Stage 2 - Monday 21 April 2008 | Baia Mare - Baia Mare
- Connection 40.0 km
- Special 76.0 km
- Connection 70.0 km
- Special 76.0 km
- Connection 30.0 km
- Total 292.0 km
Interviews
David Casteu – KTM - 003
“This morning’s special was really technical, completely different from what we saw yesterday, and that’s what I really like. Perhaps we’re witnessing a sort of rebirth of the rally-raid discipline, because you have to be flexible and ready to deal with all types of situation. That was definitely the case today and I didn’t do too badly. Lots of riders fell off their bikes, but not me. That said, it’s only the first special, so we’ll have to take stock again this evening after the 2nd loop. The terrain was already very difficult first time round, with lots of mud, water, melted snow, tree trunks everywhere and a very narrow, winding track that really hugs the side of the mountain. It’s very easy to make mistakes. So, for the second loop, concentration will be the key. It will almost be like a different special stage”.
Marc Coma – KTM - 002
“It was really difficult this morning with loads of snow, mud and water on the track. In the first few miles, I came unstuck and fell off. That cost me around a minute and especially gave me a very sore right knee. To be honest, I didn’t enjoy myself much because the track was far too extreme for me, and it won’t get any better for the second loop this afternoon once the rest of the caravan have been over it. We’ll have to see, but it looks like it’s going to be difficult”.
Cyril Despres – KTM - 001
“Just after I went past waypoint 1, I realised that I’d made a navigation mistake. In fact, my milometer was broken, so whilst I was trying to reset it, I missed an intersection. I continued along the wrong track for a while before the correct readings came back, but I’d already gone 6 km too far by then. Obviously, it doesn’t look good for victory! It’s a real shame, because I knew that on such a difficult track I had to be cautious and avoid falling at all costs, because that’s how you lose a lot of time. I managed to avoid that, but unfortunately I stumbled upon a mechanical problem. It’s all the more frustrating because we’ve been using this system for ages and I’ve never had a problem with it. Well, not until today”.
Marc Coma – KTM - 002
“I fell during the first special stage this morning and was left with a very sharp pain in my knee. Still, I managed to get back to the assistance team where we prepared the second bike for the 2nd loop. I was going to attempt the second loop, but on the link stage I felt that the pain in my knee was too severe to continue. It’s all part of racing, I suppose… I just hope that it isn’t too serious. I’m taking the plane back to Barcelona this evening and I’ll go straight to hospital to have it looked at. Of course, it’s a really big disappointment, because after the Dakar was cancelled, we worked really hard to put in a good performance here in completely different conditions, and things were looking good. But, that’s life, there’s nothing we can do about it”.
David Casteu – KTM - 003
“I set off first for the 2nd special section and I attacked as hard as I could, meaning I had to concentrate just as much as this morning. It’s true that there were plenty of hazards, even if the special was really completely different from this morning, with holes everywhere caused by the trucks on their way through the special this morning. It’s all gone well, because I’m now leading the general standings. There are plenty of riders who want to win this first Dakar Series rally and it’s great for me to be in this position. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to try and control the race. On the contrary, I’m going to try and take it at my own pace, enjoy myself on the bike and we’ll see what happens”.
David Frétigné – Yamaha - 012
“I feel I’ve had a really good day today, because I’ve climbed up the general standings. Quite a few riders made mistakes because it wasn’t easy to navigate this morning. Personally, I got a little bit lost and gave away two minutes. But it’s not too serious because there is still a long way to go. I was mainly concentrating on not falling, because it’s extremely easy to make mistakes on this terrain. I was expecting it to be a nightmare this afternoon and, in fact, the track had dried quite a lot, so it was less tricky. I took advantage of this situation to attack a bit more and it paid off because I finished 2nd in the second special. I’m really happy because my tactics worked. I held back this morning and waited to attack as soon as it was possible, with good results”.
Hubert Deltrieu – Polaris - 118
“It’s always nice to achieve a best time, but I have to admit that today the terrain was absolutely perfect for me, because it was really very similar to the forest tracks that I ride on in France. That meant I was able to attack from start to finish, but without thinking about the general standings, just because I was really enjoying myself behind the handlebars. In the end, it was perfect because not only am I leading the rally, but I had a great time as well!”
Stéphane Peterhansel – Mitsubishi - 200
“That was tough! We drove very fast because on this terrain, to score a good time, you have to attack, but the track is very technical with the level of grip changing constantly, so it’s very stressful. It’s very easy to make mistakes. In fact, to get a good time, you have to dice with the devil a bit: it’s a case of victory or bust. You have to take risks. Personally, I’m satisfied, but you have to avoid even the slightest mishap, otherwise you lose minutes straight away. I saw that De Villiers had a windscreen wiper problem, just a small detail, but right away he lost more than 5 minutes. In these conditions, I really don’t know how the terrain will behave for the 2nd special, but at least this time it won’t be a leap into the unknown!”
Dieter Depping – Volkswagen - 213
“This special was extremely difficult because the track was very narrow and since it hugs the mountainside, the slightest error can send you plunging into the ravine. This means you have to really concentrate from start to finish, all the more since the level of grip is always changing. I lost a bit of time, about 10 seconds, when I caught up with Carlos Sousa, because there wasn’t any place for me to overtake or for him to pull over. As for this afternoon, the 2nd loop will be worse because it’s quite warm, so the snow left on the special is going to melt and soak the track even more. And when you think that the trucks will have been over it too, that’s really not going to help the situation”.
Luc Alphand – Mitsubishi - 202
“At the start, I made a small mistake: when I released the speed limiter, I disconnected the fuel pump and everything stopped. That cost me around 15 seconds. Afterwards, during the special, I missed a bend and again lost about twenty seconds. In these conditions, finishing 3rd just 27” behind the winner isn’t bad at all! What really reassures me is that I’m up with the pace, unlike yesterday. However, it’s not a typical rally-raid pace, that’s for sure. Personally, I don’t usually drive like that. Here, you can’t afford the slightest lapse, from the first to the last metre. Otherwise, it was a good special, even if the springtime conditions and melting snow made the track very tricky with lots of mud and very deep ravines. The good news is that it was already like wartime trenches this morning, so it won’t change much for the 2nd loop this afternoon!”
Dieter Depping – VW - 213
“I had a brilliant day, especially in the 2nd special for which the car was set up better, especially the suspension. What’s more, since the track had dried a bit between the two loops, I felt more confident and I was really able to go on the attack. Obviously, I’ll try and do just as well tomorrow on the same route, but this time the other way round. However, it looks like being difficult because we’ll be opening proceedings and we saw how much of a handicap that was to Carlos Sainz today… But we’ll have to wait and see. For the moment, I’m especially delighted to have won this stage, even if I would have liked to have got a better time during the second special”.
Nasser Al Attiyah – BMW - 205
“Overall, it was quite a good day for me, in spite of a small navigational error in the first special which lost me a bit of time. But I’m really satisfied because we are getting better and better. Yesterday, I wasn’t too happy with the way the car was set up, so we made some adjustments and now the car is completely transformed. It’s very important for us to make these sorts of adjustments because one of our aims here is to help the car develop. Anyway, I really enjoyed myself behind the wheel today. It was very competitive driving, just like in the WRC, especially in the 2nd special. I took some notes during the first special and that probably helped me to achieve the best time”.
Stéphane Peterhansel – Mitsubishi - 200
“In terms of the general standings, it wasn’t a bad day, because I was 4th yesterday and this evening I’m the leading the rally. However, I was a bit cross with the second special because I didn’t manage to find the right pace. The track was drier, but also bumpier and in the end, I was more comfortable this morning on a wet, muddy terrain with snow. It required more improvisation and I drove better than this afternoon when I drove in the same way, but on a hard and dry track. Mind you, I shouldn’t complain, because the end result is not bad at all”.
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