After Surviving Rocks and Blowing Sand, the Competitors Catch Sight of the Pacific Ocean at the End of the Stage in ANTOFAGASTA. The HILUX Driven by YAZEED ALRAJHI (#325 YAZEED RACING) Finishes 2nd.
Today, the top ranked machine left relatively late at 9:09. The competitors headed to the 458-km SS (Special Stage) following a 174-km Liaison Section. Today's SS was flat and required high-speed driving, but the competitors still had to be alert as there were plenty of rocks and sand dust to contend with. The elevation increased gradually up to 3,000 m without the competitors even being aware.
Today all eyes were on YAZEED ALRAJHI (#325 YAZEED RACING). He was the first to arrive at CP3, a checkpoint located approximately 30 km from the finish line. In the end he placed 2nd, just 20 seconds behind the top driver. YAZEED drove a HILUX in other cross country rallies last year, but he never drove the HILUX provided for the Dakar 2015 until he came to South America. Even so, he is driving incredibly fast. As he becomes familiar with the Dakar's HILUX, he has steadily moved up the ranking since Day One. He said, "I can easily drive a flat high speed route because it is less taxing physically. In contrast, desert driving puts a strain on the body, so I am not good at keeping at that for a long time." One of the secrets to his speed is his co-driver, TIMO GOTTSCHALK. This is TIMO's seventh Dakar Rally. He was an overall winner in the DAKAR 2011. TIMO's precise calculating and sober judgment, which may be typical German traits, have helped YAZEED, who is participating in the Dakar for the first time. TIMO knows how to get a machine and driver to make good time in the Dakar.
GINIEL DE VILLIERS (#303 IMPERIAL TOYOTA) finished 6th and BERNHARD TEN BRINKE (#315 OVERDRIVE TOYOTA) finished 13th in the stage.
Tomorrow's stage, in addition to a high-speed route similar to today's, features a 10-km run in a vast desert
The Field Camera Crew Counts On the Land Cruiser 70
The DAKAR camera crew is divided into two teams, one which films from a helicopter on its way to a shooting point, and another, which travels over land to reach vantage points along the route more than an hour before competitors appear. The field camera crew put all their trust in Land Cruiser 70s, the vehicle which has been their partner since the days of the PARIS-DAKAR Rally held in Africa. It has been 30 years since the vehicle was released, but it is still the most trusted vehicle, especially in severe environments in places such as Africa, the Middle East, the Near East and Australia. The components are configured simply so maintenance is easy. Even if a problem arises en route, band-aid fixes can be improvised. Camera crews say that a Land Cruiser 70 has never broken down despite their having being used for many years, and with this vehicle they can return to a bivouac without fail. Land Cruiser 70s are also used by the medical team. From the shadows the Land Cruiser 70 provides unfaltering support to the camera crew and medical team for the Dakar.
