Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

dunes of the rally, some of which were included in the 206-mile special test. Sainct's runner-up finish maintained KTM's dominance, as well as his position as the overall leader - amazing, considering that he raced nearly 75 miles while stuck in fourth gear! Second was De Gavardo, with Finnish KTM enduro rider Kari Tianen jumping to third. "Starting second this morning, I eventually caught Richard up," De Gavardo said. "He was going very fast, but I managed to stay with him and so win the special." "I set a fast pace to try and pull out as much of a lead as possible," Sainct said. "My plan is to stay out in front, so that I can control the others going into Mauritania." "It was technical at the beginning, and hard going with a full fuel tank," Roma said. "I caught up with Alfie [Cox] and Kari, but couldn't get past them in the dust." BMW's problems continued, with Lewis crashing so hard that he initially suspected both his wrists of being broken. Sitting 10th overall, last year's third-place finisher resolved to soldier on, hoping that his wrists would heal over time - an optimistic approach, to be sure. KTM did have one spot of bad news, as German Jurgen Mayer dropped out with a broken collarbone. The 190-mile special test of January 7 was taken by Roma, and it was BMW's first victory in the rally. Sainct One of the biggest surprises of the rally was third-place finisher Carto De Gavardo, from Chile. It was the best result ever for a South American rider. was just 22 seconds back, however, keeping the pressure on the German team. The day's 377-mile route carried the competitors from the plateautop town of Ouarzazate, along the foot of the Atlas mountains on winding dirt roads, to Goulimine (often referred to as the "door to the desert"). "I came up behind Carlos 20 kilometers [12 miles] after the start," Sainct said of De Gavardo, who has little experience leading the way. "He was riding quite slowly, but because of the dust I couldn't get past him until kilometer 80 [mile 50)." "Sitting on the start line, I thought, 'You're going to lose a lot of time today,'" Roma said. "In the end things turned out much better than I could have hoped." The January 7 stage was an exciting one. It was the last Moroccan KTM has been trying for years to secure Its first Dakar win, and It came through big time In 2001, taking the top rIVe positions overall. Here, Jordi Arcarons, Fabrizio Meoni and C",rto De Gavardo (left to right) celebrate on the podium in Dakar. stage, bringing riders to the border town of Smara, and another KTM privateer - Spaniard Isidre Esteve Pujol bettering Meoni for the win (though Meoni picked up over four minutes on Sainct). The rocky route took a heavy toll in the motorcycle class, with a number of front-runners losing large amounts of time with mechanical problems. First to run into trouble, was Tiainen, who had to wait for the organizers' sweep truck. Next up was South African Alfie Cox, who seriously damaged his front wheel on a rock shortly after refueling at the second checkpoint. He waited a while for his support rider Jean Brucy to arrive but eventually made repairs himself before wobbling slowly to the finish. Frenchman Cyril Depres had his rear tire "eaten" by his shaft drive, finishing on his rim, and Sala broke his swingarm. cue I • Roma got lost and lost more time to Sainct, and Lewis' eighth-place test finish advanced him to eighth overall (Campbell also had a good ride, finishing ninth on the day). The eighth of January included the rally's first Mauritanian stage, and at 390 miles, it was the longest of the rally, with naVigational skills being very important. In addition, it was the first day of a three-day marathon test, meaning that outside assistance was limited. In other words, conserving the bike was apriority. Most of that distance was special test, and many thought the fast going would favor the twin-cylinder Beemers, but while Roma did indeed score the win, he didn't gain much time on Sainct. "Once past the wall [at the border], it was very fast," Roma said. "I overtook the KTMs at around kilometer 150 [mile 93]. and after that, simply rode my own race. The most important thing is that my bike is running perfectly on this marathon stage." "I expected Roma to take more than two-twenty off me," he said. "Tomorrow will probably be more of the same, and we'll just have to wait for more favorable going." Meoni hurt his shoulder slightly in a fall at the beginning of the special, and while he still managed to finish fourth on the day, he slipped down to third overall, nearly eight minutes behind the leader. "I just want to keep finishing among the front-runners and then make the difference in the navigation," he said. "While I am getting slower with age, the bike is getting better and better." Lewis finished seventh and advanced one spot to seventh in the overall standings. Campbell was also n e _ S • FEBRUARY 7, 2001 33

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