Stage 4 Preview San Salvador de Jujuy to Calama - Hola Chile!

Stage 4 kicks off with a massive liaison. As of this post, the riders have been leaving the bivouac at San Salvador de Jujuy enroute up to 4600 meters as they cross into Chile. What will the stage bring? Coma wanting to capitalize on his stage 3 win and carry that momentum? Despres wanting to stretch back out from the less than comfortable 14 seconds he now holds over Coma? Will it be Chaleco wanting to show everyone that they are now in his back yard? What about a surprise attack from Goncalves, Street, Viladoms, or Ze Helio? What about Ullevalsetter? Will he be able to come to grips with the 450 that has tormented him in the early stages.

No matter what happens by the time we get to the Bivouac at Calama, Stage 4 looks to be one to start separating the herd. Today, the riders will climb to new altitudes, cross new latitudes, and will certainly come away with new attitudes about what it takes to survive. Sit back, enjoy, F5's at the ready boys...

AventuraDakar Jose Garcia

Iritrack problems have us scratching our heads as to who is where, but Jose came in with a finish in the stage just as we'd hoped.

Just made of champion stuff...

I am in awe!!!

Jenny Morgan calls into RallyRaidio with a tremendous update about the goings on.



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Marcos Patronelli Out?

(Translated from Spanish)

Mark Patronelli, Dakar Rally Champion 2010 ATVs and who started the currentcompetition is still in full recovery of the fractured fibula he had during training in late November, suffered a further drop today and evaluate abandon the test.

"I see now with family and friends, but I think that this ends for me to Dakar. Lament forthe people, by Argentina, for the good vibes. I put everything, but when things do not go,do not go, "said Marcos, after the third stage joined Jujuy Tucumán.

Mark Patronelli suffered today, during the course of the third stage, a blow to one kneeafter a new fall and so is thinking of deserting from the competition.

"Everything is complicated. Yesterday I also had a small stroke and came barbarictoday, but the floor is very treacherous. I took the gravel and went outside. I went flyingbut fell back on one floor, I was lucky, " he said in remarks Patronelli to the press. The first day of competition Marcos was penalized six hours starting late.

"The quad was 25 meters from the runway and the climb was very steep, so I went looking and came as 15 people Salta and Jujuy. ropes and we got about 20 minutespulling out", he added.

Also, the pilot of Las Flores said: "I are announcing everywhere that I have to stay still. I will do the Dakar to come. Maybe there is a possibility that long morning, but I have hit hard knee, I have a very large hematoma "concluded Mark Patronelli.


Fox Sports Video

Update on Jonah Street

American Jonah Street finished the first competitive stage (Stage 2) of the 2011 Dakar Rally earlier today. His sixth-place unofficial overall finish in the stage is right at his top-5 goal for the day. He’s also closer to previous (and defending) champions Marc Coma (Spain, KTM) and Cyril Despres (France, KTM) than he’s ever been at this point in the race. Portuguese rider Ruben Faria (KTM) won the stage—his fourth Dakar stage victory—followed by Coma and Despres. Official results are still trickling in from Dakar HQ, but here’s what Yamaha GYTR’s Jonah Street had to say about the day:


“Everything went really good today. Well, except for the start on the first liaison section. I had to turn back because the front wheel didn’t have a magnetic pickup for the odometer. I went back to my mechanic, Niles, who stuck on a magnet, and everything was fine. I didn’t lose any time.

“I finished sixth today, 3 minutes out of the lead. Cyril Despres has me by about 2 minutes, and Marc Coma has me by a minute-and-a-half or so. My goal was top-five, so I missed it by one, but that’s okay. This is the best I’ve ever done and the closest I’ve ever been to the top guys after the first race stage. Usually, those guys just hammer down so hard on Day One that I’m farther back. It’s also really good that there were some really fast sections today. If the factory bikes were a whole lot faster than my setup, we would have seen it today. That means the bikes are pretty damn close, and that’s exciting.

“Nothing too crazy happened today. I had to swerve to dodge two gigantic lizard-like things that I’d never seen before. They were right on the race course.

“My strategy is to go as fast as I can every day. You can’t talk about strategy unless you’re in the lead toward the end of the race.

“The bike is working great; it’s been flawless. In the last 22 hours, we’ve gone something like 900 kilometers of transfer/liaison sections and 200 kilometers of timed race sections, so it will be nice to get some sleep tonight. I only slept for about four hours last night. Tomorrow, we start around 5:30 a.m.

Stage 02

Stage 2 looks to have the first introduction into some sand at about km 169. It's difficult to tell as the ASO no longer gives any details beyond their little diagrams.

The day starts out with the bikes leaving at 5:30am local time for a leisurely 114km liaison followed by a 300km special. Not to be outdone, the map of the day looks to show quite a bit of a liaison from the end of the special, 326km to the bivouac in San Miguel de Tucuman. Bring on La Salinas Grandes.

Reposted calls from RallyRaidio

Tamsin Jones and Craig Bounds call in as Craig waits to depart on the opening liasion from Buenos Aires.

http://traffic.libsyn.com/rallyraidio/11D03.mp3

Jenny Morgan (JMo) has her phone issues sorted and rings in just before departure from Buenos Aires on the opening liasion.

http://traffic.libsyn.com/rallyraidio/11D03.mp3


Tamsin and Craig call in after completing stage 1.

http://traffic.libsyn.com/rallyraidio/11D04.mp3


Jenny Morgan rings in with a detailed call following the completion of her inaugural Dakar stage.

http://traffic.libsyn.com/rallyraidio/11D05.mp3