Jan 7th, 2015 Dakar Rally Stage 4 Race Info & Discussion

Join in and discuss all the action from Stage 4 of the 2015 Dakar Rally. Robby Gordon recorded a respectable 15th place finish in stage 3. The rally moves into Chile, and the Gordini should be very strong in the Atacama Desert. The special section of Stage 4 is 315km long. Robby Gordon start time: 1:11pm/et. Gordon sits 40th in the overall standings, 4h24m behind. Raceday chat will be available throughout the entire 2015 Dakar Rally.

2015 Stage 3 Photos

STAGE 4 TRACKING

STAGE 4: CHILECITO > COPIAPO

Connection 594km | Special Stage 315km | Total 909km

COURSE OVERVIEW

The competitors will have to prove they are worthy of entering Chile! A very early start and a climb to a height of 4,800 metres will precede the border crossing at Paso San Francisco. The really challenging section will begin with a gradual warm-up on the mining tracks, before drivers are faced with the reality of the Atacama Desert. The route here is open and sandy. Over the course of the last 40 kilometres, the giant dunes and basins of Copiapo will have to be tackled and for many this will be at night. Overcoming them will require finesse and instinct.

The GREEN section of the route is the connection , the RED is the Special Section of the stage.

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Permalink Reply by patricio garcia on January 7, 2015 at 2:51pm

But he is not using the hummer. Maybe he knows something

Should upgrade the Gordini to 4wd since they will have a rules advantage: same power, a smaller tire, weight is like 50 kilo difference

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Permalink Reply by ken orr on January 7, 2015 at 2:52pm

True he is in a Overdrive Toyota. I wonder what Yazeed did with those Hummers? I know he crashed one of them.

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Permalink Reply by edgard vargas on January 7, 2015 at 2:59pm

MUY CIERTO esos neumáticos enormes no ayudan, RG debe de re formular su proyecto,

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Permalink Reply by Mike Kenyon on January 7, 2015 at 2:59pm

short travel, not the same power,

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Permalink Reply by patricio garcia on January 7, 2015 at 3:09pm

I don't think the toyotas are short on power, they now have a bigger restrictor, plus you see the stages are not made for big travel vehicles, more for good handling ones.

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Permalink Reply by mark roye on January 7, 2015 at 3:12pm

And traction has never been an issue. The 2wd has been plenty fast, actually faster in many conditions due to tire size and suspension travel. Reliability has been the issue, not 4wd vs 2wd.

Over the years RG has been consistently very fast with 2wd. But a failed wheel bearing, a failed CV joint, vapor lock eventually resulting in piston damage, flips onto the roof, a dispute over tire inflation, etc. have absolutely nothing to do with selecting to race 2wd and racing it very fast. Selection of 2wd by Pugeot, RG, other buggies by very experienced teams, and their outright speed, validates that engineering choice. Building in reliability takes $$$ and time and team support---very difficult---but not impossible, for a very talented privateer. Also there's a time honored addage in racing: "Run what ya brung" RG brung the Gordini and is racin' it hard