Well, Ruben Faria, who was second in yesterday's stage, has won the second special test of the Dakar 2006. Over the 115 kilometres between Portimao and the extreme South of the Algarve region, the Portuguese feeds the rumors of a special prize to be assigned to a native winner in the European section of the race. But last night Faria was penalized because of a late entry in the parc ferm [impound]—12 heavy minutes. So the last chance was wasted. In fact, the best overall rider after two legs is Isidre Esteve, the Spanish rider who passed on the KTM Gauloises Team just before this Dakar. In today's stage Esteve finished in second position.
But let us take a step back... Yesterday night Astrid made a call for all the team members and introduced Hans Trunkenpolz. The general manager wanted to speak to everybody for a moment. The old "year" was ending and the new was incoming. A half hour only between the two years. Trunkenpolz spoken for minutes to the biggest family of this Dakar. There were intense moments when he remembered unforgettable Champions Richard Sainct and Fabrizio Meoni, and their memorable exploits. Then the "Boss" spoke about the difficulties of the race, and about the meaning of being involved in a such a large group. Cyril Despres, who saw both the glorious triumphs and the tragic episodes of the strongest team ever seen in Dakar, was thrilled. The winner of the past edition of the rally knows his role perfectly. His sensitivity and his talent can flow together in the growth of this family. Then Mr. Trukenpolz addressed to all the members of the large KTM Team the best wishes of the Factory. The new year was just there.
This morning the "crew" faced the last European day of the Dakar. The track was similar to yesterday's. Terrain was slippery because of wet weather conditions and because of the particular sandy ground of the zone. There were many corners and technical passages, fords to be wadded and jumps. And a strong wind was blowing out—a demanding test for talented riders and for effective bikes. Thousands of people along the entire section spectating the race completed the picture.
Despres preferred to keep a "low profile," gliding corners and never pushing. He closed the special test in a modest eleventh place, but with some advantages acquired for the next stage. This way, the French Champion will now start behind some riders in the first African special test, and this is a good, logical strategy in order to avoid navigation problems.
Marc Coma was fifth today, and he is now second in the overall standing. He pushed a little bit only in the final part of the special test, mainly due to the pleasure he took riding for the enthusiastic crowd of spectators. Marc toyed with the race until he slipped away in a little fall. Then he resumed his full concentration. "It was very exciting to race between these two wings of spectators," said the Repsol KTM World Champion, "You can take a lot of risks also in a short leg like this one. But I want to ask to you: is not a pure happiness to run in this kind of atmosphere? Starting from tomorrow things will be so complicated, so let me enjoy this race break."
Same force has pushed out David Casteu, Gauloises team mate, that is with Michel Gau at his first Dakar as a Factory Rider.
Then, after the special test, all the competitors crossed the border between Portugal and Spain, and they complete the stage reaching Malaga. There a ferry boat is waiting for the long convoy. Tomorrow the Dakar will change context. A new continent, Africa, a new Country, Algeria, a new day of racing. A long stage of 672 kilometres, with a special test of 387. The first bivouac will maybe be reached at night.
Rankings:Second Stage — Special: 115 km
Stage Results
1. Faria (KTM) 01:37:07h
2. Esteve Pujol (Gauloises KTM) +01:07
3. Casteu (Gauloises KTM) + 01:28
4. Rodrigues (YAMAHA) + 02:00
5. Coma (Repsol KTM) + 02:08
6. Pellicer (KTM) + 02:28
7. Farres Guell (YAMAHA) + 02:52
8. Goncalves (HONDA) + 03:07
9. Fretigne (YAMAHA) + 03:28
10. Sala (Repsol KTM) + 03:28
11. Despres (Gauloises KTM) + 03:38
12. AgraCarrera (YAMAHA) + 03:44
13. De Gavardo (Repsol KTM) + 03:50
14. Blais (Red Bull USAKTM) + 03:59
15. Mateus (KTM) + 04:01
16. Viladoms (Repsol KTM) + 04:04
17. Grider (Red Bull USAKTM) + 04:34
18. Duclos (KTM) + 04:43
19. Verhoefen (YAMAHA) + 05:05
20. Amaral (KTM) + 05:09
27. Caldecott (Repsol KTM) + 06:00
28. Gau (Gauloises KTM) + 06:06
Overall Results
1. Esteve Pujol (Gauloises KTM) 02:37:24h
2. Coma (Repsol KTM) 02:37:32h + 00:08
3. Rodrigues (YAMAHA) 02:38:07h + 00:43
4. Casteu (Gauloises KTM) 02:38:11h + 00:47
5. Despres (Gauloises KTM) 02:38:55h + 01:31
6. Pellicer (KTM) 02:39:29h + 02:05
7. Fretigne (YAMAHA) 02:39:50h + 02:26
8. Goncalves (HONDA) 02:40:59h + 03:35
9. De Gavardo (Repsol KTM)02:42:15h + 04:51
10. Farres Guell (YAMAHA) 02:42:15h + 04:51
11. AgraCarrera (YAMAHA) 02:42:36h + 05:12
12. Duclos (KTM) 02:42:51h + 05:27
13. Mateus (KTM) 02:43:12h + 05:48
14. Viladoms (Repsol KTM) 02:44:01h + 06:37
15. Street (KTM) 02:44:06h + 06:42
16. Grider (Red Bull USAKTM) 02:44:57h 0+ 07:33
17. Blais (Red Bull USAKTM) 02:45:29h + 08:05
18. Caldecott (Repsol KTM) 02:45:42h + 08:18 Penalty: 02:00
19. Amaral (KTM) 02:45:44h + 08:20
20. Marchini (YAMAHA) 02:46:00h + 08:36
23. Gau (Gauloises KTM) 02:46:20 + 08:56
27. Sala (Repsol KTM) 02:46:56 + 9:32