The first week of the Dakar Rally is over and it has been a tough rally so far. After six stages Tim and Tom Coronel are 25th in the general classification, in the second week they want to continue this upward trend. Today the mechanics of the Coronel Dakar Team are working hard to get the Century CR6 ready for the second week.
The car was at the bivouac early this morning and the mechanics got to work right away. “The guys are checking everything and a lot of preventive replacement is being done,” Tim says. “The car was in the bivouac at 5 o’clock this morning, so it had been a while since the guys had seen the car. But they are already hard at work again.”
For example, the Century is being completely refreshed. “The gearbox, clutch, drive shafts, suspension, brakes, shock absorbers and lots of other parts are being checked and replaced. So tomorrow we will drive away from the bivouac with almost a new car.”
In addition to the mechanics’ work, there is time to relax Tim and Tom. “We both have lunch dates with other drivers, so Tim gets to have drinks at the Rebellion and I get to go to Al Rajhi’s house,” Tom says. “These are always nice moments where you can have a nice chat about the rally, without the stress of it.”
Tomorrow the Dakar Rally continues again with the 7th stage, this one going from Riyadh to Al Duwadimi. The 483-kilometer test starts in a maze of canyons where navigation is important and concludes with an intense dune section.
