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Both cars clear the first day of the marathon stage in solid form
Maintenance is performed on vehicles in the service park and are in top shape for the second day

Issue #8:January 8, 2023

The first half of the 2023 Dakar Rally has reached its climax, and on January 7, the first day of the marathon stage, a 333km SS (competition stage) was held between Riyadh and Al Duwadimi. Although this stage mainly featured gravel, it also included dunes and was full of a variety of challenges. TLC's Land Cruiser 300, car #246 with Akira Miura and Laurent Lichtleuchter, came in at 101st overall and 1st in the production car category, while car #250 with Ronald Basso and Jean-Michel Polato came in at 108th overall and 2nd in the category. Car #250 piloted by Ronald Basso and Jean-Michel Polato came in at 108th overall and 2nd in the category. With these results, the cumulative ranking for car #250 is now 100th overall and 1st in the production car category, while car #246 is now 130th overall and 2nd in the category, and TLC continues to maintain its one-two positions in the production car category.

Today’s route went from Riyadh to Al Duwadimi and was newly set up because of flooding at the bivouac in Al Duwadimi which was supposed to be reached on January 6. In order to set up the bivouac on a smaller scale, the organizers quickly changed the route on January 7 and 8 to a marathon stage. As a result, team assistance was not available in the area, but a service park was set up on the liaison after the SS on January 7, where maintenance work on the competition vehicles was allowed for a limited period of two hours.

The 333km SS that was planned to go from Al Duwadimi to Riyadh on January 8 was applied to the route in the opposite direction, so it was a long day. The liaison was 298km from the bivouac in Riyadh to the start of the SS, and 240km from the finish to the bivouac in Al Duwadimi, for a grueling total distance of 871km.

The SS started on a twisty gravel road (unsealed road), and after passing through a section that was complicated to navigate due to the short-distance changes in the ruts, the teams entered the dunes. The second half of the SS was diverse with many changes. After crossing scree slopes, the end took place on a sandy plateau. Everywhere they went, the rainfall made it difficult to see the ruts, making navigation even more challenging.

Any major problems on the first day of the marathon can make it very difficult to clear the stage. The two TLC cars drove while paying close attention to the risks of the course, and both cars #246 and #250 made it to the finish line without punctures or getting stuck. Both cars were inspected and serviced at the service park located 96km from the finish and are now in top shape for the competition on January 8.

It’s almost January 8, the last day for the first half of the rally. The competition stage will be held on a 345km route from Al Duwadimi back to Riyadh, with the following day finally bringing the rally to its rest day in Riyadh.

Miura (driver): I drove carefully again today to avoid any damage to the car and was able to safely reach the finish without any punctures or getting stuck. Apparently, there’ll be some challenging dunes tomorrow, but it’s also the last day for the first half of the rally, so I’m hoping that we clear the stage in good shape.

Basso (driver): We faced some difficult dunes, but our efforts to lower tire pressure paid off and we were able to finish the race without getting stuck. In the second half of the race, there were some scree slopes like in Morocco, and it was a risky course. I’m glad we were able to finish safely.