The stage was described as very tough and all previsions were met. Albert Llovera-Àlex Haro (Buggy MD Rallye) managed to complete the route from Villa Carlos Paz to San Juan, on which 518 km were timed, in 8h43’53” obtaining the 47th position of the provisional ranking. It was the longest stage of this year’s Dakar.
This second stage did not seem to phase Nasser Al-Attiyah, who, if there are no surprises during the posterior checks of the sporting stewards, will confirm his first victory with a time of 5h04’50”. The difficulty of this special stage took its toll on experienced drivers such as Peterhansel, Gordon, Gache and Chicherit, amongst others.
The tandem Llovera-Haro overcame all the issues that arose and were amongst the chosen ones that manage to reach the city of San Juan; here is what they had to say about today: The organizers wanted a tough stage at the beginning and they were certainly successful. We could class today’s route as inhumane for most of the teams in the competition. Moreover, the heat was another element that made the stage even tougher. The drivers had a hard time but so did the engines of the vehicles: No doubt about that. In our case, on top of a flat tire, we had to stop the car because it was getting too hot and the clutch of the control mecanisms got stuck. The tracks varied a lot: dirt, rocks and towards the end a lot of dust and fesh fesh. To top it all up we’ve had our first experience with the navigation. Very tough, but we are ready to keep going and even more motivated.
On the third stage, San Juan-Chilecito, the teams will remain on Argentinan soil and will face about the same difficulties as today. There are 542 km to get to Chilecito, one of the most important cities in the Argentinian region of La Rioja. As it has been said, the red earthen tracks surrounded by cliffs will test the racers. The positive aspect of the third day of the competition is the fact that the section during which the vehicles are timed will be shorter, namely 284 km.
 Press service.
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