Dakar Rally - Coronel's hard road to the finish line
Under: Maxxis Sport on
19 January 2012
Peru was a new item on the calendar and brought
real dunes back to the Dakar. The stages had been very tough, but
that is where Tim felt completely at home with the Maxxis McRae
Buggy. Where big names sometimes had problems, Coronel achieved
excellent results again and again. He was also involved in an
exciting duel for first place in the single seater class with the
Frenchman Alcaraz. Coronel had closed the gap with the leader, with
just one stage to go. Unfortunately, minor technical problems
prevented him from closing it sufficiently and he had to be
satisfied with second place in this class.
Tim eventually fought back from 174th place after day 1 to finish
a fantastic 45th place in the general class. In the single seater
class Tim came second and Coronel also took silver in the
lightweight class. An amazing achievement.
Stage 10
Arica - 11 January 2012 - the tenth stage from Iquique to Arica
went extraordinarily well for Coronel. Coronel drove the Maxxis
McRae Buggy over the finish in 30th place at the end of the 377
kilometre long stage. It seemed to be going fairly easily for
Coronel, but today he also had experiences that made his
performance even more special.
Stage 11
Arequipa - 12 January 2012 - The first real stage in Peru turned
out to be an extremely tough one for the participants, and Tim
Coronel and his Maxxis McRae Buggy were really put to the test on
the road to Arequipa. Immediately at the start of the timed trial
Coronel lost a great deal of time and passed WP1 in 80th position.
The stage consisted largely of stones and fesh-fesh (fine dust that
looks like solid ground but behaves like mud). A large number of
riverbeds also had to be crossed, but they were deeper than
expected and full of water. In short, a stage that Tim Coronel will
not forget.
Stage 12
Nazca 13 January 2012 - Tim Coronel completed the punishing 12th
stage from Arequipa to Nazca without major problems. Tim drove the
Maxxis McRae Buggy over the finish line in 34th place after 3 hours
and 13 minutes, and this was good for the class. Many had believed
that this would be one of the hardest stages this year, but Tim
thought differently: "The dunes were high today, but
yesterday's stage was hell!"
Stage 13
Pisco 14 January 2012 - After today, Tim Coronel has one foot on
the finish line of Dakar 2012 in Lima. In the 13th and
last 'real' stage Coronel drove the Maxxis McRae Buggy to 31st
place, once again achieving a great result. Unfortunately, the
stage did not progress completely without problems, and this
prevented Tim from challenging his competitor in the single seater
class. But in view of the problems experienced by the other
participants in this arduous trial, Coronel could not complain
today.
Stage 14
Lima 15 January 2012 - Tim Coronel also finished the final stage
of Le Dakar 2012 in a good position. There was some concern, but
the Maxxis McRae Buggy eventually crossed the line in 70th place.
By finishing Le Dakar 2012 Tim has maintained his 100% record,
which is a wonderful and unique achievement. Coronel has started
five Dakars in recent years, and finished them all.
Finish Podium Dakar 2012
After the finish the participants were exuberantly received in
Lima. It seemed as if all of Peru had come out to cheer the Dakar
heroes, the crowd was that big. Everyone was very happy when Tim
climbed onto the podium. Tim received his prizes and left the
podium with a spectacular jump. Tim finished Le Dakar 2012 in 45th
place in the general class and second in the solo class and the
Lightweight class. An achievement to be proud of!
Tim Coronel: "It was another magical
experience, but this was one of the toughest that I have driven.
Dakar is the toughest rally in the World, and the wonderful thing
about Dakar is that you never know what you can expect. Every metre
is different, and that makes it so beautiful and unpredictable.
Chile was very hard this year, especially due to the large amount
of fesh-fesh, but the first days in Argentina were also not to be
underestimated. The final days in Peru were magical. It is a
fantastically beautiful country with dunes that would not have been
out of place in Africa. The Maxxis tyres took me to where I wanted
to go, and that is all the way to Lima! Thank you so much to
everyone for all the support over the weeks, I could not have done
it without you!"
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