Fernando Alonso and Marc Coma Racing Toyota Hilux
5Fernando Alonso and Marc Coma completed an eventful but invaluable learning experience at the Lichtenburg 400 in South Africa on 13 – 14 September with Toyota Gazoo Racing. Following successful training sessions in Namibia and Poland, the Spanish duo entered round five of the South African Cross Country Series, their first rally raid competition together in the Toyota Hilux.
The crew completed a 300-kilometre Shakedown on the varied terrain of the competition route as part of their training on 12 September. This gave the pair additional seat time in the Hilux while allowing Coma to familiarise himself with the event roadbook and onboard navigation systems used during the competition.
During the Prologue on 13 September, which determines the starting order on race day, Alonso and Coma started the 55-kilometre route from 10th position on the road. Despite the dust kicked up by the leading pack, the crew showed strong pace over the early part of the route, eventually catching up and passing one of the competitors ahead to get themselves into clearer air. Alonso and Coma posted the third-fastest time overall just 32 seconds off pole, bested only by Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa’s Henk Lategan and Giniel de Villiers also in the Hilux.
Starting from third position on race day, the crew experienced a soft rollover at the 27-kilometre mark. The windscreen of the Hilux was broken and the pair lost time to remove the glass before continuing. Despite the challenges, Alonso and Coma continued to the end of the 190-kilometre loop and posted competitive split times throughout the remainder of the first loop while wearing goggles to assist visibility in the dust.
At the midday service, the Toyota Gazoo Racing team raced to replace the windscreen and completed minor bodywork repairs on the Hilux in the limited time available. Together with the event organisers, it was decided that the crew will start the second loop ahead of the field in clear air to gain quality mileage.
A bird strike five kilometres into the second loop resulted in a second broken windscreen for the crew. Alonso and Coma again demonstrated their resolve to complete the final 190-kilometre loop while taking turns to hold the broken windscreen in place between driving and navigating. They continued to post competitive split times and was classified 16th overall.
In total, Alonso and Coma clocked up another 728 kilometres of training mileage during the Lichtenburg 400 which saw them traverse cornfields, undulating veld and dry river crossings. Even more invaluable than the mileage for the new Spanish pairing transitioning into a different discipline of motorsport are the lessons learnt and experience earned in the white heat of rally raid competition.
Lichtenburg 400 was won by Giniel de Villiers and navigator Dennis Murphy while Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa teammates Henk Lategan and navigator Brett Cummings finished second, enough to win the 2019 South African Cross Country Series title with one round remaining.
The next challenge for Alonso and Coma as part of their intensive training programme will be the Rally of Morocco which takes place near the city of Fes, Morocco on 3 – 9 October. Last year’s rally was won by reigning Dakar Rally champion Nasser Al-Attiyah and navigator Mathieu Baumel, their second consecutive Rally of Morocco victory with Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa in the Hilux.
Seen as a precursor to the Dakar Rally, the route of the 2019 edition of the Rally of Morocco will feature a cloverleaf layout with five competitive stages all starting and ending near Fes. Competitors will navigate a total distance of 2,500 kilometres, of which 1,868 kilometres will be timed special stages, featuring a mixture of rough gravel tracks, sand dune crossings and tricky navigation.
Get More Great Car Videos - Subscribe: https://goo.gl/BSIaFc
Other Videos By DPCcars
Other Statistics
Coma Statistics For DPCcars
At present, DPCcars has 635 views spread across 1 video for Coma, with his channel publishing less than an hour of Coma content. This is less than 0.00% of the total video content that DPCcars has uploaded to YouTube.