Colin McRae sets the third-fastest time, despite some engine worries. A fine performance from the Scottish driver, who coped well with the first dunes. The McRae-Thörner vehicle is going well, just 9 seconds behind their team-mates De Mevius-Dubois in the second Nissan Pickup.
A 406-km stage between Abu Dhabi and Moreeb was the perfect opportunity to let the UAE Desert Challenge competitors stretch their legs. The route used by this first special stage, 351.70 km long, was relatively fast, but concealed some potential traps, which a number of competitors were unable to avoid.
A relatively late start, around midday, did not simplify matters, as the sun was at its hottest, making the sand even softer than before. Yesterday, Colin McRae said he was not looking forward to the heat, but he did not appear to have suffered too badly. His only problem was a slightly recalcitrant engine, which reduced his Pickup to five cylinders…
" For a first day, it went well, and it was a good special stage, despite our engine problem, which happened soon after the start. We drove for much of the stage with five cylinders. Of course, we lost some time, but we didn't have to stop. Unfortunately, we were not as fast as we should have been on the rapid sections, which alternated with the dunes we had to cross. Despite everything, I enjoyed today… I was not looking forward to the heat, but as it turned out, the pace was fast enough so we didn't suffer too much."
Colin McRae and Tina Thörner are therefore lying in third position in the classification, just behind Grégoire de Mevius and Jacky Dubois in the second Nissan Pickup. A fine team race, to the delight of Gilles Martineau and André Dessoude, both very pleased to have placed two cars so high up the classification at this stage of the race.
Tomorrow will see the first loop around Moreeb. The start will be quite early, around 7.30 for the cars, who will head off on a 371 km special stage (similar to that of today). And there will be even more sand…
