Today's fourth stage was beautiful, difficult and fun.
We started driving along a fast, dusty track.
The first 108 km up to the 85 km asphalt neutral point were fast, mostly on a good track, weaving in and out of dry riverbeds.
It was a fast 108 km without any notable incidents.
After neutralization, the difficulty increased, with more winding and very stony tracks, often hidden in the sand, invisible but with a great capacity to cut the tire's sidewall, turning the seemingly peaceful terrain into a trap waiting for the unwary driver.
Shortly before reaching the second neutralization, on a narrow passage between rocks, we aimed poorly and punctured both left-hand wheels.
After a few hundred meters, we stopped to change the wheel.
Marc and I got out of the Iveco to assess the damage and at that point it seemed that only the rear left side had been damaged, so we got to work. While I lifted the truck with the hydraulic jack they installed and loosened the wheel nuts with the pneumatic gun, Marc lowered the new wheel.
We, especially Marc, removed the damaged one, almost only the rim remained because the tread had disappeared, and we, especially Marc, fitted the new one.
Then, with a small electric winch they installed for us, we hoisted the rim and what was left of the tire up, tied everything down tight, and set off again.
The whole operation took us almost 15 minutes.
Within a few minutes we reached the second neutralization.
This year, as a new feature of the rally, they have introduced a 15-minute neutralization period for everyone on the long stages. During this time, the vehicle is considered to be in parc fermé, which in practice means that you cannot perform any mechanical work on it.
It's good because it's a time to rest, hydrate, evacuate, etc.
While neutralizing, we noticed that the front left wheel also had a cut, and it happened to be at the bottom of the tire, and due to the weight, it opened and lost all the air,
So Albert moved the truck so the cut was at the top, Marc pumped up the tire, and when we came out of neutralization 15 minutes later we had to stop again to change the tire.
After the repair, the last 150 km have been, especially the last 70, tough, really tough, off-road, among stones, wonderful scenery, beautiful even, but difficult, heavy, tough, tedious and exhausting, both for Albert who has worked hard driving among rocks and sand, and for the rest of the crew, who are butting their heads with their helmets as far as their necks can stretch.
For those knowledgeable and/or nostalgic about Dakar's adventures, the pace has been like that of the Mauritanian "herbe du chmeaux" stages, but with rocks, a true and exhausting nightmare.
We finished the special stage with the lights on, but with the last traces of sunlight still visible.
In short, a good stage, difficult but one that we completed with ease despite the punctures, and we're happy with the result.
Stage four completed, 5:30 hours of driving, the team excited and eager for more, and our mechanical balance on the truck remains in balance.
More tomorrow and we will try to do better.
Gas i xampany!!!
Ferran Marco
