In today’s 8th stage, MAN Rally Team Franz Echter came in eighth, +13.52 behind today’s winner, Gerard de Rooy. Franz Echter thus maintains his fifth position in the general standings.

 
After a well-deserved day’s rest at the Pacific coast, today’s itinerary was supposed to be slightly easier. The 8th stage took the drivers from Valparaiso to La Serena, over a total of 652 kilometres. The special was shortened to 178km and crossed mud and gravel roads through the mountains.

Today’s results:
1 de Rooy      2.47.33
2 Chagin         +  1.42
3 Loprais        +  2.12
4 de Azevedo  +  6.00
5 Kabirov        +  7.34
6 van Vliet      + 13.04
7 Mardeev      + 13.43
8 ECHTER     + 13.52
9 Elferink       + 14.24
10Duisters     + 14.40
The general list of rankings reads:
1. Kabirov 27.40.43
2 Chagin       +  3.40
3 de Rooy     + 17.46
4 Mardeev   +3.27.42
5 ECHTER  +4.08.36

As of tomorrow, we will get three tough days through the desert. The Atacama desert is renowned for being the driest desert in the world. The ground will show a lot of variation with plenty of sand dunes and rocky soil. Today’s stage should be typical of the 2009 Dakar rally.

In the meantime, the MAN trucks of Hans Stacey and Geert Verhoeven were brought to Buenos Aires. Hans and Geert flew back to the Netherlands yesterday. Both mechanics of the teams will fligh back to the Netherlands tomorrow.