Dakar has started...Yam 450 2 wheel in first!!

[Tony Eeds]

Stage Fourteen

Stage 14 - 15 January 2004 - AYOÛN EL ALTROÛS > TIDJIKJA
Special 547 km Liaison 4 km Total 551 km

Today was a marathon stage of the Telefonica Dakar between Ayoun El Atrouss
and Tidjikja: at the conclusion of the stage, no assistance was allowed.
Hence, the important thing was to get to the finish line in one piece. The
552km stage including 548 of special, considered by many bikers including
Alfie Cox as "the best one so far. A nice twisty piste, and because of the
rain, the sand was nice and wet". At first, today's special led across a
few and small dunes. Later on it led trough fields of dunes and in the end
the riders had to conquer giant dunes at the edge of the Taskast cliff.

Cyril Despres stormed to his 3rd stage victory. However, he gained little
time on the leaders Roma and Sainct, and remains in 3rd overall, down 41
min.

'Nani' Roma (KTM n°4) had his first big fright of the Dakar. "I made a
navigation mistake at around 30kms from CP1. It was a shame because all was
going well". Nani Roma got lost and fell. But Roma fought back to close
the gap to less than two minutes at checkpoint 2 (330km) before overhauling
Sainct and opening out a gap of 2:13 by the third check (423km). He
maintains a lead of 9 minutes over Sainct.

Sainct: "It was a nice fast special. Difficult because of the heat. But the
hardest is done. It's however a day less to catch up my delay and honestly,
I believe there's only one more hard special tomorrow. It won't be easy for
me. Tomorrow, Roma starts in front and will certainly wait for me. Today he
got lost and it will serve him as a lesson for tomorrow. He won't let go of
me. His strategy is clear : he rides his race. I would do the same in his
position. Tomorrow, I'll be going at my rhythm. In Morocco I lost a lot of
time. I'm not looking for excuses, but I didn't start the rally as I
wanted."

Richard Sainct sounds like he's giving up on the chase for 1st: "I have won
this rally three times already. Tomorrow will be the last possibility to
close in on the 4th victory. And I'm going to do anything that is necessary.
Today I had to lay the track for the field. Fretigne has chosen his starting
position and decided to start second. It is a regulation which neither one
of us follows."

Fabrizio Meoni (KTM n°3). The Italian suffered a bad fall and twisted his
knee. "This year, I've gone through all the problems : mechanical,
navigational and now I injure myself. It means that the moment has come to
stop. I'm 46 and it's already quite an achievement to have carried on for
so long without major problems. I would like to win one last special in the
upcoming days but with this bad knee, it'll be difficult." ". He eventually
finished 6th at 14min23 behind Despres. He is only a minute ahead of
Fretigne on the Yamaha - ha.

Yamaha's David Fretigne, the winner of yesterday's stage, ended up fifth
today and is now up to eighth overall - the first non-KTM rider. As the
winner of yesterday's special, Frétigné was able to choose his start
position today, opting to start eighth on the road. (Fretigne is the only
rider taking advantage of this year's new rule on starting position.) "I
didn't want to open the piste," he explained. "I don't yet have enough
experience for that kind of thing so I opted to go eighth. What a special it
was though! After refuelling we got into the dunes and I rode really hard -
I even overtook Fabrizio Meoni (KTM 950) on his big V-twin. Then we came to
an immense chott (dried up lake) and I pushed the engine as hard as I dared.
Obviously on that kind of going I can't stay with the more powerful bikes,
but if I ride at 100 percent I can keep up with them almost everywhere else.
The problem is that in Africa that isn't the best way to ride. In the end I
decided to back off a little and even took the time to have a look around
me - it was really fantastic - at one point we past a huge cliff of black
rocks with tongues of red sand coming off it."

Alfie Cox: "A great day's riding. I caught Fretigne after about 140
kilometres and then rode with Fabrizio with Fretigne coming past us on the
tight bits. Then I fell in the camel grass and got dusted in the chott
following the others. Then from CP3 it was wide open over a real roller
coaster of a track. Although I enjoyed myself, I'm disappointed not to have
pulled back on Cyril."

Janis Vinters, the fast man from Latvia, is 7th, P.G. Lundmark from Sweden
is 8th and the Norwegian Pal Anders Ullevalseter arrived in 9th position.

Red Bull KTM's Larry Roeseler continued his march towards the top 10 withn
an 11th-place finish in today's stage 14. Roeseler is now 13th overall.

Marc Coma from Team Repsol KTM Spain had to quit racing today. Yesterday's
crash and the occurring results were the reason for that. Later on last
night his headaches increased and Marc didn't altogether feel well. This
morning the team decided for Marc to stay at the bivouac. The young Spaniard
has performed exceptional during the rally. He rode a wonderful race and has
excellently supported the best in his team, like the leader Nani Roma.

Overall:

1 004 ROMA
2 001 SAINCT 09' 40"
3 002 DESPRES 41' 25"
4 010 COX 43' 43"
5 006 LUNDMARK 1h 18' 49"
6 015 ULLEVALSETER 1h 42' 47"
7 003 MEONI 3h 06' 57"
8 012 FRETIGNE YAMAHA 3h 07' 26"
9 008 DE GAVARDO 3h 26' 04"
10 022 FLICK 3h 35' 59"



Let's take a look at the team-rankings. Team Gauloises KTM France (91
points) leads ahead of Team Repsol KTM Spain (109 points). If nothing
unexpected happens there is hardly a chance that this will still change. In
3rd place is Team Gauloises KTM International (161). In the professional
rankings Team Red Bull KTM USA is in 4th place (410). The Scandinavian team
(217) is better than the Dakar newcomers from America. They lead the amateur
rankings. There should not be a question who rides in that team. It is P.G.
Lundmark and Pal Anders Ullevalseter. Respect!



Ari Vatanen, the "flying Finn" hit a tree after only 10kms of the special
and was forced to retire with a broken radiator. "On a bump, the car went
sideways and we couldn't avoid a tree. We broke it but we also broke the
car. I'm very disappointed because we had made so many efforts".

Taking off in 9th on the start line, Luc Alphand (BMW n°207) overtook
everyone to clinch a impressive best time of the special. "Today I took off
on a better rhythm. It all happened at km 160 with excellent navigation by
my sniffer-dog Henri (Magne, co-driver). All the tracks were bad so we went
off-road. Unlike the others that got lost". At the end of the special,
Alphand beat Colin McRae (Nissan n°202), by 14min20. Certainly the best
compliment for Alphand came directly from the 95 WRC World champion on the
finish line: "I thought you were a skier".

In third place (at 18min30) came Stephane Peterhansel (Mitsubishi n°203)
still as cool in his comfortable
leading position, while fourth was Jean-Louis Schlesser (Schlesser Ford
n°200) at 20min15. Japan's Hiroshi Masuoka (Mitsubishi n°201) had to settle
with 6th spot at 21min05 which means that in the new overall 'Peter' has a
1h05min04 lead on last year's winner. Third is Schlesser at 2h31min44.

Jean-Louis Schlesser (FRA - Schlesser-Ford * 4th) - 200
"It was difficult. With our two-wheel drive car, we're finding it hard in
the soft sand. The 100 last kilometres were nice. It had rained so the sand
was good. It became very sinuous at km 200 and we couldn't go fast. We
didn't make any mistakes. Except that a doctor told us to change direction
and forced us to go through a village. Tomorrow they (the Mitsubishi cars)
will open the track. We'll be able to watch."


Interesting comments about the KTM assistance team of mechanics and support
crew:

It is a 24-hour-job for the boys and girls from KTM. Right after arrival
they need to unpack, organize and work on the bikes. Even after a
12-or-more-hour drive they need to fully concentrate on their work. "It
demands a lot," explains Wilfried Kershhaggl, KTM head of marketing. He
rides in a Nissan assistance-vehicle. "Sometimes it is close to everyone*s
limits. As an average we sleep about 6 to 7 hours within two days." In order
not to endanger the crews in the cars and trucks by the over-fatigue of the
driver they switch driving. "Driving is really tough," tells Ernest Loidl.
Everyone calls him Arafat. For a cure, the experienced assistance-truck
driver suggests to get stuck once in a while, to drink a lot and to
exercise. It isn't the first time Loidl participates, but the route the
assistance has to drive is exceptionally hard. "Daily you are put under time
pressure and you drive on tracks that are similar to the rally routes," he
states. "Partly we are driving on the race tracks. And we carry along 3 to
3.5 tons of weight. This isn't all that easy."
Nevertheless nobody wails and nobody complains. Everyone contributes its
best that the rally becomes a full success for KTM. After all everyone knows
that the Dakar is the toughest rally in the world - for the assistance too!

Tomorrow the second part of the marathon stage has to be challenged. The
special is about as long as today*s (579 km). The dreaded camel grass will
probably annoy the riders. Further their navigational skills are asked for.
The stage towards Nouakchott is the last one that can mix up the overall
standings.

Tom Warr

 

[Tony Eeds]

Stage Fifteen

Interesting comments by Fabrizio Meoni about the possibility of driving a car at Dakar after retiring from KTM. Check ot out.

Stage 15 - 16 January 2004 - TIDJIKJA > NOUAKCHOTT
Liaison 2 km Special 579 km Liaison 70 km Total 651 km

With three days to go before the finish line of the Telefonica Dakar 2004,
today's stage between Tidjikja and Nouakchott (579kms of special) was one of
the few last chances to make a difference or gain precious minutes. This
was the last real tough stage, hence, the one that could decide the winner.
The competitors had over 590kms of special, including Erg crossings and
240kms of camel grass. Riding at high-speed they had to be real careful to
avoid those hard mounds. The risk crashing was definitely high. The
Mauritanian stage demanded its due from the riders - the stage was long and
difficult. The navigation required full concentration.

After this tough passage, there's another 200kms of fast tracks all the way
to Nouakchott. Nouakchott, capital of Mauritania, was founded in 1958 on
the ancient site of an army ground. In 1999, the city had 800 000
inhabitants. In 1966, a wharf and a deep sea harbour were built with the
help of China. One can not expect to see the typical aspects of a
traditional past. But it is a pleasant and friendly town.


MEONI WINS, ROMA UNDER PRESSURE

In the bike race, Fabrizio Meoni clinched his 2nd win while Sainct gained
time on Roma, still leader in the overall.

Fabrizio Meoni, the 'Lion of the desert' marked his possible retirement
from the rally-raid scene with another piece of glory. He soldered on
despite pain in his injured knee to win perhaps hs last Dakar stage:

"For the first 200kms, it was really an enduro race and I took good care of
my knee. Once we made it to the camel grass, I knew it was my kind of
surface and started speeding. Not at full speed but going fast. Then on the
last 100kms, I went to the maximum : a real motocross track on sand with big
bends where you can go fast. This special victory pleases me because it'll
remain as one of my last memories of the Dakar. I'm convinced it's time to
stop. It's obvious for me, but I'm still under contract. I have to talk to
KTM and my other sponsors."

I knew I liked this guy for a good reason:

"There is no chance to see me do the Dakar in a car. It isn't my job. I'm a
biker. Why don't you ask me if I want to be a footballer or a golfer ? Those
who have done this type of switch do so because for them racing is a job.
For me, it's different. I know how to ride a bike, not a car. What will I do
after ? I don't know. I'll certainly find an activity that will allow me to
live a good life and maybe organise rally-raids. You know, I don't need a
lot of money : no big car, no tropical trips - and my wife is the same. I
already have a property with a house in Tuscany. I think I'll spend a lot of
time there. The Dakar is nearly my life. I don't know how my head will react
in a few weeks. I might be annoyed to finish on this result, but I'm happy,
because the problems I've had prove that the time has come. My best memories
? It's always been nice because I took a lot of pleasure on the bike. But
what I like above all are the long difficult stages like one a few years ago
when we finished after 400kms in camel grass. This year's race is very hard
as well. Eight years ago, my dream was only to win a special on the Dakar,
so with what I've achieved since then, I can be satisfied."


Meanwhile all eyes were on the battle between Roma (KTM n°4) and Sainct (KTM
n°1) for overall leadership. Finishing 2nd, Sainct reduced the gap on Roma,
3rd on the day, but gained only 2min32.

Interestingly, Richard Sainct has a different idea of camel grass:
"The first part was difficult. As it had rained a lot and with the passage
of the opening cars and trucks, the sand was hard. Then there was camel
grass and that was horrible. I caught Roma quite quickly and then we were
all together. I didn't have much to do except go full speed. Roma did the
same and we finished together. There was not much to hope for : the
navigation was simple, all you had to do was follow the track left by the
opening trucks. We can't say quite yet that Nani has won. We'll see in two
days but things are going his way. Tomorrow, he starts two minutes behind
me, if there's dust, he'll be able to catch me. When you have won three
Dakars, you don't aim at second or third place. You come to win. But I had a
fall. I had one small mistake at the beginning and I'm paying for it. A fall
too many. That's the race !"

Roma doesn't want to think about the victory: "It was a difficult day :
the part in the camel grass was technical and it wasn't easy to ride in the
soft sand. There still is tomorrow, I don't think it should be too
difficult. I'll let Sainct go because there should be a lot of dust, but not
too far away. If everything goes well like it has until now, maybe I'll
start talking about the victory, but many things can still happen on a bike.
Every kilometre that we ride is a kilometre less, but there still are
250kms. At some moments I thought of the win but quickly took that out of my
mind. In 2000, that's what I was thinking about and I broke my engine a few
days before the finish. Of course it's important for me to win, that's why
you're here, but it isn't an obsession. When it does become an obsession,
you make mistakes. This year, I'm having fun. It's something that I've
learnt from the previous years. Added to that, the fact that we're in Africa
means that there aren't a lot of Europeans. No Spaniards to talk to me about
the victory and put extra pressure on my shoulders."

At this time of the race everyone within the large KTM-team is content with
the long Spaniard winning the rally. Fabrizio Meoni states, "Nani has tried
it so many times now. He really deserves it. And with the time gap he has
got he can surely reach Dakar in the top position. That is his opportunity
now."

Gilles Salvador, manager of the team Gauloises KTM France, judges just as
fair. "I want it for Nani and Spain. It is a race and there is only one
winner. Next year it is maybe Richard again or maybe Cyril to lead the pack.
The KTM teams and the individual riders are fighting passionately in the
race. But when they reach the finish they all get along great!"


The fight for the last place on the podium is also exciting. Despres was
fifth on the day, loosing precious time on 4th palce Cox. In the overall,
the Frenchman only has a tiny 43sec advantage on the South African.
"Tomorrow will be difficult because Cox will try everything to attack and
he's a great rider", insisted Despres who will take off just behind Cox in
the penultimate stage.

"43 seconds," states Alfie, "that really isn't all that much. Tomorrow I
will start ahead of Cyril. So I really need to pace forward and push for
power." Lee Palmer, his mechanic, is working to prepare his KTM 660 Rally
really well. "I'm going to prepare the bike so that Alfie will be able to
fly!" And hopefully he will safely land in Dakar.


Stage 12 winner David Fretigne - who was quickest through CP1 (113km) - was
hit with a 15-minute penalty for losing his time-card, relegating him to
eighth - 18:14 down on Meoni. Frétigné, riding Yamaha's revolutionary
two-wheel-drive 450cc WR450F 2-Trac, led the way at checkpoint one, but a
misplaced timecard cost dearly. The penalty denied him a top three stage
finish, but with just two days of the rally remaining he gained a place and
is now seventh overall.

Explained Frétigné: "The start of the special was good for my bike. I caught
Richard Sainct pretty quickly and then we all started riding together. The
pace wasn't that quick and I followed along taking care not to consume too
much fuel. At checkpoint one I had the best time but everything went out the
window on coming into checkpoint two when I couldn't find my time card. The
pocket on the front of my seat, where I normally put the card, was open and
empty. That was when I discovered that you get a 15 minute penalty for such
a crime. To say I wasn't happy would be an understatement. We take risks all
day to put in a good result and then get punished harshly for a stupid
mistake. I rode quietly to the end of the special but still managed to have
two little crashes because I'd lost my concentration."


LUNDMARK STOPPED!

>From Lundmark's diary yesterday: "After the finish PålAnders said they had
such a gap that it was maybe a good idea to let off and go for safety. "No
old-age philosophy here!" PG answered quickly."

At km 185, PG Lundmark (KTM n°6) was forced to stop with mechanical
problems. He appears to be waiting for his assistance vehicle. The Swede
broke a rear suspension and lost all hope to keep his 5th spot overall while
waiting for his assistance truck.

Mikael Laine:

PG's wife said that PG is having problems with the swingarm bolt, his only
chance to continue is to wait for the KTM service truck (about 6 hours
behind) and he's not even sure they would help. This just sucks.

If you got a swingarm-kit, his possition is 18 degree 33.873 north and 12
degree 50.488 west =/

damn damn damn damn.


Pal Andres Ullevalseter and Francois Flick were racing best among those
private riders which are supported by the KTM service. They are in 7th and
9th place. The Latvian, Janis Vinters, had to quit racing after a severe
crash.


Team Gauloises KTM France was able to defend its leading position in the
team standings (98 points). It still leads ahead of Team Repsol KTM Spain
(118). Team Gauloises KTM International (166) claims the 3rd position and
Team Red Bull KTM USA (440) is in 4th position.


Masuoka wins

Mitsubishi maintained their iron grip on this year's Dakar as Hiroshi
Masuoka and Stephane Peterhansel dominated Stage 15. The Japanese driver
finished with a 9:11 cushion over his teammate, the overall leader. The pair
headed the field all day, with Masuoka taking the lead from Peterhansel
after checkpoint 1 (113km) and never relinquishing it.

In the car special, Mitsubishi added a 6th win to their 2004 team record
and this time it was Hiroshi Masuoka's (n°201) turn to triumph (4th special,
2 for Peterhansel). If Peterhansel (n°203) was able to finish under 10
minutes (9min11) from the Japanese, all the others were, once again, well
behind. When the EVO2 boys decide to go fast, there's not a lot one can do.
Giniel De Villiers (Nissan n°207) tried his best, finishing third at 17min32
while Jutta Kleinschmidt (Volkswagen n°204) took fourth spot at 21min54.
Fifth was Jean-Louis Schlesser (Schlesser Ford n°200) at 32min43.

In the overall, Masuoka (55min53) is now under an hour behind 'Peter' in the
overall. The Frenchman has one foot on the highest step of the podium but
he'll certainly keep in mind what happened last year on the penultimate day
of the race when he lost the rally despite having a 25min50 lead. "A
mechanical problem can happen at any moment. Every kilometre has its own
surprises." Comfortably settled in third spot, Jean-Louis Schlesser is at
2h55min while Alphand (BMW n°207) is fourth at 4h04min.

Nissan's Colin McRae struggled with a prop-shaft problem at km 138. First
yesterday, did he abuse his equipment too much on the marathon stage?
Forced to wait for his assistance truck, the Scotsman was still expected at
the bivouac.

Former winner Kleinschmidt - who had dire mechanical difficulties early in
the race and ran the risk of being disqualified after unauthorised repair
work - took fourth.

Jean-Louis Schlesser blames the helicopter:
"The helicopter was flying too low and with the wind, our front left side
was ripped off. Otherwise, today's special was really hard, but was
according to me the nicest of the rally. At the beginning it went well but I
especially enjoyed the end with a lot of fast driving. We were following
Alphand. We were on the right track but he went on another and we followed
him. It was a wrong track and both of us were stuck in the dunes. I had
quite a scare."

Jutta Kleinschmidt (GER - Volkswagen * 4th) - 204
"The first 250kms were horrible. All that camel grass ! It was difficult to
have pleasure. I was in 1st gear all the time. Added to that, we don't have
a inflation-deflation system on the car. We had a few frights. We jumped a d
une going too fast and almost landed on the front bumper. The last 200kms
were however nicer and we had fun. I'm happy to be here after these two
marathon stages. Yesterday, I worked on the car until 2 in the morning. Now
I need a shower and a good bed after a difficult night."

Giniel De Villiers (RSA - Nissan * 3rd) - 208
"I'm fine although the day was difficult. The camel grass made things
harder. We went slowly to avoid damaging the car. We then went faster on the
last portion. At one moment, the car started smoking. We stopped but found
nothing wrong. Of course, a final special win would be nice but it's hard to
predict. We won't take unnecessary risks to make it to Dakar."



After all these strenuous stages, the 16th stage from Nouakchott to Dakar is
a route for pleasure. Time is taken on 191 km out of the 647 km of the
stage. The track isn*t all that bad either. The route to Dakar could become
a show run. The A.S.O. is expecting thousands of Senegalese people along the
track cheering for the *survivors* of the 26th edition of the Dakar rally.
Except for the fight for 3rd, Despres vs. Cox, don't expect dramatic changes
in the finishing order over the next two days. And, I expect Meoni to hold
on to 6th.


Overall Standings. With just a few relatively short stages remaining, the
only changes likely to occure before the finish will be between those very
close together on time, and/or if someone drops out. Note how drop outs
really helped the positioning of the top 10 in both the cars and bikes,
since 2 days ago.

Team Gauloises KTM France
001 Richard Sainct 2nd +7 min
002 Cyril Despres 3rd +46 min
009 Jean Brucy withdrew, broken collarbone in stage 9

Gauloises KTM International
003 Fabrizio Meoni 6th +3hr 3min
007 Giovani Sala withdrew after stage 6
010 Alfie Cox 4th +47 min

Repson KTM Spain
004 Juan Roma 1st
011 Marc Coma Withdrew after a crash in stage 13
019 Esteve Pujol 19th +11hr 54 min, including 1 hour penalty

Red Bull KTM USA
016 Larry Roeseler 12th +5hr 57 min
017 Paul Krause 16th +9hr 57 min
025 Scott Harden withdrew, broken ankle in stage 9

Team Farmerlips
006 Per Gunner Lundmark Broke down in stage 15 - dang!
015 Pal andedrs Ullevalseter 5th +1hr, 56 min

Yamaha France
012 David Fretigne on the 2wd Yamaha, 7th +3hr 22 min

Off Road Adventure
041 David Casteu, riding Cagiva 900 Elefant +33rd, 19 hr, 8 min

Privateer, works for Dutsche Bank
171 Andy Coaker, Australian, 25th +13 hr, 28 min

Rally Raid UK
170 Bertil Marcusson XR650, he rode to the start of the rally, in Clermont
from Sweden - 61st +42hr, 39 min

130 Yuki Tanaka
Didn't start stage 12 - too bad!

Cars:

SCHLESSER - FORD
200 Jean-louis Schlesser 3rd +2hr 55 min
209 Josep maria Servia 21st +24hr, 16 min

MITSUBISHI MOTORS
201 Hiroshi Masuoka 2nd + 56 min
203 Stephan Peterhansel 1st
206 Miki Biasion, withdrawn, stage 7
211 Andrea Mayer 5th, 5hr 45 min

NISSON
202 Colin McRea 19th +24hr, 1 min
205 Ari Vatanen Hit a tree in stage 14
208 Giniel De Villiers 7th 8hr, 12 min

VOLKSWAGEN MOTORSPORT
204 Jutta Kleinschmidt 8th 20hr, 56 min
224 Bruno Saby 6th 6 hr, 58 min

X - RAID BMW
207 Luc Alphand 4th 4 hr, 4 min
212 Gregiore DeMavius 5th 4 hr, 13 min

PRO SYSTEM
232 Eric Vigouroux, 26th, +31hr, 34 min
233 Mark Miller - no info since stage 9, ? withddrawn


Tom Warr

 

[Tony Eeds]

The finish

Sorry about skipping yesterday's stage. I guess you get what you pay for.

In any event, Friday's stage really decided the outcome, that being the last
long, tough stage that had any chance of changing the finishing order,
barring stupid mistakes, or accidents. Stage 16, and the final stage were
too short for anyone to gain more than a fraction of the difference in
overall standings.

Briefly, this was yesterday's stage:
Stage 16 - 17 January 2004 - NOUAKCHOTT > DAKAR
Liaison 60 km Special 191 km Liaison 396 km Total 647 km

Nouakchott - Dakar

The main difficulties of the rally are now behind, but the competitors
should however stay focused on this penultimate stage, competitors
discovered many new tracks. GPS was forbidden. On the course : many sandy,
sinuous and fast tracks that will take the competitors to dunes all the way
to the Mauritania-Senegal border and the finish of the special. Then is a
long 396 km liaison to Dakar will look like a gigantic parade for those
still in this 26th edition, not to mention luxurious hotels and hot showers.

There were no major changes in the standings, as expected. Sainct gained a
couple minutes on Roma, by winning the special, but Roma was shadowing him
and still maintained a 5 min lead

In the fight for third place, Cyril Despres extended his lead over Cox to a
comfortable margin of 3 min. The South African explains : "I tried hard to
take some time off Despres. But he left behind me and caught me. I couldn't
do anything. Tomorrow is too short. It's virtually impossible to catch him".

Little chance to gain time on the 27 km parade stage around Lac Rose in
Dakar today.

So, indeed, the final results are Roma, Sainct, Despres, for the top three
bikes, and other places listed below.

Roma, on winning his first Dakar rally:
"When I was little, my mother gave me a book on the history of the Dakar,
from its creation to 1985. Every night I would read it. I would have never
imagined riding a bike one day, compete on a Dakar and win it ! It's amazing
being a part of its history".

On the podium, the Catalan dedicated his triumph to Heinz Kinigadner, the
first to bring a KTM on the Dakar. "I've often been compared to him. People
would say that neither him nor me would have what it takes to win. Well, now
I've done it."

Richard Sainct had some tense moments on this perfuntory stage, finishing
47th at +9min53: "This morning, I had a battery problem. The bike stopped
suddenly but I found the problem quickly. I'm very lucky to still be here".

The triple Dakar winner (1999-2000-2003) remains positive. "I'm very proud
of myself. It wasn't my turn this year. I'll be back next year to try and
regain my title".

Fabrizio Meoni (KTM n°3) confirmed his decision to retire from Rally racing.
He finished 5th on the stage, 6th overall. "For me this is definitely the
last Dakar. I won't be racing any other rallies either. I want to be with my
family."

The individual KTM country-team standings: The Frenchmen of Team Gauloises
KTM France won. The Dakar veterans Fabrizio Meoni and Alfie Cox of Team
Gauloises KTM International finished 2nd. Team Repsol KTM Spain ranks in 3rd
place and place 4 is left for the newcomers from America, Team Red Bull KTM
USA. And we already know that they are planning to return again and then the
fight will start anew. - I hope so, it was very exciting to watch americans
compete in this rally!

David Fretigné also had tense moments today when he crashed on the final
stage, was knocked out for several minutes. He managed to get up and finish
6th for the stage, 7th place overall, the first of the non KTM riders, on
the 2wd Yamaha WR450.; He won the 'Super Production under 450cc' class, as
well as the 'first time on a Dakar' category.

Fretigne: "I nearly had a disaster today. I was flat out on the hard sand
at the side of the piste when I hit a root. I tried to lift the front wheel
but I was too late and fell hard. I heard the noise of a helicopter overhead
and someone was shouting at me, 'David, get back on the bike'. I hope that
what we have started here doesn't come to a premature end. I have learnt a
lot, gained confidence in the reliability of the engine and was able to
increase the pace as the race went on. I also enjoyed myself enormously
aboard my 'little' bike. Now I would like to be able to fight for the
overall victory. Yamaha has traditionally been a fan of rally-raid,
Jean-Claude Olivier (President of Yamaha Motor France) is very motivated and
after my result this year I am too."

Olivier: "Now there are two possibilities open to us - either the rules are
changed to favour 450s, in which case we have a head start on the others, or
we come back with a purpose built 660. If it is the latter, we will need to
have Yamaha 100 percent behind us."

Team Farmerlips Pal Anders Ullevesater finished 5th overall. His team mate
PG LUndmark was 17th, after loosing several hours Friday after mechanical
breakdown. No recent updates on Lundmark's web page, but here is from the
last few days:
http://www.pgdakar.com/race/2004_dakar/index_en.shtml

Jan 13th:
I hit the bottom in a wash-out, where rains have taken away parts of the
road surface. It wasn't marked in the roadbook and my speed was rather good.
The Öhlins shock took most of it, but the swinging arm is cracked. Håkan
will have some extra work tonight. This is how I broke down in 2001.

Jan 16th:
What shouldn't happen, seems to have happened, as our hero PG was forced to
stop after 185kms with a broken fastening for the rear shock in his swinging
arm. He tried to push on at a lower pace but the tyre was chewing up his
rear fender. Already three days ago he changed the swinging arm after a
crack had appeared in it after a seriously heavy landing in a wash-out. . .
The team's hopes now lay with Norwegian rider PålAnders Ullevålsäter.

Here is speculation from Greg Cifu of the Paris-Dakar list:

On tonight's Speed coverage, I saw the bit on PG and his bike. His problem
was much bigger than a broken bolt, though I can see why his wife passed
that message on.

The bolt that attaches the shock linkage to the rear swingarm has pulled out
of the swingarm. No, the bolt didn't break. The attaching tabs connecting
the shock linkage broke in half and came off the
swingarm! The fact that he got it stopped without a huge crash and injury is
amazing. The rear suspension collapsed until the wheel hit the frame/rear
fender.


In the 'Production' standing, Gilles Algay (KTM n°27) takes 1st spot (19th
overall) while in the 'Production under 450cc', the winner is Benoit
Maillard (Honda n°80, 47th overall). The 'Production under 250cc' category
goes to Belgian Jeroen Raimon (Yamaha n°83), 53rd overall. Finally, South
African Cornel De Villiers (Bombardier n°910) wins the quad competition,
54th overall.


Cars:

Surprisingly, the number 1 fan of the car winner, is . bike winner 'Nani'
Roma. "Peterhansel was my hero. I remember 1993 during an enduro in Assen
when I took advantage of the fact he was in the shower to steel his t-shirt
and socks. I still have them". Stephane Peterhansel (Mitsubishi n°203)
becomes the 2nd competitor after Hubert Auriol to win both on a bike and in
a car. With a one year delay, the 6-time bike winner dominated the rally
almost from the start (1st overall as of stage 3) and only left the lead to
his main rival Hiroshi Masuoka (Mitsubishi n°201) for two days (After stages
6 and 7). "It's a great relief and a lot of happiness, that I share with my
co-driver Jean-Paul Cottret. On a bike you're alone but this time we built
the win together". On the finish line, the Frenchman received a
congratulation fax on behalf of the French minister for sports. This morning
Peter left the special win to a notorious newcomer, Colin McRae (Nissan
n°202) who grabs his second win on the race.

In the other standings, Luc Alphand (BMW n°207) claimed the diesel category
and 4th overall and Yoshio Ikemachi (Nissan n°247) wins the T1 'Production
car' standings, finishing in an excellent 22nd spot overall on his fourth
rally ever. Isa Nisan Cohen (n°295) wins the 'Production diesel car'
standings. In the truck race, Vladimir Tchaguine (Kamaz n°414) conquered his
fourth Dakar victory (added to the ones in 2000, 2002, 2003) while a
newcomer on the rally, Hans Stacey (DAF n°442) ended his excellent race (9th
overall) with a special victory. The Dutchman wins the '1st time on a Dakar'
standing. On the podium of Dakar, Tchaguine saw his team mate and winner of
6 stages, Firdaus Kabirov (n°412) climb on the second spot while Gerard De
Rooy (DAF n°417) was more than happy to settle with third place.

Quotable quotes:

Motorcycles

Nani Roma ( ESP - KTM - n°4 - 1er) - 004
"I'm very happy that all the people are so pleased about my victory. It's
great. I've often thought about the win, but I can't describe what I feel
now. Everything happened so quickly. I first have to eat, have a shower and
calm down to understand what's happening to me. But it's a dream . . .
During the whole year I saw a psychologist because I realised that each time
I fell in the previous years, it was at low speed and was only a question of
concentration. We did some excellent work together and that's part of the
little things that made me win".

Richard Sainct (FRA - KTM - 2ème) - 001
"This edition was really very difficult but in the same time, that's the
reason why we come on the rally. Thumbs up to the organisation ! I have
mixed feelings however. It's not a deception because when I fell, I thought
it was finished. I had to fight against myself. Despite my injury, I don't
finish that far. This morning, I had a battery problem. The bike stopped
suddenly but I found the problem quickly. I'm very lucky to still be here.
It doesn't matter, it wasn't my turn this year. I'll be back next year to
try an regain my title. I'm very happy for Roma. He's been trying to win it
for such a long time".

David Frétigné ( FRA - YAMAHA - 6th) - 012
"I wanted to do well today. To finish the rally on a high. In the sand, I
hit a rock and went over the handle bar. My chin hit a part of the
navigation instruments. I was knocked out for five minutes. It's always a
shame to finish like that. Despite this, I'm very happy of this first Dakar
: winning my category and finishing in the top 10. Mission : accomplished.
I've shown that a small bike had its place on this rally. My best memory is
my first win on an African special".

Cars

Jean-Louis Schlesser (FRA - SCHLESSER FORD - 3rd) - 200
"We're really proud to have taken all the cars to the finish line, with no
problems. On a personal behalf, I couldn't expect better than third place.
The Mitsubishi cars are untouchable. They really did a great job. I have no
regrets not taking the new car. Of course it would have been faster but
anyway the Mitsubishis were too fast. It was better to use the old one. We
didn't have serious problems. What I'll remember of this Dakar is the
enthusiasm of the people in the villages. It was fantastic. The best
qualities of Peter ? He has many but I think he's learnt it was important
not going quickly all the time."

Hiroshi Masuoka (JAP - Mitsubishi - 2nd) - 201
"Thank you to all the team for this magnificent Dakar. Looking at how it
went, I can only be satisfied with second spot. It was a great rally. Thumbs
up to Patrick Zaniroli. For me the 2005 edition starts tomorrow".

Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA - Mitsubishi - 1st) - 203
"It's a great relief and a lot of happiness, that I share with my co-driver
Jean-Paul Cottret. On a bike you're alone but this time we built the win
together. My last victory on a bike was 6 years ago and after what happened
last year, it wasn't easy for me to win this year. It was a tough race but
all went well. We took the leadership quite quickly and that allowed us not
to take too many risks after. We all know that on a Dakar each stage can
mean a problem. Even when we were 10 minutes behind Masuoka, I kept calm,
relaxed. We knew that a lot of things would happen. We didn't give 100%, due
to our lead. Everything happened during the two marathon stages. I had my
biggest scare two days ago when we got lost and ended up in soft dunes. My
victory isn't due to luck. Mitsubishi works all along the year. We do
preparation races and weeks of physical tests. I believe Nissan has the same
possibilities but the difference is due to experience and a way of working.
It's great to work with such a team. It's a real team win. Hubert (Auriol)
often said he would like me to win. Now it's done but he'll always stay my
hero".


And Dakar magazine:

Everyday feelings of those who are not specially famous but who dare the
challenge and give a dream for those who stay behind...

The desert calls - next year again. See you then!

Final standings:

Team Gauloises KTM France
001 Richard Sainct 2nd +12 min
002 Cyril Despres 3rd +44 min
009 Jean Brucy withdrew, broken collarbone in stage 9

Gauloises KTM International
003 Fabrizio Meoni KTM 950 6th +3hr 5min
007 Giovani Sala withdrew after stage 6
010 Alfie Cox 4th +49 min

Repson KTM Spain
004 Juan Roma 1st
011 Marc Coma Withdrew after a crash in stage 13
019 Esteve Pujol 23rd +12hr 34 min, including 1 hour penalty

Red Bull KTM USA
016 Larry Roeseler 12th +6hr 7 min
017 Paul Krause KTM 950 16th +10hr 27 min
025 Scott Harden withdrew, broken ankle in stage 9

Team Farmerlips
006 Per Gunner Lundmark 16th, +8hr, 18 min
015 Pal andedrs Ullevalseter 5th +2hr, 4 min

Yamaha France
012 David Fretigne on the 2wd Yamaha, 7th +3hr 26 min

Off Road Adventure
041 David Casteu, riding Cagiva 900 Elefant 32nd, +20hr, 19 min

Privateer, works for Dutsche Bank
171 Andy Coaker, Australian, 25th, +14hr, 9 min

Rally Raid UK
170 Bertil Marcusson XR650, he rode to the start of the rally, in Clermont
from Sweden - 59th, +44hr, 9 min



Cars:

SCHLESSER - FORD
200 Jean-louis Schlesser 3rd +3hr
209 Josep maria Servia 19th, +24hr, 9 min

MITSUBISHI MOTORS
201 Hiroshi Masuoka 2nd + 49 min
203 Stephan Peterhansel 1st
206 Miki Biasion, withdrawn, stage 7
211 Andrea Mayer 5th, 5hr 46 min

NISSON
202 Colin McRea 20th, +24hr, 29 min
205 Ari Vatanen Withdrew stage 14
208 Giniel De Villiers 7th 8hr, 6 min

VOLKSWAGEN MOTORSPORT
204 Jutta Kleinschmidt 17th 20hr, 47 min
224 Bruno Saby 6th 6 hr, 54 min

X - RAID BMW
207 Luc Alphand 4th +3hr, 56 min
212 Gregiore DeMavius +8th 9 hr, 34 min

PRO SYSTEM
232 Eric Vigouroux, 26th, +32hr, 55 min
233 Mark Miller - withdrawn after stage 9

OK, time for the Monday morning quarterbacks: Any final thoughts out there?

Tom Warr