McRae ProDakar Buggy 2010 Dakar

Update 23.09: The McRae’s also finished the 13th day. Chris is finished in 43rd place and Tim right behind him in the 44th place.

Update 18.01:  Both McRae’s are past point 165.0 km, Chris in 38th place and Tim in 42nd place. Looks like Tim had a flat tire between point 100.0 km and 165.0 km. At point 100.0 km, Tim was in 33rd place.

After a fairly good day for the McRae team, where Tim finished 43th (a day without any problems) and a 50th time for Chris, the McRae’s are now heading to Santa Rosa. This is again a long stage, counting 725 whole kilometers. The timed section is about 368 kilometers long, but the first fifty will really count, because they are the last dunes of the rally. Differences are made there. The rest of the timed section is very fast and hard to make a difference. Since this is the last ‘real’ stage, we expect some fireworks.

Starting times for Tim and Chris:

45 Coronel T. 009h55′30″

52 Leyds C. 010h04′00″

Dakar.com says:

725 km are on the menu for the 13th and penultimate stage of the 32nd Dakar, which will be the last opportunity for the leading competitors to change the rankings. In fact, although the timed section is 368-km long, the difference will probably be made over the first 50 kilometres, where they must cross an erg made up of the last dunes of the rally in the grey sands of Nihuil. After that, the competitors will have to tackle wide and very quick tracks, where it will be almost impossible to open up gaps, at least not without taking enormous risks.

Update 23.18: Tim is finished in the 43rd place. Chris is almost at finish, about 80 km to go, he is in the 51st place.

Update 20.51: Tim and Chris are about 80 kilometers before the finish. Riding a similar pace in place 49 and 51. The last part consists mostly out of sand (and a few kilometers of gravel).

Update 19.15: The next point has been passed by Tim and Chris. So now it’s 130 kilometer of tarmac, untill the next point. Tim is now in place 49 and Chris in 51. Looks like they have a steady pace. They’re expected to get to the next point any minute.

Update 17.42: Tim and Chris reached the 157.0 kilometer-point. Tim did this in 48th place and Chris two places below Tim. Not a bad start of this long special.

Today the longest stage of the Dakar Rally 2010 is going to start. Buggy’s are going to be tested during a 796 kilometer long track. The timed special is 496 kilometer, which also is a hell of a ride. Seems to become a technical track.

A good time to point out the service team of ProDakar. They again did a tremendous job. Here are some pictures of the team working very hard on the buggy’s.

Good start positions for both Chris and Tim.

48 Coronel T. 010h13′00″

55 Leyds C. 010h16′30″

Dakar.com says:

796 km are on the menu for the 12th stage, the longest on this 32nd Dakar, including a 476-km timed section. The distinctive feature of this special is the ‘neutralised’ part between the 204-km and 334-km points, where the competitors will have to return to the tarmac to pass through a listed natural site. For the rest, this third last stage has the following in store for the riders and drivers: a fairly quick and technical first half then, after the break in the special, several sandy but still quick areas with plenty of jumps to tackle as well. Enough to make man and machine suffer a few days before the final finishing line, especially since once they have completed the special stage, the competitors will still have to cover 276 km to reach the bivouac in San Rafael.

Update 22.55: Tim has finished in 48th place and Chris did this in the 59th positions.

Update 21.57: Chris had some problems, because he has fallen to position 50. Oil leakage is the cause, he is now begin towed by the truck of the FlevoDakarTeam. Tim on the other hand did a good job going in to 42th place in the last checkpoint before the finish.

Update 18.48: After a delayed start Chris is going like a rocket, he is 40th place at the 102 kilometer-point. Coronel is in 48th place at the next point (148.0 kilometer).

Update 17.26: Chris start was delayed by an hour, because of a broken lager in the engine. The clutch was broken as well, this is fixed during the liaison.

Below some new pictures from stage nine and ten.

Update 11.39: Starting times for Chris and Tim. Chris is starting one minute ahead of Tim.

54 (347) Coronel T. 011h52′00″

52 (369) Leyds C. 011h51′00″

And a movie (in Dutch) from stage 10: Etappe 10 Tim Coronel telt af

After a few days in Chile and the Atacama desert, the McRae’s will follow their way to Argentina again. Yesterday both Chris and Tim finished in good positions.

Today we have a 434 kilometer, with a 220 kilometer timed special. Driving at a height between 2000 and 3000 meters before descending to Argentina.

We just heard (on Dutch television) that Pascal is out of the race. Hoping the buggies will perform good today as well.

Dakar says:

434 km are on the menu for the 11th stage of this 32nd Dakar during which the competitors will leave Chile and return to Argentina, where the 220-km timed section will take place. They will cross the border at an altitude of 3500 m, ever so slightly higher than the point at which starter’s orders for the special will be given. The competitors will have to tackle almost 100 km of narrow and winding tracks at an altitude of almost 2000 m before descending to the Argentine plains for the second half of the route. To get there, the riders and drivers must brave a descent measuring almost 20 km, which will be one of the major difficulties of the day for the cars and trucks, where they will have to avoid wear and tear on their brakes.

Update 21.38: Chris and Tim are bothed finished. Chris in a nice 51st place and Tim tight behind him with a 52nd place.

Update 15.08: At the 42.0 kilometer point Tim is in 48th place and Chris in 54th.

Update 14.47: Pascal Baars is still in the desert, 5 kilometers before the finish of yesterday. Service MAN-truck is on his way to get Pascal Baars running again (two wheels are broken). Tim and Chris just started as well.

Update 10.37: Starting times announced!

42 (347) Coronel T. 010h06′00″

55 (369) Leyds C. 010h12′30″

One of the best starting times so far, hope they can continue this way.

After a rather good day yesterday, the McRae’s are heading for stage 10 today. Stage 10 runs from La Serena to Santiago and has a total of 586 kilometers. Saying goodbye to the Atacama desert, there will be a 238 kilometer special, with a very technical course.

Starting times have yet be announced.

Dakar.com says:

586 km are on the menu for the 10th stage of the 32nd Dakar, including a timed section of 238 kilometres in which the competitors will bid farewell to the Atacama and say hello to a more technical, bending and undulating route that winds through the fine landscapes of the mountains. It will be a tricky special, where competitors must be especially careful of the vegetation and in particular the many cactuses dotted over the route.

Update 9.25: Chris finished in 56th place.

Update 23.09: Tim has finished with a provisional 42th place.

Update 21.32: Tim took off like a rocket. Untill 71.0 kilometers he was around the 20th place. After that he presumably got some problems, because Tim lost some time and is now in 42th place (at the 135.0 kilometer point).

Chris just passed the first checkpoint (117.0 kilometers) in 52th place, so it looks the dunes are treating the McRae’s well.

Here are some extra pictures from Gaby from this special stage.

Update 11.32: Starting times announced!
61 (347) Coronel T. 013h03′00″
65 (369) Leyds C. 013h07′30″

Hopefully both McRae buggies are at the finish, but as far as we know only Tim have reached the finish. Chris was 60 kilometers behind, so we hope to hear from him soon.

On stage 8 both Tim and Chris had a great deal of problems with their McRae’s. Broken clutches and changing 7 tires! Pascal said that the crew had to stop every 15 minutes to service something. Pascal drove into a little canyon, but worked his way out of there.

Last 50 km were an one-man-show for Tim. Alone in the dark through the dunes. A personal victory. Probably explains his happy face above.

For the new stage only 170 kilometer of the 354 kilometer special will be driven, due to heavy fog in the morning. Because of the fog the start is prosponed. Now the stage consist entirely out of dunes.

Dakar.com says:

354 km, but with a timed section of only 170, are on the menu for the 9th stage. Indeed, alerted by the presence over the last few days of significant amounts of fog during the morning at Copiapo, the organisers have announced that they will be postponing the start times for the 9th special stage (11.00, instead of 7.15) and will shorten the route in order to avoid stragglers arriving too late at the bivouac in La Serena. However, this is nothing for the competitors to rejoice about, because as a result the 9th special will be a 100% sandy route, since it will wind its way through the ranges of dunes above Copiapo. Another original aspect of this 9th special stage, the last to be contested in the Atacama Desert, is a side-by-side start for the bikers, in groups of 20…