The gruelling stretch of fesh-fesh or ‘guadel’ as its known to locals brought the Dakar to Chile’s border with Peru. The powdery sand lay under the wheels like a trapdoor to the competitors as they hit the heart of the Atacama Desert. As well as speed and navigation, the theme for the day was patience as the field were forced to watch their step on the sixth stage of the 2011 Dakar Rally which served up an abundance of potential pitfalls.
Carlos Sainz extended his overall lead in the car class as he plotted the fastest route through the fesh-fesh. Even though Carlos suffered a puncture along the way that cost him time, he was able to cross the line ahead of team-mate Nasser Al-Attiyah.
Carlos can now enjoy a well earned rest day in Arica. However, his lead from Nasser stands at a mere 2m 42s, so the experienced Spaniard can be in no doubt that plenty of racing remains in the second week.
Carlos and Nasser's first and second place on the stage were not the only good news for the Volkswagen pilots on stage six. Giniel De Villiers and Mark Miller also came home third and fourth respectively to make it a one-two-three-four for the Race Touaregs.
On the bikes, it was a sweet day for Red Bull KTM rider Ruben Faria. The Portuguese biker had his win on stage one taken away from him after a penalty was inflicted by race officials but he stayed on the throttle to win stage six.
Rubin’s team-mate, Cyril Despres, also enjoyed a good day as he closed the gap on race leader Marc Coma by a precious minute. Marc's lead over Cyril has now been cut to 8m 48s.
Elsewhere on the bikes, Chaleco Lopez maintained his third place overall while Helder Rodrigues moved up into fourth.
History was rewritten in the truck class as Ales Loprais managed to put a cat among the pigeons. By finishing the stage from Iquique to Arica with the fastest time, the Czech driver and his Tatra truck managed to stop a winning streak for Team Kamaz which stretched back to 2009.
It will be interesting to see the reaction of Vladimir Chagin and Team Kamaz ain the coming days after they saw their record of 24 consecutive stage wins shattered.
Over on the quads Alejandro Patronelli is still sweating over a potential penalty for speeding in a restricted zone. As it stands the Argentinian Yamaha rider holds a 16m 31s lead over his countryman Tomas Maffei but that could all change after race officials hold a pow-wow on the rest day.
Spotlight on Red Bull riders
The serious movers and shakers in the bike class on stage six proved to be a pair of Portuguese riders. Ruben Faria won the stage while Helder Rodrigues’ ride saw him catapulted into fourth place in the overall standings.
Ruben explains that while he knows his role in Team Red Bull KTM he can also see an opportunity when it presents itself: “It was a very tough stage, very long and bumpy. I started at my own pace, so until the refueling stop I probably lost some time. After that I accelerated. “200 km from the finish, I overtook Despres, Coma, Rodrigues and Chaleco. As Cyril's water carrier, I always ride sensibly, but there are times when I can take advantage of the situation. I think Cyril will be happy for me.”After making a steady start to the 2011 Dakar Rally, Helder Rodrigues has firmly put his podium potential credentials in the mix by moving up to fourth place overall.“It was a superb special for me," said Rodrigues. I set off behind Despres and Coma, but I caught up with them before overtaking them. Overall, it was a very good day. I'm in 4th place. It's perfect.”
Dakar's Just Deserts
After a tough first week in his Mini Countryman Frenchman Guerlain Chicherit has reassessed his targets for this year’s Dakar. The BMW team member may have seen his chances of a spot on the podium all but disappear at least he is finally enjoying his race.“Today we had punctures just like everyone else," he said. "Our time wasn't great, but at least we enjoyed ourselves. We have already lost too much time, so we don't want to take risks. “I need to have fun, because the start of the rally was very tough for us. Yesterday I was in a bad mood, but today I'm feeling happier, I've got a smile on my face again.”
Word from the waypoint
“Honestly, it's a miracle that I finished. The only positive thing is that I'm here, but it was squeaky-bum time for 200 km and that's not reassuring.” - After hearing some strange noises from his engine Cyril Despres is relieved his KTM 450cc kept running until the end of the stage.
Today's Dakar Lucky Number: 4
At the midway point of stage six Stephane Peterhansel had already shaved 1m 15s off Carlos Sainz’s overall lead. But then problems started to strike his BMW X-3. Stephane suffered not one, two or even three but four punctures. With only three spare tires in the car, the last puncture saw him stopping the car every couple of kilometres before the end of the stage to pump up the fourth offender.
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Marcelo Maragni/Red Bull Photofiles
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