Addc 2013 - Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge

I wouldnt doubt that another team saw him do this and reported it.

Our thoughts also, but without proof? - just hoping the 10 mins will be applied to the stage and then he can start 7th!

It was the FIM - the Clerk of the course said he wasn't going to penalise him as it was unsporting, but the FIM rep insisted!! - what nationality would he have been!!!!!

If last day is the same as the last few years then it's pretty flat and very few technical sections where Sam can claw back significant time and get past.

Also not much complex navigation so being first out won't be such a disadvantage (particularly as Coma has ridden that stage numerous times).

I'd love to see it but it would take unbelievable riding (and risks) to get the time back now.

Its still a long stage and quite a few big dunes early on and medium ones for at least 200k if not more - he would get the 6 mins back, but unlikely to take the 25 secs, as the end will flaten out and Coma is on a quicker bike if they can ride flat out, but I don't think they can, so you never know!

Sam's words from facebook -

"Really disappointed, I had a problem with my exhaust the last 40kms of stage and there are three sets of flags at the finish one set flying finish one set at the time card and one set that u exit the desert on the Liason, I handed in my time card and went to see the team before starting the Liason to check if it was ok for the bike with no exhaust and went out of the desert on the road missing two flags in the sand and I got a 10 minute penalty. Rules are rules and I guess there the same for everyone but its a real hard way to loose a race you worked so hard for and lead all week"

It's not how I remember it unfortunately! It's flat for the first 30km or so, 50km of an old bedouin route - bid wide desert highway. A few huge climbs separated by miles of open desert and a bit of technical stuff after the refuel. Maybe they changed the route from the last few years, but I doubt it.

Anyway, if anyone can do it it's Sam and he has the fitness to go flat out for the whole stage.

Check out the close up for day 5 - I believe it has changed this year and nearly 300 km also.

http://vulcain.iritrack.net/tdcom/eviewer/abu13/

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tomorrow was going to be soo good

bugger

Remember Sam beat everyone a couple of years ago by 19 mins on a very standard KTM 450 EXC with a large tank. The bike simply wasn't up to the task required but Sam certainly was.

Don't count him out yet guys. Tomorrow is pretty fast after getting away from the dunes around the hotel then a few more dune sections towards the end again.

Sam will start 4 mins behind Coma and will no doubt catch him then they will probably stick together like shit on a blanket till the end unless someone makes a mistake.

Still lots of dunes and sand from what I can see, and from 7th as has been said, not all lost.

On the previous days, penalties have been applied to the stage results so they should be in Sam's case also.

Steve, with his 10 min penalty, coma would now have won the stage and have to lead out, With 10 mins on his time Sam would be 4 hrs 4'46 so 7th and 6 mins behind at the start, with 6 mins 25 to make up its possible, but that last 25 secs will be very tough!!

Mind you Goncalves will take it as he is 42 secs behind coma and starting 3rd, so he in theory will end up around 1 min 17 sec in front, so Sam would have to make up 1 min42 secs on him!

Rules are rules, yes, but occasionally there has to be interpretation and mitigation and common sense In this instance he had stopped to check whether the bike was safe and in heading onto the liaison in the middle of bloody nowhere went on the wrong side of a flag! The course clerk even supported him!

One of the other issues here could be cultural also - a decision is made and it's losing face to change it - what chance do you stand!

No word on the penalty on the official page..

http://abudhabidesertchallenge.com/latest-news-detail.aspx?itemid=246


Abu Dhabi, UAE, 10^th April, 2013: Only a final leg disaster can prevent Spain&#8217;s Nani Roma from claiming a first victory in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge after another day of spectacular action which saw Dubai-based British rider Sam Sunderland extend his lead in the bikes class with a masterful display in the Rub Al Khali.
While defending champion Jean-Louis Schlesser scored his second successive stage victory on the 266km Nissan Stage 4, taking it with a margin of just over nine minutes to go second overall, the next fastest time on the day was enough to give Roma and French co-driver Michel Perin a lead of 37mins 9secs in the cars category to carry into the final leg in their Mini.
After getting stuck in soft sand and also losing time when they stopped to repair the engine fan,
Brazillian Guilherme Spinelli partnered by Youssef Haddad in a Mitsubishi ASX could manage only the sixth fastest time on the day, slipping one place to third, another 20 minutes adrift of Schlesser.
Dutchman Bernhard Ten Brinke and fellow-countryman Erik Van Loon, both driving an HRX Ford X, and Roma&#8217;s team-mate, Poland&#8217;s Krystof Holowczyc in another Mini, completed the top six.
Roma finished the Nissan stage to say: &#8220;I just stayed behind Krystof and used his tracks today. It was still a very difficult stage with some very tough patches where, if you got stuck, you would be there for ages. It&#8217;s nice to have a strong lead going into the final stage, but at the same time I have to remain focused as a lot can happen on one stage.&#8221;
Patnered by Russian co-driver Konstantin Zhilstov, six-times Desert Challenge winner Schlesser said: &#8220;Today was a very long and difficult stage. The dunes were very steep and very technical to get through. I wanted to take second place overall, but it is too much to expect to catch Roma.&#8221;
Leading the bikes class by a slender 58 seconds overnight, Sunderland underlined his emergence as a force in international cross country rallying by outpacing some of the world&#8217;s best riders as he increased his lead to 2mins 53secs from Spain&#8217;s reigning world champion and six-times Desert Challenge winner, Marc Coma.
Tired, but clearly focused on his objective at the end of the Nissan Stage, he said: &#8220;The last part was all piste and I lost my exhaust, and when that happens you lose a lot of power which is what happened now. I just want to take it day by day and absolutely don&#8217;t want to think about winning right now. We will see how it goes. Anything can happen as you can see with my exhaust.
&#8220;There are so many factors to take into consideration. But I am in a good position and will sit with the manager tonight and talk about how we will tackle the last leg tomorrow.&#8221; The UAE&#8217;s Khalid Khamis-Ozair finished the day in ninth place overall in the bikes category.
Also on course for a victory, like Roma and Sunderland, if he can avoid problems on the final leg, is Qatari rider Mohammed Abu-Issa who leads the quads category by more than 16 minutes from the UAE&#8217;s defending champion Obaid Al Kitbe.
The stage is set for a great climax over the 296km Abu Dhabi Aviation SS 5, with the ceremonial finish for the Desert Challenge taking place at Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi at 4pm tomorrow.
&#8220;The Desert Challenge has again lived up to its reputation as one of the great motor sport adventures,&#8221; said Dr. Mohammed Ben Sulayem, founder of the event and President of the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE, the rally organisers. &#8220;We could have three first-time winners tomorrow, but none of them can afford to take anything for granted as one mistake in this event can prove very costly.&#8221;
The Desert Challenge, which is taking place under the patronage of H.H.Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Ruler's Representative in the Western Region, is the second round of the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies for cars, and the opening round of this year&#8217;s FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship.
The event&#8217;s high-profile line-up of strategic partners and supporters includes the Diwan of the Ruler&#8217;s Representative for the Western Region, Abu Dhabi Motorsport Management, Nissan, ADNOC, Abu Dhabi Aviation and Qasr Al Sarab Resort by Anantara.
Leading positions after Nissan Special Stage 4 - cars
1. Nani Roma / Michel Perin (ESP / FRA) MINI All 4 Racing X T1 13:41.01
2. Jean Louis Schlesser / Konstantin Zhilstov (FRA /RUS) Schlesser Orignal 14:18.10
3. Guilherme Spinelli / Youssef Haddad (BRA / BRA) Mitsubishi ASX T1 14:38.13
4. Bernhard Ten Brinke / Matthieu Baumel (NLD / FRA) HRX Ford X T1 14:56.36
5. Erik Van Loon / Wouter Rosegaar (NLD / NLD) HRX Ford X T1 15:03.03
6. Krystof Holowczyc / Schulz Andreas (POL / GER) MINI All 4 Racing X T1 15:33.14
7. Miroslav Zapletal / Maciej Marton (CZE / POL) Hummer H3 X T1 15:55.05
8. Leonid Ogorodnikov / Anton Nikolaev (RUS / RUS) Toyota Hilux T1 16:34.08
9. Stephan Schott / Holm Schmidt (GER / GER) MINI All 4 Racing T1 16:49.27
10. Yasir Saeidan (SAU) / Sebastien Telauny (FRA) Polaris T3 16:52.08
Bikes
1. Sam Sunderland (UAE) Honda CRF 450 X 11:16.54
2. Marc Coma Camps (ESP) KTM 450 Rally Replica 11:19.47
3. Paulo Goncalves (PRT) Speedbrain 450 Rally 11:20.29
4. Pal Anders Ullevalseter (NOR) KTM 450 Rally 11:33.13
5. Jakub Przygonski (POL) KTM 450 Rally Replica 11:37.22
6. Tedeusz Blazusiak (POL) KTM 450 Rally Replica 12:07.52
7. Juan Salvatierra Carlos (BOL) HM Honda CRE F 500 X 12:09.04
8. Miran Stanovnik (SVN) KTM 450 Rally Replica 12:18.57
9. Ozair Khalid Khamis (UAE) Honda CRF 450 X 12:42.12
10.Sean Linton (GBR) KTM 500 EXC 12:49.04
ABU DHABI DESERT CHALLENGE SPECIAL STAGE ACTION GUIDE
Thursday 11^th April LEG 5

• Abu Dhabi Aviation SS 5 (296km): start is from the drive of Qasr Al Sarab. First Moto competitor starts at 0700hrs.
• Viewpoint at the Finish of SS1, 10 kms East of the Bivouac at 0735 hrs.
• PC 2 Service and Refuel, as PC 1 Leg 1, turn off near ADNOC, at White Sands Grocery (see above). 1^st Moto 0845 hrs.

· Finish SS 5 1050 hrs. Turn right off Truck road about 30kms from Coast Hwy (24 03.9 54 49.1) N23 46.207 E54 47.121.

What a brutal situation for Sam. That's a very, very hard lesson to learn

I think this is just a language issue. "Non-respect" is just a way of saying "violated the rule".


Regardless, it's just a lousy way for this to all finish up.

I'll be rooting for Sam tomorrow so hopefully one way or the other he can earn the top of the podium!

Cheers Joe, appreciate that - just the bar room lawyer in me

Strange though, an hour or so before the start and no details of the day up etc.?

Back online and . . . just . . . speechless.

30 mins before the start and no starting positions up :huh

Start List (checkpoints display) is up now - Sam 1st.
Bikes are moving to the Start gate.