During the fifth stage of the Dakar Rally, Tim and Tom Coronel see nothing but sand. In a beautiful stage in the dunes they do not get stuck. The brothers do get a few knocks after some nasty landings, but the Century CR6 has no trouble with that.
Tom’s main concern in the stage was tire pressure. “I think that went well. Besides being a navigator, I’m obviously a driver, so I do feel the traction. That felt just fine, so we had that right. In the last bit we had even set the pressure very low, so we had to pump them up a little bit before we hit the asphalt.”
It was the first stage that basically consisted of only sand. “It was a really nice stage,” Tim says, “Nice in the dunes and otherwise just sand. There were some mean step downs in between, hit a few times. But the car feels good, so that’s not a problem. We did get another alarm along the way, so we’ll have to check that in the bivouac. On to the next one.”
The next stage is a novelty in the Dakar Rally. The organization has planned a 48-hour stage. The start is in Shubaytah and with a long run of 572 kilometers at speed, the finish is also there. The stage goes through the Empty Quarter and will consist of lots of sand and dunes. Along the way, participants will encounter a number of rest areas, if you drive in them after 4 hours, that will be the stopping point for that night.
There are few facilities in these rest areas and there will also be very limited communication with the outside world. In addition, the motorcycles follow a different route than the cars and trucks, adding to the challenge. Once at the finish line, the participants will proceed directly to Riyadh where Saturday is the rest day. Tim and Tom are ready for this special and extra-long stage.
