Francisco Lopez finds victory in Dakar

Third place in Stage 8 opens the second half of the Dakar for Ales Loprais
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6:30 Stage 9: La Serena – Coppiapo
There are 536.42 km on the menu for the 9th stage, including a 448.9-km timed section, and this is when things get serious, with fast tracks, mountains, but also some imposing dunes to get through, as well as several off-track sections to be negotiated. It will be an opportunity for the most experienced to show off their navigational skills, but also how adept they are at handling their equipment, which could be capital before a double whammy of two very difficult stages. In these tricky conditions, the Volkswagens will need to drive as a team, whereas in the bike race, leader Marc Coma (KTM) must avoid taking any risks whatsoever and let his rivals do the hard work out on the track in front of him.

Stage 8 - Ales Loprais takes his first podium placement in Stage 8 of the Dakar rally with a minimum gap behind the winning duo of Gerard de Rooy and Vladimir Chagin and stays 12th overall.

Ales started the stage in accordance with the combined calculation of starting order from stages 5 and 6 as tenth. Straight after the start, he gradually overtook five competitors to proceed further on and clocked time splits very close to the leading Kamaz and Ginaf of de Rooy. Te overall leader, Firdaus Kabirov, lost 7m34s but still retains his overall position.

"Today was our first clean stage without a single stop. We made all overtakings at the beginning of the stage where there was enough space. There was not even a sign of anyone not willing to clear the way for us. At the end, we would not have been able to pass anyone even if they really wanted to let us go, so narrow the track was," Ales summarizes the stage. For all teams without exception, it was a bad stage for brakes.

The health condition of navigator Vojta Stajf remains an important factor further on. It has improved. "Of course I don't feel 100% right but it is significantly better. I started taking some prescribed pills and today, without all the side bounces it was fine. I will spare myself for the rest of the days and get a massage from the race therapist," Vojta adds.

The special was shortened for trucks in the last part, with trucks finishing at CP1. the rest of the special was considered too narrow and there was a warning o trucks jamming the stage. "it was a WRC-type special, no wonder Carlos Sainz won it in cars," Vojta Stajf added.

In the overall rakings, there are no changes, Ales remains twelfth and Gerard de Rooy tightens the gap behind the leading Kamaz trucks. The highlight of the rally, a series of stages in the Chilean Atacama desert, called the decisive trilogy, added by another highly technical special in Argentina. The stage to La Serena has prepared a solid starting position for Ales in the dune section of the rally. Unfortunately, the toughest dunes at the end of the day have been canceled, which lessens the chance to even the gap at the hardest possible conditions. Psychologically, it was an important encouragement for the whole team.

Jiri Vintr, Loprais Tatra Team, La Serena