40th edition - N°10 - Problems for Despres - Dakar 2018

Everyone knows the rule: in a distance of 9000 kilometers, the smallest error of attention can ruin any option to the victory of a pilot. That was not the case of Cyril Despers, who benefited from a chronometric compensation agreed upon to some unfortunate people who lost valuable minutes in an uncomfortable mud bath between Copiapo and Antofagasta in Chile. However, this episode would make the Frenchman lose his position as leader in the general standings, staying 1 minute and 26 seconds behind his rival Marc Coma. The real duel would continue to strike minutes until the eve of the goal, in which the Catalan driver was slowed by problems with the gearbox. Despres would be awarded his fourth title in Lima.