When strong winds blow in the heart of the desert, it produces a sandstorm that makes racing difficult at best, and at worst completely impossible. If the helicopters could take off, the start could come: At the start of the 10th stage of the Africa Eco Race, there was a big question about whether this could happen, but in the end the organizers found a solution. To the situation. The first part of the distance of approximately four hundred kilometers was cancelled, and thus it ended, and remains: the section was shortened to 197 kilometers.
The duo of Varga and Toma finished a respectable sixth place in the car category with a time of 1 hour, 59 minutes and 39 seconds, and although after reaching the finish line it looked like they could move up one place overall, in the end they were left in ninth place in the car category. The stage was won by Gauthier Paulin and Remy Boulanger, who also led the overall standings in their T3 Apache racing machine.
“This morning's start was first postponed by the organizers, and then the originally planned distance was shortened for safety reasons, because a strong sandstorm was blowing in the Amudjar region. Instead of 388 kilometers, the daily distance became 190 kilometers. We thought about the events of the previous part of The race, we checked the list of results and decided to go ahead at a nice pace. For us, the goal is to be on the shore of Lake Rózsaszín at the finish gate, so the fact that we are already very close was also an important aspect. We didn't risk anything, we came at a pleasant race pace, so Our result could have been better, but I don't think it would have made a big difference for us. We are looking forward to continuing and hopefully we will be there in Lac Rose! – said Emre Varga.
Joseph Chimbe Tuma also felt that the organizers made a good decision: “In the morning, a strong storm hit the Amudjar area, which stirred things up. The section was shortened for safety reasons, which was definitely a good decision. “The parts of the dunes have been removed,” the boatman said. There was nothing special about the held part, it was a fast, fast track, and we completed it at a fun pace.”
On Saturday, the eleventh selective stage of the Africa Eco Race will take place, the last stage that will count towards the final result of the race – moreover, they will also cross the field at the end of the day. The length of the section measured between Akjoujt in Mauritania and Saint Louis in Senegal will be 248 km. By the end of the day, the final result will be determined, so the race on January 14 near the ocean will be just a demonstration, as per tradition. The finishing ceremony will also take place that afternoon at the famous location on the banks of the Pink Lake near Dakar.
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