Adam Malysz’s 2012 Dakar rally adventure continued with another successful day in his Mitsubishi Pajero. Adam pays tribute to co-driver Rafal Marton after reaching the end of the second stage.
When everybody told me that yesterday’s stage was only a warm-up to the real thing I wasn’t sure if they were joking. I know the first stage was short but it still seemed tough to me. Now I have raced nearly 300kms on the second stage compared to the 57km on the first day I know that there was no joke.
Today’s stage had a completely different feel to it from the first day. For the opening stage we left from Mar del Plata and all the crowds created a really party atmosphere. Then we had a short timed section and a long ride along the highway to Santa Rosa de la Pampa. For this second stage we started from an isolated bivouac instead of a big city. That didn’t mean that there weren’t any crowds though, there were still plenty of fans out to enjoy the race.
Taking into consideration the length of the timed special stage I think I have learned more about the Dakar today than I did yesterday. One thing is the same though, I’m so happy to have made it to the finish line.
I have to pay credit to my co-pilot Rafal Marton, having him onboard with me is such a help. I spent so much time improving my driving skills before coming to the Dakar it was impossible for me to study the navigation techniques as well. Luckily for me I don’t really have to worry about the roadbooks because Rafal has his experience of seven trips to the Dakar. I’m relying on Rafal to tell me what is coming around the next corner and it’s great that he’s so good at his job.
Our aim for the Dakar remains the same, get to the finish line and then have a look what position we end up in. It feels like we’re moving in the right direction to achieve this goal but I’m sure the race still has plenty of surprises left in store.
Adam and Rafal finished the second stage after racing for over four hours in their Mitsubishi Pajero. Check back in tomorrow to see how they do on the road from San Rafael to San Juan.
Want more?
- Crunch the Dakar Rally's vital stats
- Redbull.com's 2012 event page
- Red Bull Roadbook | 2012 Dakar Rally Route: Part 1
- Red Bull Roadbook | 2012 Dakar Rally Route: Part 2
- Red Bull Roadbook | 2012 Dakar Rally Route: Part 3
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