Dakar : Kwik Power - Leg 6During yesterday`s marathon stage (including a 499-kilometre special stage) across the ‘sea of dunes` of the Mauritanian Sahara, a broken wheel suspension stopped Ellen Lohr and Detlef Ruf in the M-Class rallye prototype having completed just a third of the special stage`s total mileage. The cause: a ripped off uniball.
"Without our service Unimog, we`d still be sitting in the desert, » revealed Ellen Lohr in the morning, following her arrival in the bivouac. « But we`re here and that`s all that counts. And at noon, we will be ready to start into the next stage."
The Mercedes-Benz service fleet`s racing Unimog, that must start into every special stage clearly later than the rally car, reached the scene of the incident two and a half hours later. In the middle of the sandy and dusty nowhere, the Unimog`s three-man-crew changed the wheel suspension - and Ellen Lohr and Detlef Ruf could continue.
« It feels great to have a professional service you can rely on in the case of a problem, » said Lohr. « And there were a lot of competitors that experienced problems during the course of this stage. » The Unimog contests the truck competition as so-called ‘Fast Service`, with all its crew members being rally-experienced mechanics.
« Prior to this stage we were already aware that it would prove to be one of the most difficult ones, » revealed Lohr. « Altogether, the incident cost us about four hours. Hence, we had to complete the major part of the stage in the middle of the night. In these conditions, it`s extremely difficult to cross such a dune section. »
Many competitors got stuck in the deep, powdery sands, and the German pairing was no exception. But the Unimog pulled them out every time they got stuck. Lohr : « Our service stayed with us for the rest of the stage and together we struggled through. »
Early in the morning, at the end of a night of driving, the two Mercedes-Benz Kwikpower vehicles reached the bivouac in Atâr. There, the racing team ORC`s service crew subjected the M-Class rally prototype and the Unimog to an extensive service to prepare them for the next major challenge: During the eighth stage, from Atâr to Nouakchott, the competitors will have to cope with a 508-kilometre special stage. « We will keep on giving our very best to make it to the finish, » added Lohr. « And tomorrow, in Nouakchott, we will fortunately have a day of rest - something we will all need, then. »
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