalez. Aleksander Maksimow placed fourth and Rafa\u0142 Sonik got the fifth result of the stage and was ranked fifth in the general classification.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, the racers face the second stage of the rally, which is planned to take them from Belen to Tinogasta. The organizers have already announced that the terrain of the second stage resembles the first one so another serious challenge is looming ahead.<\/p>\n

Stage 1 results:<\/strong>
\n1. Nicolas Cavigliasso (ARG) 5:03.56
\n2. Jeremias Gonzalez Ferioli (ARG) +14.00
\n3. Gaston Gonzalez (ARG) +25.31
\n4. Aleksander Maksimow (RUS) +40.48
\n5. Rafa\u0142 Sonik (POL) +43.02
\n6. Pablo Copetti (ARG) +1:14.43
\n7. Nicolas Robledo (COL) +1:18.44<\/p>\n

FIM General Ranking:<\/strong>
\n1. Nicolas Cavigliasso (ARG) 5:09.57
\n2. Jeremias Gonzalez Ferioli (ARG) +14.17
\n3. Gaston Gonzalez (ARG) +26.09
\n4. Aleksander Maksimow (RUS) +41.07
\n5. Rafa\u0142 Sonik (POL) +43.23
\n6. Pablo Copetti (ARG) +1:15.17
\n7. Nicolas Robledo (COL) +1:19.35<\/p>\n

Visit us at: www.facebook.com\/rafalsonikofficial\/<\/a> and www.instagram.com\/rafalsonik\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The organizers of the 4th round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship did not waste any time to put the participants\u2019 skills to a serious test. Difficult navigation through treacherous, dry riverbeds and a long, final stretch overgrown with desert grass and shrubs provided the racers with a real challenge. \u201eI suppose they wanted […]<\/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":"\nDesafio Ruta 40: a grueling start of the rally - Rafa\u0142 Sonik<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/rafalsonik.pl\/en\/rally\/desafio-ruta-40-grueling-start-rally\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Desafio Ruta 40: a grueling start of the rally - Rafa\u0142 Sonik\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The organizers of the 4th round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship did not waste any time to put the participants\u2019 skills to a serious test. 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