Technical problems for Szalay

A sad day for the team who although out of contention for the overall classification, really wanted to show what they and the car are capable of. Sadly, it was not to be as today is the last competitive stage and faced with terrain which could not be overcome with a damaged car, Szalay Balázs and Bunkoczi László were forced to turn back, and after reaching the start, drive tio the nearny finish line before heading south on the liaison to Senegal.

After a long hard race, tiredness never seems to bother you when you are winning, the elation keeps you running long after you should stop. Today, the team feel the tiredness and with heavy hearts, continue to Senegal for tohe finale in Dakar tomorrow.

However, despite their obvious frustration today, the team should be proud of reaching the podium no less than 5 times during the rally. They also had the duty of keeping race winner Schlessinger 'honest' during the early part of the rally. Some neck and neck battles were fought and with a margin of just 5 minutes to Sabatier, who knows what the result would have been without the competition from 'friendly' rivals, Szalay and Schlesser. As they said in their movie at the end of last year, "They will be back"