Tim Coronel prepares for fifth Dakar Rally
Under: Maxxis Sport on
03 January 2012
Mar del Plata, 29 December 2011 - Tim Coronel is on the eve of
his fifth Dakar adventure and has arrived Argentina. After a long
flight and little sleep, on Tuesday the 27th of December it was
time to collect the orange Maxxis Buggy from the port in Buenos
Aires. Following a brief inspection, he immediately set off for Mar
del Plata - a journey of more than 500 kilometres! For Tim it was
the first time in quite a while that he had taken a set behind the
wheel of his McRae Buggy and after a few kilometres the smile on
his face started to get wider and wider.
New clutch
The journey from Buenos Aires to Mar del Plata was a good
opportunity for Coronel to really put the new McRae Buggy through
its paces. The new clutch performed particularly well. Shipped from
Canada, this type of clutch is normally used in drag races and
gives 12% more torque to the wheels. Infrared sensors also enable
Coronel to keep a good eye on the temperature of the clutch, which
could prevent potential overheating. The long journey went without
a hitch, despite Tim's difficulties in the first ten kilometres:
"The journey to Mar del Plata went well, but in the first
kilometres I kept wondering how on earth I had managed to do this
for 16 days in the last two years. But after about ten kilometres
the smile on my face started to grow. The Buggy drives perfectly
and it was a great journey with all the people along the side of
the road."
Confiscated luggage
Once we had arrived in Mar del Plata, a mini bivouac was set up
and the Prodakar mechanics were able to put the finishing touches
to the vehicles. Not everything went smoothly, however. Most of the
luggage got through the strict customs checks but many
important parts remained at the airport; temporarily we hope!
Tim: "When we arrived in Buenos Aires, it seemed that customs
weren't used to passengers having the large amount of luggage that
I had brought with me. Around 15 team shirts, a set of Hella
lights, titanium bolts, my HANS system and a lot of other
attributes aroused their suspicions. After extensive discussions
with customs, the bags were finally released and all being well
they will be brought this evening and I can continue packing my
Buggy."
Almost Dakar time!
The next few days will focus on preparing for the technical
inspection and the final Buggy checks. Coronel is raring to go and,
provided the parts and bags are delivered, everything will be fine.
Tim is happy about the modifications to the McRae Buggy and can't
wait to start the rally: "The Buggy is better than ever before
and the new modifications make it drive more efficiently on the one
hand and give me more power on the other. The Buggy will undergo
testing on Friday at 5.30 pm and then it's almost Dakar time! Bring
on the dunes - we're completely ready for them!"
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