STAGE N°11 : AKJOUJT / SAINT LOUIS : 548km START FROM THE BIVOUAC LEG : AKJOUJT / FIMLIT : 208km LIAISON : FIMLIT / SAINT LOUIS : 340km
Even though the top step of the podium positions in cars, bikes and trucks seemed set, the rest of the podium was far from been settled, and throughout the day many battles took place the last few kilometers of this 208km stage where the finish was a hundred kilometers from Nouakchott in Mauritania. This last stage of the AFRICA ECO RACE 2016 was epic, and will be remembered for the coming years, as this edition which was one of the best from a spirit point of view and one with the closest overall ranking at the end.
Dmitry AGOSHKOV wins the stage Pal Anders ULLEVALSETER had no reason to push hard on this last day of racing in order to win his second AFRICA ECO RACE title, so he and Andrew NEWLAND who just wanted to secure his 2nd place, left the fight for the last place on the podium to set headlines of the day. Pal Anders and Andrew finish in 3rd and 5th position of the stage, enabling them both to secure their overall ranking position.
The fight was on for the last place of the podium, Stéphane HAMARD versus Dmitry AGOSHKOV fought in a duel all the way to the end, where the Russian won but the Frenchman, only 1’59’’ behind, with his very strong time manages stay in 3rd place with a small gap of only 3 minutes. The rider from the Reunion Island managed to shot two birds with one stone and also wins the Trunk Bikes category, reserved for the 100% amateur riders whose only assistance is the organization truck who is transporting their trunk. He also manages to finish second in the Veteran category just behind Pal Anders ULLEVALSETER.
The first bike + 450 cm3 is the Italian Stefano CHIUSSI who finishes 5th overall, and the first African bike is Julien SANCHEZ 10th overall. In the women, the victory goes Anastasiya NIFONTOVA, who fell today and still managed to finish this Monaco – Dakar in 11th position overall. The Russian rider is the only woman still ranked at the end of this AFRICA ECO RACE.
Mathieu SERRADORI finishes on a high note Like for the two wheels, the deal was already sealed for the overall victory by the Kazakh Kanat SHAGIROV, the leader of the overall ranking and the Frenchman Pascal THOMASSE 2nd, so all the attention turned to Jean Antoine SABATIER and Mathieu SERRADORI fighting for 3rd and with only 1’15’’ separating them at the start which after 3000km of timed section.
Right from the start of the day, we knew those two were going to push very hard to get this third position. At CP1, SERRADORI managed to gain 40” on SABATIER by mastering his Buggy SRT through the course. Very soon the radio was boadcasting that the BUGGA ONE of SABATIER was stopped to change a tyre which prematurely ended the fight as the French Moroccan lost at all chance of a podium finish. Appart from that SERRADORI was literally blowing away the field and created a 6’17’’ gap to his compatriots Jérémie CHOISEAU and 7’25’’ to Pascal THOMASSE. A massive gap on such a short 208km stage, and when we calculate his average speed it is a staggering 143km/h.
Kanat SHAGIROV finishes the stage 4th with a 9’20’’ gap to the leader, without taking any unnecessary risks and just making sure not to break the car, just in front of Jean Antoine SABATIER with a 10’52’’ gap to the leader. In the different categories, Patrick MARTIN wins the diesel 2 wheel drive category and finishes 6th overall, Alexander TERENTYEV is 20th and wins the production car T2 category, and finally Jean Hugues MONEYRON wins the OPEN category with his little PREDATOR buggy. 34 cars and trucks managed to finish this 2016 AFRICA ECO RACE.
Sergey KUPRIANOV saves the honor in the Trucks The KAMAZ N°403 came home very late to the Bivouac the day before, but he was this morning on the start line in Akjoujt, he was in his grove right from the start and in the end he manages the 9th time of the stage in the Car and Truck ranking. He beat his team mate Anton SHIBALOV by 36’’, who wins the AFRICA ECO RACE truck category for the 3rd time in 3 entries. The Russian equals the record held by Tomas TOMECEK in his TATRA, 2nd this year and 3rd of the day just 6’’ in front of the Man of Elisabete JACINTO who manages to secure the last place on the podium. Let’s note that Sergey KUPRIANOV wins the Experimental category reserved for hybrid vehicles as his KAMAZ is LPG gas powered.
This it is the start of the party on the bivouac here in Saint Louis. After a liaison of 225km, the competitors will start the finale onmythical leg around the Lac Rose, 24km long from the fishing village of Kayar and the Lac Rose where the podium ceremony will honor every single winner and finisher.
