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Issue #13:January 15, 2022
Stage 11 was held on the 13th with a loop stage starting in Bisha. The 346 km SS (competition stage), which proved to be quite difficult, consisted mostly of soft sandy terrain. Both TLC Toyota Land Cruiser 200 cars safely made it to the finish with the following rankings: Ronald Basso and Jean-Michel Polato in car #245 ranked 58th overall and 1st in the production car category; Akira Miura and Laurent Lichtleuchter in car #242 ranked 59th overall and 2nd in the category. As of today, this brings the overall cumulative rankings for cars #242 and #245 to 40th and 44th, respectively. They also still hold the top two positions in the production car category.
On this stage, the 87.19 km liaison took the teams north from the bivouac in Bisha to the intermountain region. The SS began in wadi (dried up riverbeds) where the tracks in the sand took them on a winding path between the mountains. A large number of intersecting tracks on the vast plateau made this a difficult section to navigate. Just as they passed the 67 km mark, some extremely difficult sand dunes with very soft sand made an appearance. After WP (waypoint) 2 there were small but soft sand dunes, and as they crossed over, they had to follow a path where tracks were hard to find. Following this section, teams had to get through a sandy area with grass, once again being taken to the dunes. At the end of the stage, it was a run through the wadi’s sandy terrain to the finish.
In this difficult section, Miura/ Lichtleuchter in car #242 and Basso/Polato in car #245 maintained a certain distance from each other, enabling them to help one another if needed. Car #242 punctured two tires simultaneously early in the stage. They encountered another two punctures afterwards, but due to regulation, cars can only carry three spares, so they had to take one of the spares from car #245. Further on, when car #242 got stuck on a dune, car #245 rushed to their aid and quickly helped them get out. Thanks to the strong support from Basso/Polato, both cars made it through the SS.
The final stage for the 2022 Dakar is almost here. On the 14th, the SS for stage 12 will take place between Bisha and Jeddah, after which they will reach the finish in Jeddah. Although it’s the rally’s final day, this is no time to lose focus, as one final SS of 164 km awaits. To achieve its 9th consecutive victory in the production car category, and for the Land Cruiser’s last run, a car that has performed over the last 14 years, TLC will remain fully focused as they fight to the end.
Miura (driver): We were supposed to be at our best today, but things didn’t go well at all. We had to use the other car’s spare tire and we needed their help when we got stuck. Basso and Polato really helped us to get through. Tomorrow, our eyes are on reaching the final goal.
Basso (driver): During the SS, we mostly ran together with car #242. There was a lot of soft sand along the way, and it was tough, but apart from getting stuck once, we managed to reach the finish without any punctures.