DAKAR RALLY REACHES THE DUNES
06 January 2005 - BMW Motorrad GB

Competitors in the 2005 Telefòncia Dakar Rally finally reached the African desert on day six of the event. It was a day that experienced riders enjoyed and novices struggled.

The rally travelled 622kms from Smara to Zouerat, in Mauritania. BMW’s Off-Road Skills instructor, Simon Pavey rode his BMW to finish the stage in 99th position and is now 86th overall in the gruelling 17-day event.

“The entire 120km liaison was off road,” said BMW F650 GS rider, Simon Pavey about the sixth stage of the rally. “The liaison was difficult and then in the special there was a sandstorm in the dunes. I was riding really well and only fell twice in the soft sand, but I broke the silencer on my bike and then it overheated. I stopped and let it cool down for 20 minutes and then I was able to finish the stage.”

“When I arrived back at the Bivouac last night the support crew had not arrived so I had to fix the bike myself, although I did have some help from [Long Way Round’s] Charley Boorman [who is doing a recce for next year’s event].

“Today is the marathon stage of the rally. It will be a long day of riding over big sand dunes and camel grass. We will finish in the dark tonight, so I am going to work hard and have fun.”

Day seven of the rally has the longest special of the entire rally – from Zouerat to Tichit. It starts with a 9km liaison and is followed by a 660km special. There will be a mixture of navigation difficulties, camel grass and numerous sand dunes. Then at the end of the day all of the competition vehicles will be enclosed in a parc ferme area, where competitors will not be allowed to work on their bikes.

Simon’s team-mate and fellow BMW Off-Road Skills instructor, Nick Plumb was forced to withdraw from the 2005 Telefónica Dakar Rally on Tuesday due to a technical problem.

“I had some problems with the bike and I missed my start time for the special stage,” said 26-year-old Plumb, who was travelling by coach to Agadir, before flying back to the UK. “When I finally arrived at the start of the special the officials said that I couldn’t start it [because he has missed his start time] and I had to ride to the end of the stage, so I followed the support crew on the road. About 30km from the end of the special, just before the check point, I rode back on the track and went through the final check point. This caused confusion and the officials said that I had to ride the whole special, even though the officials at the start of the special wouldn’t let me start it. It was the end of my rally and I am completely gutted.”

Italian Frank Meoni won the sixth special stage of the 2005 Dakar rally. Norwegian Pal anders Ullevalseter was second and South Africa’s Alfie Cox third. In the motorcycle category Frenchman Cyril Despres leads the Dakar, followed by Marc Coma and then Meoni.

In the car special, Colin McRae was forced to retire from the race after crashing. Peterhansel claimed the special ahead of Hiroshi Masuoka while Bruno Saby, third, takes command of the overall.

Highlights of the 2005 Telefónica Dakar Rally can be seen on Eurosport. See your local guide for details.

www.bmw-motorrad.co.uk

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