Cyril Despres charging though the tough sand to take his fourth stage win of the 2009 Dakar and his 20th stage win during his Dakar career.
Stage 12 started as planned with only a minor course adjustment shortening the stage by 30km to bypass recently discovered archeological treasures on the original route. Today was the last day of the sand dunes which most racers will welcome considering the amount of trouble they have caused so far. Cyril Despres took the win for the day after charging from the start. The Frenchman was followed closely by Marc Coma who took second place and a surprise third place finisher was Farres Guell who finished only four seconds ahead of David Casteu.
Stage 10 winner, Jordi Viladoms, led the stage out of the gate, but by CP1 Despres was in the lead with the rest of the pack close behind. At CP2 the Frenchman had built up a mild lead and held it until the finish with Coma 1'23 behind. Despres' tire issues of the early stages are a distant memory as he takes his fourth stage win of the 2009 Dakar. Coma still leads the overall standings with an hour and a half lead over second place. Due to oil troubles today, David Frétigné has dropped a spot in the overall allowing Despres to move in to second.
Lopez appears to be looking in to having the penalty removed but things don't appear to be going in his favor.
According to the official standings it appears Team Copec Movistar rider Francisco Lopez has received a four hour penalty in Stage 10 dropping him 10 spots to 15th place. According to Lopez's official site the penalty was for missing a waypoint in the desert. Lopez was notified of the penalty when he arrived at the finish. A hard blow for a rider that was near his goal of finishing in the top-5.
Check out the
Stage 12 video highlights.
Cyril Despres (Fra - KTM) - 1st, 2nd OA
"There was action. The bike overheated a little. I was a bit afraid of the sand dunes. It was tough because the sand was so soft. For a rally-raid biker, starting, passing two or three other bikers along the way and arriving after four hours of special stage, it’s a small pleasure."
Marc Coma (Esp - KTM) - 2nd, 1st OA
"It was a real tough one, with a lot of off-road and navigation. It was hard to find ways to cross the dunes and the mountain. As a matter of fact, there was no way you could let your guard down during the whole special stage. But for me, it was another day without problems and that’s important. But once again, as long as the finish line has not been crossed, anything can happen."
Marc Coma playing it safe in the sand stage while sticking close behind Despres, his closest rival, trying to maintain his commanding lead.
"Back in the days, when I started enduro again, I chose Yamaha for its reliability. I am happy because today, I still had confirmation of this reliability. I had a small issue with my oil pressure release valve just before the pit stop CP and I had no oil left in my engine so the race was over for me, that was it! I reassembled everything and here I am. I think it’s a miracle. If I take the oil gauge out, it’s dry. There is not a single drop of oil left. I have no idea how I made it to the finish. I fiddled for 20min on the bike and I end up not loosing too much time. I tried to drive fast while listening to my engine, and here I am."
Alain Duclos (Fra - KTM) - 13th, 35th OA
As planned I waited at the start of the Cyril (Despres) to pass. Marc (Coma) passed me at km 90 but must have gone wrong afterwards because we arrived at CP1 together. I did the rest of the special with Marc in sight - except right at the end when it wasn't too clear to find the pass.
Jordi Viladoms (Esp – KTM) - 15th, 7th OA
I waited for Marc and then lost him again and spent the whole day alone. Then at the end I really struggled to get the last waypoint. At one moment I was 300 metres away but there was a cliff between me and it - it was extremely frustrating.
Stage 12 Results:
1. DESPRES (FRA) KTM 03:57:37
2. COMA (ESP) KTM 03:59:00
3. FARRES GUELL (ESP) KTM 04:07:24
4. CASTEU (FRA) KTM 04:07:28
5. LOPEZ (CHL) KTM 04:07:53
2009 Dakar Rally Stage 12 Map
6. FRETIGNE (FRA) YAMAHA 04:08:05
7. KNUIMAN (NLD) KTM 04:09:24
8. ULLEVALSETER (NOR) KTM 04:11:25
9. PRZYGONSKI (POL) KTM 04:12:52
10. RODRIGUES (PRT) KTM 04:17:26
Overall Standings:
1. COMA (ESP) KTM 47:51:30
2. DESPRES (FRA) KTM 49:21:18
3. FRETIGNE (FRA) YAMAHA 49:25:25
4. CASTEU (FRA) KTM 50:07:43
5. RODRIGUES (PRT) KTM 50:15:34
6. ULLEVALSETER (NOR) KTM 50:15:37
7. VILADOMS (ESP) KTM 50:19:27
8. VERHOEVEN (NLD) KTM 50:36:44
9. KNUIMAN (NLD) KTM 51:06:19
10. GONCALVES (PRT) HONDA 51:44:46
