Abu Dhabi: Russian Vladimir Vasilyev moved within sight of his first victory in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge Powered by Nissan on Wednesday, while Marc Coma regained his lead in the bikes category after teammate Sam Sunderland plunged from contention with mechanical failure.
Partnered by Konstantin Zhilstov in a Mini, Vasilyev recorded the second fastest time on the 239km Nissan Patrol Special Stage 4 to open up a lead of 35min 36sec from Poland’s Adam Malysz and Rafal Marton in a Toyota Hilux.
Lying second overnight, the Polish crew of Marek Dabrowski and Jacek Czachor saw their hopes of at least a podium finish shattered when their Toyota Hilux rolled on the stage.
Dabrowski’s misfortune saw Dutchman Eric Van Loon climb to third in his Mini, with the UAE’s Yahya Al Helei rising to fourth in his Nissan Pick Up, despite having to reduce his speed because of overheating.
Along with Dabrowski, the other major casualty on the Nissan Patrol stage was Dubai-based English rider Sunderland, who was increasing his overnight lead when his KTM was halted by a broken swingarm, putting him out for the day. Mechanics were on Wednesday night assessing the damage to decide if he could start the final stage.
Sunderland’s departure saw KTM teammate and seven-time Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge winner Coma end the stage leading by 1:31 from Portugal’s reigning FIM world champion Paulo Goncalves, whose Honda teammate Joan Barreda Bort was 4:18 further adrift after his second stage win in a row. The UAE’s Mohammad Al Beloushi produced another impressive performance to climb to sixth overall.
After the stage Vasilyev said: “It was a really beautiful stage, but hard with some really high and steep dunes to climb. This year it is more difficult because the ground is hard after the rains.”
Al Helei, who had desperately wanted to win the stage, said: “I drove with a flat tyre for the last 30km yesterday [Tuesday] and damaged the head gasket. We changed it overnight and I was worried that the car might overheat today.
“Everything was okay up to the second passage control, but then the temperature started going up so I had to reduce my speed. I just wanted to win the Nissan prize for the fastest on this stage.”
The stage had a dramatic mass start for the bikes, with the top 15 getting away together, and Sunderland was quickly increasing his lead before disaster struck 22km later.
“It’s unfortunate for me but this is racing and it makes winning that much more special,” he said. “You have to take the highs with the lows. Our team is still going well, Marc is doing really well and we hope for the best possible outcome. Riding with Marc has been a great experience and I’m learning a lot from him. Obviously he’s hugely competitive.”
