2018 DAKAR RALLY
SOUTH RACING CAN-AM TEAM
Leg 11: Belén – Chilecito
Special stage: 280km; Liaison sections: 467km
For immediate release
Wednesday, January 17th 2018
VARELA STAGES DETERMINED FIGHT BACK TO CONSOLIDATE
SOUTH RACING CAN-AM TEAM’S SxS CATEGORY LEAD
● Uribe maintains third position after losing just under an hour
● Leonel Larrauri bounces back with third quickest time into Chilecito
CHILECITO (ARGENTINA): South Racing Can-Am Team’s Reinaldo Varela and Gustavo Gugelmin set out to defend their SxS category lead of 48min 12sec from fourth position on the road on the 11th timed special stage of 280km between Belén and Chilecito in Argentina.
They soon fell behind nearest challenger Patrice Garrouste and reached PC2, 15min 36sec behind the Frenchman. But the determined Brazilians staged a fight back and reached the end of the first part of the stage 4min 23sec in front of their rival, before going on to complete the stage in second place to maintain an outright lead of 44min 33sec to take into the remaining three stages.
Juan Carlos Uribe and Javier Uribe Godoy had slipped behind Garrouste and into third the previous evening in their Can-Am running with support from Can-Am Perú, Alsol, Friopacking and Chiawel Agro. The Peruvians reached PC2 in a virtual third and went on to finish the opening section of the day’s special in fifth. They eventually crossed the finish line in sixth position and retain third overall.
Leonel Larrauri and Fernando Imperatrice suffered massive delays with broken suspension and a damaged Can-Am on the 10th stage, but sterling work by the T4 support crew enabled the second of the South Racing Maverick X3s to reach Belén with the loss of over 12 hours. More importantly, they were given a start position of sixth on the road amongst the nine surviving SxS runners.
The Argentines held a virtual third at PC1 and moved up to second, behind Garrouste, at PC2. They reached the end of the stage in third place and remain in an unofficial eighth overall.
Today and tomorrow
Much higher ambient temperatures made the sands of the Fiambalá dunes even more hazardous on a special that ran for 280km in the area around Belén, before a lengthy liaison took teams to the night halt in the town of Chilecito.
Tomorrow is another long and energy-sapping day on the Dakar. The section between Chilecito and San Juan includes a special stage of 523km and 270km of liaison sections. River crossings, tricky navigation, rocks and some sandy sections are on the cards on a timed test that starts to the west of Chilecito and finishes to the north of San Juan.
What they said:
Scott Abraham, Managing Director, South Racing Can-Am Team
“It was another good day. Reinaldo had a battle all day with Patrice. We lost a little bit of time, but we still has a good lead. It was a very strong stage from Leo. Now we will check the cars for the 523km stage tomorrow. We are one day closer to the finish.”
2018 Dakar Rally – SS11 result (SxS category @22.50hrs CET):
1. Patrice Garrouste (FRA)/Steven Griener (FRA) Polaris RZR 1000 Turbo 6hrs 02min 44sec
2. Reinaldo Varela (BRA)/Gustavo Gugelmin (BRA) South Racing Can-Am 6hrs 06min 23sec
3. Leonel Larrauri (ARG)/Fernando Imperatrice (ARG) South Racing Can-Am 6hrs 13min 54sec
4. Claude Fournier (FRA)/Szymon Gospodarczyk (POL) Polaris RZR 1000 XP 6hrs 52min 15sec
5. Jose Luis Pena Campo (ESP)/Rafael Tornabell (ESP) Polaris RZR 1000 6hrs 54min 13sec
6. Juan-Carlos Uribe (PER)/Javier Uribe Godoy (PER) Can-Am 7hrs 00min 25sec
2018 Dakar Rally – positions after SS11 (SxS category @22.50hrs CET):
1. Reinaldo Varela (BRA)/Gustavo Gugelmin (BRA) South Racing Can-Am 54hrs 43min 16sec
2. Patrice Garrouste (FRA)/Steven Griener (FRA) Polaris RZR 1000 Turbo 55hrs 27min 49sec
3. Juan-Carlos Uribe (PER)/Javier Uribe Godoy (PER) Can-Am 56hrs 37min 14sec
4. Jose Luis Pena Campo (ESP)/Rafael Tornabell (ESP) Polaris RZR 1000 63hrs 29min 41sec
5. Claude Fournier (FRA)/Szymon Gospodarczyk (POL) Polaris RZR 1000 XP 63hrs 40min 08sec
TBA. Leonel Larrauri (ARG)/Fernando Imperatrice (ARG) South Racing Can-Am 113hrs 19min 00sec
Ends
For further information: contact Scott Abraham, South Racing, Email: Scott.Abraham@southracing.com, Tel: + 49 172 6662880.
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