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Issue #3:January 9, 2024
The second stage took the teams from Al Henakiyah to Al Duwadimi on a long 462 km SS in the hilly terrain of central Saudi Arabia which featured sand dunes and hilly sections where high-speed driving is possible. But the dust kicked up by the cars ahead lingered in the air, affecting visibility. It was a challenging stage with many dry riverbeds and sections which were difficult to navigate.
The two TLC Land Cruiser 300 cars had a solid run on this SS. In car #500 which started off in 126th position, Akira Miura and Mayeul Barbet who are together for the first time in the Dakar Rally are showcasing impressive teamwork in sections with challenging navigation when they need to find their way to the correct route. They finished with no punctures and got through without getting stuck and secured 118th place overall in the Car category and 1st place in the Stock (Production Car) category. In car #501 which started off in 119th position, Ronald Basso and Jean-Michel Polato suffered one puncture and faced navigational difficulties in dusty areas, losing track of the route several times, but they managed to come in 124th place with only a 10 minute and 40 second time difference, and they maintained 2nd place in their category. As a result, the cumulative rankings for January 7 are as follows: Car #500 is 113th overall in the Car category, while Car #501 is in 115th place. TLC continues their strong hold on 1st and 2nd place in the Stock (Production Car) category.
After finishing the SS, both cars made their way through a 119 km liaison section to the bivouac in Al Duwadimi and arrived at around 7:30 pm. The mechanics had been waiting for their arrival and started maintenance and inspection work right away.
The route for January 8 runs from Al Duwadimi to Al Salamiya. Another long SS is scheduled, this time with a distance of 440 km. Adding to the challenge, only two hours of maintenance work will be permitted at the service park after the cars finish the SS. Since the cars will need to compete on January 9 in Al-Hofuf on the following day, the maintenance work is taking this into consideration.
Miura (driver): There were many high-speed sections today, but the vehicles ahead left tracks that collapsed the sand dunes which were supposed to be easy, making it a real challenge. My new navigator Mayeul has a strong sense of accountability, and we are a great combination. I am also experienced with navigation, so I think having two people in the car with strong navigation experience gives us an edge.
Basso (driver): We had one puncture, but overall, we had a pretty good run. However, it was still a rough stage with lots of dust, and it was also hard to get through the trucks.