Desafio Guaraní: on the starting blocks…
07/18/14
With just two days to go until the inaugural Desafío Guaraní, rally fever has gripped Asunción, as the Paraguayan capital gets ready for the start of the second leg of the 2014 Dakar Series. The atmosphere among the competitors is abuzz in all the categories expected to go down to the wire, in light of the depth of the field in each category and the tough course.
With four stages totalling over 2,000 km, including a marathon stage 1,126 km long, the 83 contenders (32 motorcycles, 27 quads and 24 cars) will not be forgetting the first Desafío Guaraní anytime soon. Its route through several of the regions which make up Paraguay has loads of wonders and excitement in store for the four-day event. While the visit to Filadelfia region has been cancelled due to recent downpours rendering the tracks impassable, the menu remains a spicy one, starting with a loop almost 600 km long in Asunción region, followed by the famous 1,126 km stage via the Ciudad del Este Bivouac. Then comes the grand finale, with another loop over 300 km long around Encarnación, where the second leg of the 2014 Dakar Series and the South American Off-road Rally Championship will be decided.
It is a gourmet's recipe for a titanic struggle in all categories. While jousting for the win in the fourth of six legs in the 2014 Dakar Challenge, the favourites will need to watch out for several outstanding local "amateurs" on the hunt for a ticket to the next Dakar, always capable of springing a surprise or two.
Victory in the motorcycle race should fall to one of the "big boys" —the official KTMs and Hondas—, including Chile's Francisco "Chaleco" López, the only South American to finish on the podium of the Dakar (2010 and 2013), Argentina's Javier Pizzolito, Frenchman David Casteu and Chile's Pablo Quintanilla, who fought to the bitter end in April's Desafío Ruta 40, as well as South America's rising star Diego Martín Duplessis, who will be leading the Kawasaki charge.
Home boy Nelson Sanabria will hog the attention in the quads department, on the back of a twelfth place in the last Dakar and a second place in the Ruta 40 which elevated him to rally-raid pioneer status in his country. He knows the terrain like the back of his hand and will seek to capitalise on this advantage to win the race outright. To do so, he will have to pull off a major upset against next-door neighbour Sergio Lafuente. The Uruguayan's three Dakar stage wins and his victory in the first leg of the 2014 Dakar Series put him clearly in the pole position. And, of course, the entire Mazzuco Can-Am team, with Bolivian Lucas Zaffi at the helm and boss Daniel Mazzuco targeting a win in the 4x4 quad class… without ruling out an overall triumph. Finally, the ever fast and consistent Peruvian brothers, Daniel and Alexis Hernández, will do their best to turn the race on its head.
His dominant performance at the Desafío Ruta 40 makes Argentina's Juan Manuel "Pato" Silva the odds-on favourite to take home the win in the car category. He will have to prove his mettle against Bolivia's Marco Bulacia, whom he hopes to succeed as the new Dakar Series champion at the end of this season. Unless, of course, the impressive Team 4WD Jaton Racing and its eight Toyota Hiluxes rain on their parade.
