HOME > Latest News > 2023 > Issue #6
Issue #6:January 6, 2023
The second loop stage in Ha’il was held on January 5. This massive 645km loop stage was set up on sandy terrain expanding out to the east of the bivouac and included a 373km SS (competition stage). The TLC Land Cruiser rally cars continued their steady rhythm on this difficult SS, but at the 135km mark, Akira Miura and Laurent Lichtleuchter in car #246 suddenly stopped due to drivetrain trouble. The crew decided that it would be difficult to repair the problem on site, so they asked the support trucks behind to tow them off the course. They withdrew from the course and headed back to the bivouac in Ha’il where mechanics worked on repairs to the damage to get the car back on course.
Meanwhile, Ronald Basso and Jean-Michel Polato in car #250 successfully continued driving and reached the finish in 105th place overall in the car category and 1st place in the production car category. In the cumulative rankings until today, they are in 106th place overall and held onto 1st place in the production car category.
The terrain for this day mostly consisted of sand, and teams were crossing over a series of small sand dunes, making it a tough route. Weaving through twisty ruts running between dunes, they crossed small sand dune ranges and a series of sandy plateaus. Car #250's front and rear bumpers were damaged while driving over dunes, and one of the tires came off the rim due to lower tire pressure (tire pressure is lowered to improve driving performance on sandy surfaces). Other than that, they experienced no issues.
Miura (driver): Shortly after we started the stage, the rear left shock absorber came off. Then, at the 135km mark, there was a drivetrain issue and we had to stop. We were hoping to take full advantage of the Land Cruiser 300's strengths in this stage, so it was a real shame.
Basso (driver): We only had a short high-speed section in this SS, possibly one of the reasons why today felt like such a long day. However, I am relieved that we made it to the finish without any major issues.