Go west young man. Today's stage from Fiambala to Copiapo was cancelled when rain and snow made the Chilean descent of the Andes too dangerous, especially for the motorbikes. The organisers decided that the competitors, the support vehicles and the rest of the caravan would travel to Copiapo in convoy.
The organisational effort that goes into this event is illustrated by the fact that Chilean and Argentine customs officials were housed in an “immigration” tent at Fiambala so that all concerned could clear customs in the bivouac to facilitate a smooth passage at the actual border.
This gave the competitors a rare opportunity the appreciate the scenery along the route. The trip across the Andes and into the Atacama desert is breathtaking. The latter is generally considered to be the driest desert in the world and several of the weather stations in this region have never recorded any rain. Snow drenched peaks tower over the sand and rock of the desert where long stretches of the route showed no signs of any vegetation as far as the eye could see.
The bivouac at Copiapo is at the foot of a massive dune which the competitors will descend on their way to the finish of tomorrow's stage. With the South African Toyota's all lying in the top fifteen, a great deal is at stake. It is the start of the Chilean leg of the race and of the desert section and a good result would be the ideal result to round off the first week of racing.
Sunday is a well deserved and necessary rest day and on Monday the crews will head north to face the dunes of the Atacama on their way to Peru.
The Imperial Toyota Hilux's are free from serious mechanical problems and the team is looking forward to tomorrow's challenge.
Hilux is one of the versatile trucks of the Toyota Fleet. It has superior Shocks that can conquer any bumps on the roughest roads on the planet.
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