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Kenjiro Shinozuka in difficulties,
Isabelle Patissier consolidates her lead...
RALLY OPTIC 2000 TUNISIA 2004 Rally Report
LEG 6 : Sunday April 11th RASS EL OUED / RASS EL OUED
Special Stage 314 Km - Liaison 1 Km - Total 315 Km
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Kenjiro Shinozuka and Pascal Maimon stopped by the side of the trail, waiting for their assistance truck. After the prop-shaft broke, the Pickup remained a prisoner of the difficult 6th special stage. Isabelle Patissier had problems once more, but managed to keep Alexandre Debanne at a distance. She still has a good lead in the T1 classification. Jacky Bourgin, in another Team Dessoude client car, set the 13th time, while François Cros and Fabrice Vachard got lost, but still managed to set the 18th time.
The third and final loop of this Optic 2000 Rally of Tunisia was disastrous for a great number of vehicles. The El Borma loop might have been the one everyone dreaded, but in the end, it was Rass El Oued which turned out to be ruthless. The competitors encountered difficult weather conditions, with a sandstorm around Ksar Ghilane, clouds of grasshoppers to cross, and even rain for some. A particularly trying special stage.
 It was also the last special stage without GPS coordinates. Having crossed the pipeline trail once more, the competitors followed a former petrol trail, which was more or less visible. It was necessary to be very vigilant, and keeping on the right heading was rather tricky. The trail was physically very tiring. On arriving at Bir Aj Brahim, the track was relatively wide, depending on the presence of sand banks, taking the cars to Ksar Ghilane. To finish, the competitors had to follow a bumpy track to reach Rass El Oued, where they could recover from this stage, which tested the physical condition of both drivers and vehicles.
Unfortunately, this stage was one of the worst for Kenjiro Shinozuka. The prop-shaft broke in the middle of the dunes.. Thierry delli Zotti, Shino's former navigator, entered in the race with his Proto, did not hesitate for an instant, and stopped to help. He pulled the Pickup for around ten kilometres, putting his 'little' car under great strain. Finally, all this work turned out to be in vain, as shortly afterwards, the steering joint broke. The assistance truck has gone to fetch these shipwrecked sailors, and they are currently expected to reach the bivouac this evening.
Isabelle Patissier also had more than her fair share of problems. Crossing a broken dune rather violently, the radiator hit the ground, and pierced a water pipe. This left them in the same situation as yesterday, having to stop on many occasions to top up the water. Then the brakes, much used, also began to show signs of weakness. But even more difficult was the fact that they had to complete almost all of the stage without a radio connection... very hard on their voices and on the stress levels. Isabelle has been able to keep Alexandre Debanne at a distance, conceding less than a minute over today's stage. Only one more stage before the definitive finish line, but it will be the longest day of the event form the former Climbing World Champion.
Jacky Bourgin put in the best performance for the Team today, setting the 13th time on this difficult stage. The popular Nissan dealer enjoyed himself greatly, and drove as accurately as possible - which was rewarded with a great result !.
As for François Cros, after yesterday's superb time, he set the 18th time today : «We drove well, but before CP1, we got 'slightly' lost... Finally, after a number of attempts, we found the right heading, but we lost around 25 minutes. It's a shame, because the car was perfect. For us, the most important thing is to have fun on this rally, and as far as that is concerned, it's a case of mission accomplished...»
Tomorrow, the final stage, before reaching Tozeur and the finish line of the rally, in the landscapes used for Star Wars. We hope that Kenjiro Shinozuka will be able to get going again, if only to finish things in style... |
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RESULTS
Overall Classification after SS 6: RASS EL OUED/RASS EL OUED
Sunday April 11th 2004
[ Special Stage 314 Km - Liaison 1 Km - Total 315 Km ] |
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| Pos. |
Dos. |
PILOT / CO PILOT |
Make |
Time/Gap |
| 1 |
200 |
PETERHANSEL-COTTRET |
MITSUBISHI |
18h13'47" |
| 2 |
203 |
ALMUTAIWEI-GUEHENNEC |
BMW |
+01h09'13" |
| 3 |
218 |
HENRARD-LOW |
VOLKSWAGEN |
+01h11'03" |
| 4 |
207 |
MONTERDE-TORNABEL |
MITSUBISHI |
+02h17'24" |
| 5 |
229 |
LANSAC-JACQUEMARD |
PRO-TRUCK |
+02h32'24" |
| 6 |
216 |
HOUSIEAUX-LURQUIN |
MITSUBISHI |
+02h43'12" |
| 7 |
205 |
KOMORNICKI-MARTON |
MITSUBISHI |
+02h45'11" |
| 8 |
223 |
GUINOT-KROISS |
BUGGY |
+03h17'27" |
| 9 |
209 |
OLIVEIRA-DOMINELLA |
NISSAN |
+03h25'55" |
| 10 |
221 |
PATISSIER-IRISSOU |
NISSAN |
+03h27'31" |
| 12 |
268 |
BERKUT-ANTON |
NISSAN |
+04h29'08" |
| 17 |
232 |
ANQUETIL-ANQUETIL |
NISSAN |
+05h47'27" |
| 18 |
228 |
PALIK-DARAZSI |
NISSAN |
+06h29'43" |
| 19 |
231 |
BOURGIN-ANCEMENT |
NISSAN |
+06h38'52" |
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| the time for 2nd and below are the gap from the 1st |
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