Dakar 2010
Barattero Foresters' challenge to Dakar 2010 ends after 2 days
Jan 9, 2010
New years Day in Buenos Aires, Argentina saw the start of the Rally Raid Adventure 'Dakar 2010' - an 18-day long race (with one day of rest) through the mountains and deserts of Argentina and Chile. The race finishes on January 18. On day one though, two SUBARU Forester Rally Raids taking part were hit by problems, and for the Barattero team, which runs the Foresters, the second day also turned out to be a day fraught with difficulties. Due to a suspected problem in the structural modification done specifically for this event, the team, based in Cordoba, Argentina retired early after just the second day.
On the special stage on day one, both cars had started off well, running around twentieth overall for 100 km before stopping with broken suspension arms. While the cars needed emergency repair, they eventually finished the day's stage.
And on the second day, there had been some renewed hope in the Forester as Argentinean Gabriel Pozzo had recorded the fifth fastest time overall at the halfway point. This time though, he suffered from a broken driveshaft. The other Forester driven by Yoshio Ikemachi was around the twentieth fastest time before he also developed a broken rear driveshaft. Ikemachi kept on with two-wheel drive for about 140 km but had to stop when his car's front driveshaft fell apart too. After roadside repair work he pushed on, finally arriving at the finish line just before midnight.
With both Foresters suffering from exactly the same problems on the first and second days, team owners soon decided that neither of the cars would be able to go on and reluctantly had to withdraw from the contest.
Barattero team driver Yoshio Ikemachi later said, "it ended in disappointment, but I felt the Forester had a very strong potential as the engine and chassis had seemed perfect, the car was very fast, and the transmission was very good. We started the competition literally as a shakedown, but in fact our speed was comparable to cars with a large displacement engine in the top group, and our car had considerable endurance. However, problems with driveshafts are common and this can sometimes escalate into a bigger issue. To be honest, I wanted to drive on a little more, but it's a team decision, so I cannot do anything. Our team has decided to continue, and develop and test the car thoroughly for another year for Dakar 2011. It's been disappointing this time, but I want to try again next year ".
On the special stage on day one, both cars had started off well, running around twentieth overall for 100 km before stopping with broken suspension arms. While the cars needed emergency repair, they eventually finished the day's stage.
And on the second day, there had been some renewed hope in the Forester as Argentinean Gabriel Pozzo had recorded the fifth fastest time overall at the halfway point. This time though, he suffered from a broken driveshaft. The other Forester driven by Yoshio Ikemachi was around the twentieth fastest time before he also developed a broken rear driveshaft. Ikemachi kept on with two-wheel drive for about 140 km but had to stop when his car's front driveshaft fell apart too. After roadside repair work he pushed on, finally arriving at the finish line just before midnight.
With both Foresters suffering from exactly the same problems on the first and second days, team owners soon decided that neither of the cars would be able to go on and reluctantly had to withdraw from the contest.
Barattero team driver Yoshio Ikemachi later said, "it ended in disappointment, but I felt the Forester had a very strong potential as the engine and chassis had seemed perfect, the car was very fast, and the transmission was very good. We started the competition literally as a shakedown, but in fact our speed was comparable to cars with a large displacement engine in the top group, and our car had considerable endurance. However, problems with driveshafts are common and this can sometimes escalate into a bigger issue. To be honest, I wanted to drive on a little more, but it's a team decision, so I cannot do anything. Our team has decided to continue, and develop and test the car thoroughly for another year for Dakar 2011. It's been disappointing this time, but I want to try again next year ".