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Kenjiro Shinozuka enjoys himself,
Isabelle Patissier pulls out a lead in the T1 category...
RALLY OPTIC 2000 TUNISIA 2004 Rally Report
LEG 4 : Friday April 9th : EL BORMA / EL BORMA
Special Stage 262 Km - Liaison 48 Km - Total 310 Km
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Still second in the overall classification, Kenjiro Shinozuka and Pascal Maimon enjoyed themselves on the El Borma loop, setting the 4th fastest time. Isabelle Patissier and Bernard Irissou increased their lead in the T1 category. Paul Belmondo and Jacky Dubois regained their power, and set a magnificent 9th time in their Nissan X-Trail.
The El Borma -El Borma loop is the most legendary stage of the Optic 2000 Tunisia Rally, the decisive element. 100% sand, it is a stage that can make all the difference. Described as an immense sand roller coaster, it includes numerous dunes to cross and steep descents, through wonderful scenery.
For Team Nissan France Dessoude, the day went smoothly. Kenjiro Shinozuka retained second place in the overallclassification, while Isabelle Patissier opened up a comfortable lead over her nearest rival in the T1 category. As for Paul Belmondo, he is smiling again after finding some extra horsepower... and setting a good time.
Kenjiro Shinozuka and Pascal Maimon were far from unhappy with this 262-km loop. The Japanese driver was beaming as he arrived at the finish line : "Today, I am really very happy. The car was perfect, no worries at all. I really enjoyed this special stage. It is not always easy to cross the dunes; some of them were broken, with vertiginous descents, but I really enjoyed myself. It was sometimes very fast; we drove well. We are still 2nd in the overall classification, and I am managing my race as well as I can..."
Pascal Maimon, as an experienced navigator, was looking for the reasons which might have made the difference between them and the day's winner : «As it happens, between CP2 and CP3, there was a chain of dunes to cross. In order not to risk getting stuck, we went round it. That s where we lost some time. Nevertheless, I am very pleased with the result. Kenjiro was perfect.»
Paul Belmondo and Jacky Dubois also appreciated today's loop : " At last, I have been able to do a real special stage. It was hot... I finally had the X-Trail running as I remembered from the Dakar. We had a good fight with Isabelle for quite a while - it was great fun.".
When she left this morning, Isabelle Patissier's aim was to put as much distance as possible between herself and Alexandre Debanne. Mission accomplished, as this evening she has a lead of nearly 50 minutes in the overall classification.
"Our average speed today was nearly 100 km/h. It was really very fast. We had great fun with Paul for nearly 150 kilometres. He overtook me, I got ahead again, and towards the end of the special stage, we went over a broken dune. The landing was rather hard; I think that I will have to visit the physiotherapist when I get back to the bivouac. Those dunes are real traps, you have to be extremely vigilant. But the sand was holding well, which meant we could keep up that pace. The car goes really well over everything, it's a real delight. Today, I was really aware of the progress I had made thanks to the Oman Desert Express. I feel really at ease over this sort of ground. I will manage my position, as I have not forgotten my main objective, the T1 category .. But if I can get into the top ten, I would not be displeased..."
The fifth stage will be shared between sand and rough ground; it will be the second stage without GPS coordinates. The survivors will reach Rass El Oued tomorrow evening, not far from Tataouine, at the end of a 322 km stage. |
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RESULTS
Overall Classification after SS 4 EL BORMA/EL BORMA
Friday April 9th 2004
[ Special Stage 262 Km - Liaison 48 Km - Total 310 Km ] |
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| Pos. |
Dos. |
PILOT / CO PILOT |
Make |
Time/Gap |
| 1 |
200 |
PETERHANSEL-COTTRET |
MITSUBISHI |
11h28'02" |
| 2 |
202 |
SHINOZUKA-MAIMON |
NISSAN |
+00h43'06" |
| 3 |
218 |
HENRARD-LOW |
VOLKSWAGEN |
+00h56'00" |
| 4 |
215 |
MAGNALDI-BORSOTTO |
HONDA |
+01h01'12" |
| 5 |
203 |
ALMUTAIWEI-GUEHENNEC |
BMW |
+01h04'44" |
| 6 |
207 |
MONTERDE-TORNABEL |
MITSUBISHI |
+01h45'38" |
| 7 |
290 |
PINCHEDEZ-PINCHEDEZ |
TOYOTA |
+01h50'49" |
| 8 |
229 |
LANSAC-JACQUEMARD |
PRO-TRUCK |
+01h53'02" |
| 9 |
221 |
PATISSIER-IRISSOU |
NISSAN |
+01h55'23" |
| 10 |
211 |
RICHELMI-GARCIN |
SMG |
+02h02'27" |
| 12 |
214 |
BELMONDO-DUBOIS |
NISSAN |
+02h12'46" |
| 14 |
209 |
OLIVEIRA-DOMINELLA |
NISSAN |
+02h22'36" |
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| the time for 2nd and below are the gap from the 1st |
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