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Issue #5:January 9, 2025
On the 8th, Stage 4 of the 2025 Dakar Rally from Al Henakiyah to AlUla was held. TLC is in the rally with two Land Cruiser 300 cars in the Production Car (Stock) category. Ronald Basso and Jean-Pierre Garcin in car #501 finish 97th overall in the Car category and 1st in the Production Car (Stock) category. Akira Miura and Jean-Michel Polato in car #500 finished with a time difference of 4 minutes and 54 seconds, coming in 100th overall, and 2nd in the Production Car (Stock) category. As of today, the cumulative rankings are 99th overall for car #501 and 1st in the Production Car (Stock) category, while car #500 car is 102nd overall with a time gap of 1 hour and 17 seconds, and 2nd in the Production Car (Stock) category.
The last two days of the first half of the race are marathon stages, where no mechanical assistance or parts supply is permitted. The bivouac at AlUla for Stage 4 is a marathon bivouac without mechanics or team staff, requiring participants to maintain their vehicles themselves before heading to Ha'il for Stage 5 on January 9th. Any major trouble could severely impact the second half of the rally, making this stage a significant challenge, second only to THE 48-HOUR CHRONO STAGE.
The SS (Special Stage) started 173 km north of the Al Henakiyah bivouac and covered 415 km of ground. The terrain around AlUla, where teams had to weave their way through the mountains, consisted of sand and gravel and was covered with many rocks. Sticking out through the fesh-fesh sand, loose sharp rocks resembling volcanic rock, and the rough bedrock, posed a serious danger for the tires in this stage. On top of all these challenges, the navigation was complex, with frequent directional changes, causing many vehicles to lose time due to navigation errors. Amidst the tough conditions, TLC's two cars successfully maintained their careful pace. Car #500 encountered two flats in the early and halfway sections of the stage, while car #501 only had one. Thanks to their accurate navigation, they avoided navigation errors and smoothly reached the finish line.
After the SS, they traveled 1 km to the AlUla bivouac. Upon arrival, car #500 was found to have a hole in the left front drive shaft boot during the inspection by the drivers, and it was replaced as a precaution. Other than that, both cars had no issues, and the drivers were in good spirits, ready for Stage 5 on January 9th.
Stage 5, the final day of the first half of the rally, consists of a 428 km SS to Ha'il. At the Ha'il bivouac, TLC's mechanics and staff, who went directly from Al-Henakiyah to Ha'il, will be on full standby to thoroughly refresh the vehicles on the rest day on January 10th.
Miura (driver): The rocky section was longer than expected, and it was unfortunate to have two punctures, but other than that, we were able to finish without any damage to the vehicle. We lost time during our tire changes, which resulted in a time gap with Ronald’s car. Our tire pressure might have been set too high for the terrain. We'll be careful again tomorrow.