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"We're ready"

Interview Dakar.com with Hans Stacey

The title holder has met with success at every turn in 2008, with notably a victory on the Central Europe Rally. His team is more structured than ever and he is defending his title full of confidence, the only worry being an injured left wrist.

Hans Stacey, how long have you been here in South America?
We arrived on 29th December after a long and quite tiring journey. For our program, we are simply going to wait calmly for the start: a little bit of rest and getting together with all the team, that's what is important before such a hard race.

How does the truck feel?
We picked it up at the port and I drove it to Buenos Aires. Our mechanics had to do some work on it, because the truck finished the crossing with a flat battery. It's a problem, obviously, because it is not a standard battery. It is part of the special parts that this truck boasts and is important for the vehicle's electronics. But everything is okay now.

Is your injured left wrist a thing of the past now?
Not entirely. I injured my wrist a little more than a month ago and it's almost better, but I can still feel a bit of discomfort. Everything will be okay for the race, but I'll still be wearing a bandage, racing gloves and also a strap. The problem is that I'll need to use my left hand a lot.

Apart from that, how are you feeling?
I've never felt better physically. We have worked a lot on that and spent time training in the mountains. We know that the heat will be a significant factor, but everyone will be in the same boat as far as that is concerned. We're read

-credit: exact man