It was all smiles in the BMW camp as Spaniard Nani Roma won the first stage of the 2010 Dakar Rally in the car class. On the route from Colón to Córdoba, Roma found his way past four cars to grab only the second victory of his career on four wheels.
Through the wilds of the Sierras Pampeanas, it was Roma who took the initiative away from the much fancied Volkswagen team as he and his co-pilot Michel Perin grabbed pole position.
Roma’s compatriot Carlos Sainz took second place along a route that will have been familiar to him from his three WRC victories in Argentina. Third spot went to BMW’s all-French crew of Stéphane Peterhansel and Jean-Paul Cottret.
Less than three minutes separate the top-three crews after day one and a host of contenders, including reigning champion Giniel De Villiers, last year’s runner-up Mark Miller and Robby Gordon, lie just a little way further back.
If there was a surprise on four wheels, the form book was turned completely upside down in the bike class as David Casteu took first place on his custom Sherco 450 Rally. Casteu should probably make the most of it because with the KTMs of Cyril Despres and Marc Coma breathing down his neck, it is unlikely he will hold the lead much longer.
But, it was business as usual in the trucks as Kamaz dominated from start – the Russian team hold three of the first four positions. The crowd gathered in the tall grass of La Pampa had plenty to cheer in the quad class. Argentine Marcos Patronelli leads the buggy division while his brother Alejandro is only 00:02:34 behind him in third place. With the help of the Patronelli brothers, there will be another bumper crowd lining the 700km course to La Rioja.
For all the jubilation surrounding the start of the 2010 Dakar Rally, there was a dark cloud over Córdoba last night as news filtered through of a fatal accident. Competitors and fans were dismayed to hear that a collision between Mirco Schultis’ Desert Warrior car and a spectator had resulted in a woman’s death. It was a stark reminder of the very real dangers associated with the Dakar.
Spotlight on the Red Bull riders
Cyril Despres was in relaxed mood at the KTM Red Bull tent after a successful day on the circuit. The Frenchman was upbeat about catching his countryman David Casteu and happy to put two years of poor starts behind him.
Despres was at a massive disadvantage from the outset in both 2008 and 2009 after problems in the first stage. This time, he was positively glowing to come through the first test unscathed. More good news for the former champion was that late recruit support driver Rubin Faria is not far behind him in ninth place.
Portuguese rider Helder Rodrigues is many people’s outside tip to do well this year. In previous races, the Yamaha rider has enjoyed early success only to see his challenge fizzle out. On the way from Colón to Córdoba he stuck to his pre-stage game plan of easy does it to bag a top-10 finish. With the race leader David Casteu just five minutes ahead, Helder is ideally placed to chip away at the deficit over the coming stages and finally land that elusive podium finish.
Daily Dakar Daiquiri Moment: Russians top up their tan
As the temperature soared to 32 degrees, there were some furrowed brows around base camp in Córdoba as crews worried about how the heat would affect their machines.
But over at the Red Bull Kamaz Truck team, there was an oasis of calm. It was almost as if they knew something the rest of us didn’t as they saw out the day stripped to their mid-drifts in the midday sun.
Right on cue the Kamaz Trucks crossed the finish line taking three of the top four positions. At last the mechanics jumped into action, giving the trucks a quick once over before cracking open the beer.
For more info, visit the official Dakar Rally website, the Volkswagen Motorsport site or Twitter along with driver Mark Miller.
iPhone users can also follow all the Dakar action with Volkswagen Motorsport’s free Dakar Rally app.
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