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KTM's Isldre
Esteve ralls an
earty special test
In southem
France, on his way
to an eventual
f1fth-overall finish.
With powerful
sponsors and
talented riders,
Spain is becoming
increasingly
Important In the
Dakar Rally.
LC4, actually held his own throughout the remainder of the rally as well.
After an ovemight in Narbonne at
the south of France, the competitors
squeezed in one more special test in
the country, in Chateau-Lastours,
before crossing into Spain. This time,
the fastest rider was a more wellknown Frenchie - Gauloises KTM's
Richard Sainct - but again, the test
was rather short, at just 22 miles
through a scenic vineyard.
The rally started with a chilly and
wet night stage out of the town of
Arras, near the Belgian border. Wearing street helmets and heavy coveralls, and with their bikes shod in
smooth tires, the racers rode one by
one to the top of the start podium,
where they were cheered on by an
enthusiastic crowd, and then slogged
south near Paris to Chateauroux,
where they grabbed a few hours' rest.
The first special test came on day
two, but it was only a short, grasstrack-style circuit laid out in La
Souterraine. Rain made it a muddy
affair, and the winner was relatively
unknown local enduro rider Pierre
Quinonero, who, on his private KTM
SPAIN
The rally's third day finished in
Madrid, in the center of Spain, making for a long slog south following the
final French special. Fortunately for
The Dakar Rally features the full spectrum of
rider assistance, whether It's the factory
mechanic of Alfie Cox (right! or the amateursupport Yacco plane (below!, which the privateers
work out of for the length of the rally.
cucle
n
e
_
os
•
JANUARY
30, 2002
19
