There was plenty of moving and shaking in the baking heat on 2012 Dakar Rally’s soiree to San Juan. The most intriguing of the action took place in the bike category where one multiple champion displaced another at the top of the standings…
Stage three – San Rafael to San Juan
Marc Coma lead the stage after his victory on day two, but finding himself alone at the front he took a turn for the worst. He had this to say about stage three…
"At the 170km mark there was a different route for the bikes and the cars. I checked my roadbook and felt happy I was on the right track until things just didn’t tally up anymore. I went 8km in the wrong direction and a 16km detour is a lot when you’re doing your best to win the Dakar. After that I went on the attack to try and regain some of the time I had lost. In the end I lost 13 minutes to Cyril [Despres]. That’s what happens when you make mistakes. Yesterday was my day but today definitely wasn’t.”
Cyril Despres was definitely in the right place to take advantage of Marc’s slip up but it wasn't plain sailing for the Frenchman either…
“It turned out to be a good day for me but it wasn't without incident. I smashed up a finger this morning and my navigation repeater stopped working as well as my rear brake. When the rain started to fall on the stage it made the route practically invisible so I rode at a steady rhythm. All the way I thought Marc was in front but at the finish line I found out I had won. That’s my first stage win at the 2012 Dakar Rally and I hope it’s not my last.”
"All the way I thought Marc was in front but at the finish line I found out I had won. That’s my first stage win at the 2012 Dakar Rally and I hope it’s not my last" – Despres
Other big stories on day three of the bike race were the retirement of Kuba Przygonsky due to an exploding engine and a broken collar bone for Quinn Cody that ended his race.
Some bad luck with punctures cost Stephane Peterhansel his lead in the car class, with his team-mate Krzysztof Holowczyc now leading the pack. Meanwhile, the Toyota Hilux of Giniel de Villers and co-pilot Dirk Von Zitzewitz crept into third position in the overall rankings.
It may have taken until the third day for Argentina’s Patronelli brothers to stamp their authority on the quad race but they managed it on the route to San Juan. Dakar 2010 champion Marcos Patronelli won the stage with 2011 victor Alejandro Patronelli also finishing on the podium.
There’s still no sign of the big blue Kamaz machines at the top of the truck class leaderboard. Today it was Artur Ardavichus’ turn to make history as he became the first Kazakh to lead the Dakar Rally. The all-conquering Russian team are unlikely to be too upset by Artur’s result – he is, after all, driving a truck made in their factory.
Dakar Digit: 68
It was at the 68km mark of the third stage that disaster struck for Kuba Przygonsky. The young Polish rider had lived up to his billing as a podium contender on the first couple of stages of the 2012 Dakar Rally. Now the Orlen Team biker must start thinking about the next Dakar after his dreams for this year disintegrated along with his engine in the Andes.
Want more?
- Check out Marc Coma's profile page
- Visit redbull.com's Dakar 2012 event page
- More Red Bull motor sports
- Dakar 2012: Ones to Watch | Bikes
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