Day Two of Dakar…The Race Must Go On Hot

The beginning of day two at the Dakar Rally was covered in gloom after the death of Sonia Natalia Gallardo, a spectator, was confirmed. Gallardo was air lifted to a hospital after a vehicle driven by German Micro Schultis rolled into the crowd. Several other people were injured. Schultis and his co-driver, Ulrich Leardi, have bowed out of the race. 

But the race goes on, and on day two the Dakar rally takes the riders 294 km from Cordoba to La Rioja . David Casteu, who led the pack yesterday by a mere three seconds, dropped to second place behind fellow Frenchmen, David Fretigne, who finished 43 seconds ahead of Casteu.

The typically dominant KTM bikes have yet to find themselves in the top position. But Marc Coma and Cyril Despres rode their KTMs into third and fourth place. Marc Coma, however, drops down into 14th place overall after a 20-minute penalty incurred by speeding through a village on the route.

But the surprise of the day came from the Italian Luca Manca, who finished fifth (fourth after Coma’s penalty). Manca finished 12th at the end of stage one, and started the second day 20 minutes after Casteu, day one's leader.

"It was a very nice stage. Pure riding bliss,” says David Fretigne, the winner of stage two. “Yesterday David (Casteu) won... the race will be fascinating."