After nearly 13.5 hours in the Century CR7, Tim and Tom Coronel crossed the finish line of the second stage of the Dakar Rally. The first day of this long 48-hour stage proved particularly challenging for both the car and the crew. Following late-night repairs, they continued and drove a solid second part of the stage.
After a long and demanding special stage of 967 kilometers, Tom expresses his relief at the finish: “We’re back. Yesterday was especially tough, tougher than expected. We immediately hit some deep dunes, really serious ones. They were often softer than I thought, and we were already tackling category 3 dunes. Normally, you encounter those once or twice during the rally, but we got them already on day two. That was quite something.”
Broken suspension
In the end however, it wasn’t the terrain but a broken suspension that caused the biggest problems. “Out of eight shocks, four were broken”, Tom continues. “This caused the car to sit way too low, and we got stuck twice, forcing us to dig ourselves out. We were really surprised to get stuck. “Seeing the broken suspension brought some answers and explained why the second stage proved to be a bumpy ride for the twins. “Every bump felt so intense yesterday—it was crazy. I kept wondering why, because we weren’t doing anything unusual. It turned out to be the broken suspension.”
Despite the problems, Tim and Tom decided to extend the first part of the 48-hour stage by pressing on into the night: “We arrived at the bivouac just before it closed, and the guys ahead of us stopped there. We didn’t—we kept going and got to drive about half an hour in the dark. That was really cool, and everything looked pretty good then.”
MacGyver
In the bivouac the competitors had to do without the support of their team, so it was up to Tim and Tom to solve the problems with the suspension: ‘Tim and I went into ‘MacGyver mode,’ using hose clamps to keep the suspension from collapsing. It worked, and the car stood a bit higher on its wheels again. We then warmed up our food and, between the snoring, tried to sleep. This morning we continued our journey and drove a bit more cautiously today, knowing the state of the shocks.”
The second part of the 48-hour stage went relatively well aboard the Century. “Tim kept up a nice pace. I made a small navigation error that cost us ten to fifteen minutes, which was a shame. Towards the end of the stage, there were some very fast tracks across open plains, but the wind made it hard to see them. Navigation was tricky today.”
Back with the team, the mechanics started working on the car immediately. “It seems there might have been a manufacturing defect in these shocks because this has never happened before. The team is fixing everything again. Today we avoided any big hits and were in a good spot, so we’re completely happy!”
Tomorrow marks the third stage of the rally as it departs from Bisha. Through a 327-kilometer special with many fast and technical sections, the participants will head toward Al Henakiyah.
Coronel Dakar Team is supported by: LKQ, MPM, Toolspecial, Optimal, ERU, Roordink Bedrijfswagens, Efulfilment.eu, Mascot Workwear, 4Brands, BS Forklifts, JBL, Keukenwarenhuis, DHG, Serengeti, Hella, Brondool, Chassis Parts, FEBO, MyFMS, Frits Dijk, Apple King, SuperB, P1, Copernica
