Difficult leg for Carlos Sousa

Carlos Sousa and Jean Marie Lurquin have had a relatively difficult day. After two punctures in the first 70 km, the Team GALP ENERGIA crew had to hold back for the rest of the 386 km special. At the end of the timed stage, a navigation error was to add another few minutes to their lost time.

This fourth leg, between Er Rachidia and Ouarzazate, included the first difficulties of the event. The stage was particularly rough, but also very varied, as they met the first small dunes. Shovels and boards came out for the less fortunate �cThis evening also saw the first retirements.

Carlos Sousa's Nissan Navara did not get stuck in the sand, but it did suffer two punctures :
"It was not a very good day. We had two punctures. The first came after just fifteen kilometres … then the second at the 66 kilometre point. It was not very reassuring, on a 386 km stage, to have only one spare tyre left. Two punctures in 70 km does not give you a lot of confidence for the rest of the route. I drove carefully, always holding something in reserve. Towards the end, Jean-Marie made a small navigational mistake. We went down one track, but Jean-Marie was not certain of his choice. So we turned round, until we worked out it was the right route. I hope that everything will go better tomorrow."

Team Nissan Dessoude has taken the lead in the Production category, with Benoît Rousselot and his Nissan Pathfinder. In the Pickup camp, Jun Mitsuhashi had a good stage, while Polish driver Holowczyc had engine problems.
André Dessoude : " For Benoît Rousselot and Paul Belmondo, the day went very well. They set the two fastest times in the Production category, and, this evening, Benoît is now 29th overall, and the first T2 car. The vehicles are in perfect condition, and both look to be happy. We like to see them like that. "
Paul Belmondo : " Today, I don't feel I really pushed, but quite simply, I got back in the right pace, and we had no problems at all, no punctures and we didn't get stuck in the sand. As the ranks are beginning to thin out, we made a big improvement in the classification. At one stage, there were gutters of fech-fech, and plenty of cars were stuck. We just got through… Sometimes, you just have to be lucky ! "

Jun Mitsuhashi, in the Nissan Pickup 03, made a very good recovery. After his problems the day before, he started among the last cars, and therefore had plenty of slower competitors to overtake. This exercise is particular difficult with all this dust. They set the 56th time, and should have fewer problems tomorrow on the 350 km special stage.

Concerning the Team Zhengzhou Nissan Paladins, Xu Lang is maintaining position, and put in an excellent performance today. Xu and his co-driver Fabian Lurquin are 47th, meaning in the top one-third of the classification, which is very encouraging. As for Zhou Yong, he broke a suspension bearing, and had to be rescued by our race assistance truck. He should reach the bivouac this evening.

Another good day for Marc Blazquez in the Nissan Pickup entered by Nissan Spain…
"Today, everything went well. Over the first fifty kilometers, we had to put up with the dust from Ivanov's Nissan and that of another Russian team in a Mitsubishi. We managed to pass them just before the palm grove, and then we got through the Merzouga dunes without problems, with 2.5 kg of pressure, without letting our tyres down. Then we finished the special stage calmly, our only problem being the motorbikes we had to overtake, which do not move out of the way very quickly, despite the Sentinel system, and who send up lots of stones on the windscrren. We had two or three impacts, but nothing serious."

Kenjiro Shinozuka did not have the best of days, but jokingly, he said that he had some new experiences : "It was not a good day. We got suck in the sand in the Merzouga dunes, and that's the first time in my life that I have got stuck there ! Afterwards, after CP2, in a zone of fech-fech, we got stuck again. Digging myself out twice in the same day is a new experience for me, but not really one I would like to repeat. Otherwise, the car did not have any serious problems, just a few minor things to adjust."
As for Andrej Ivanov, he got lost … and as a direct consequence, he got stuck in the sand. Nothing too serious, but the team lost around fifteen minutes.


Tomorrow, they are faced with a long stage between Ouarzazate and Tan Tan. 187 km of liaison, followed by a 350 km special stage, and then finally a 282 km liaison to reach Tan Tan. The route will feature alternating fast sections and potential traps…