NARBONNE, France, 3 January 2003 — Spanish driver Josep Maria Servia, in a Schlesser-Ford, and French motorcyclist David Fretigne, riding a Yamaha, won a chaotic second stage of Dakar 2004 here today.
However, their celebrations were overshadowed by the inability of two-thirds of the car entrants to complete the 25km course after one competitor became firmly stuck in a huge rut on the track.
Only 47 cars made it to the end with the remaining 95 having to content themselves with an average time decided by the organizers after the buggy of French driver Claude Arnoux became lodged on the course for over an hour. All of the motorcycle entrants made it to the end while the lorry section was canceled. The third stage today takes place at Castellon in Spain before the competitors head for Africa.
“I started cautiously but then picked up the pace towards the end,” said Fretigne who was fifth on Thursday’s opening stage.
In the car section, Servia finished ahead of Mitsubishi’s Stephane Peterhansel by just three seconds with Gregoire de Mevius, in a BMW, in third, 23secs behind.
Defending champion Hiroshi Masuoka of Japan was sixth on Friday, 59secs behind the Spaniard with Qatar’s Middle East rally champion, Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, also in a Mitsubishi, in seventh and the Nissan pair of Finland’s Ari Vatanen and Colin McRae in eighth and ninth. Japan’s Kenjiro Shinozuka, who won the first stage on Thursday in his Nissan suffered a small crash today and lost five minutes. “We really went well all along the course and overtook four or five cars that were nice enough to let me go by,” said Servia. “Its an advantage compared to those who were stuck behind other competitors. Its a big surprise to have clocked the best time because we don’t really have the kind of car made for such a course. It proves that were in good position.”
Meanwhile, Masuoka was happy to be in a good position in the early stages. “Its the kind of special where you have to enjoy yourself, have fun, be spectacular for the crowd,” said the Japanese driver.
“But most of all, you have to be careful and not damage the car. Look at it, it’s not even dirty. I enjoyed myself. I didn’t give 100 percent. The rally really starts far, far away from here.”
