After yesterday’s sweltering 40 degrees in Rosario, today nature whipped up a lighting storm bad enough that race organisers were forced to cancel the first stage citing safety concerns. Riders thus head straight towards the bivouac situated in Villa Carlos Paz.
Today there was no action on the track. The ASO, the organizers of the Dakar 2016, decided to call off completely the whole of the first stage after worries about rider safety. Thunder, lightning and a heavy downpour swelled various rivers and meant that the helicopters that monitor and deal with emergences had to stay grounded. Dakar director Etienne Lavigne was given no choice but to annul the first special stage of the rally.
The overall leaderboard, as a consequence, remains unchanged from yesterday’s prologue stage.
TOMORROW’ STAGE
2016 January 4. Stage 2 : Villa Carlos Paz – Termas de Río Hondo
Special sections: 450 km
Total: 786 km
The speedometer takes a leap!
The statistics speak for themselves: with around 800 kilometres to cover depending on the category, the day will be very long. There is a significant distance to cover in both the special and the liaison sections: although the terrain presents no real difficulties, the relatively fast tracks may already benefit those who love hills and crossing rivers and who can keep up high speeds over the whole distance. Cars and trucks are entitled to an extension on this day.
