Aday full of emotion for the Nissan France Dessoude clan. Further to yesterday’s incident, Isabelle Patissier was not able to take the start this morning, and was forced to retire, two days from the end of the 6th edition of the ORPI Morocco Rally. As far as the T2 cars are concerned, Benoît Rousselot and Serguey Sukhovenko were involved in a real inter-team battle. The Frenchman claimed back nearly three minutes from the Russian today, setting the best time of the stage between Oued Chebika and Agadir. The Russian retains the lead of the category by 4 minutes and 51 seconds.

Isabelle Patissier was not able to leave the Oued Chebika bivouac this morning. The 2004 World Champion in the Production category had to retire, further to the decision of her Team Manager. Seeing the damage that the Pathfinder had incurred, André Dessoude opted to play things safely : “After yesterday’s roll, the car was too badly damaged. I prefer not to take any risks, and not to let Isabelle rejoin. It is first and foremost about safety.»

Isabelle Patissier and Thierry Delli Zotti will be back for the next round of the World Cup, the Orient Rally, which will take place at the end of June, between Turkey and Iran.

There was an action-packed day in the T2 category. Fast at the start, the stage became more technical later, with wide stony areas and a canyon to go through. More at ease with this sort of terrain than with the dunes, Benoît Rousselot went off like a canon, before encountering a few problems, but still managed to set the best time in the category.

«Today, I had to push hard to get take some time back from Serguey. And that is what we did. We drove well on the first part of the stage, and by the assistance area, we were right behind him. But after 120 km, we broke our transmission and found ourselves in two-wheel-drive…. Things grew a bit more complicated. But our problems were only just starting. At the 220 km point, we had a puncture. Serguey took advantage and overtook us, and we found ourselves driving in his dust. Finally, 60 km from the end, our brakes went. The last kilometres seemed very long. It was a case of remaining concentrated and cope with our problems. We didn’t do too badly. Without the puncture, we would be in the joint lead with Serguey. There is still one stage tomorrow. I have not given up yet… »

Avery enthusiastic Jacky Dubois gave his comments on the past day : «Benoît made the right strategic choice. It was a case of pushing to get some time back. He drives really well, but has one real quality : he is always aggressive, and does not give up despite the problems that may occur. Once he has a bit more experience, he will be perfect for T1. »

The 2002 French Rally Champion is therefore just 4 minutes and 51 seconds behind Serguey Sukhovenko this evening. For tomorrow’s final stage, the fight could be very close.

This last special stage, a loop around Agadir, will feature some superb scenery. It will also be the most varied stage of the rally. After 27 km of liaison, the first 70 km will take place on sandy, fast tracks, a delight for the drivers. The navigation will not be so easy, with plenty of changes of direction. The competitors will then head for the foothills to reach the old abandoned village of Sous Ait Ahmed. After reaching the assistance park by some technical tracks, they will cut the road between Tiznit and Agadir, before going through the least fun section of the Rally, as the trail will go through a number of villages. Plenty of radars have been installed by the organisation, and it would be a shame to pick up a penalty on the final day. 25 km are left before reaching the finish line, on the shore, and these will bring into evidence both the drivers’ skills and those of the navigators, who will be very pleased to finish this Moroccan adventure to the applause of the VIP and officials who will be waiting to greet them.