Dakar 2020: The positive balance of a survivor named Fernando Alonso

The Toyota rider closes his first participation with a podium in the ninth stage and the thirteenth place in the general.

• Carlos Sainz
  

  Third title of the Dakar at age 57
  

• Edwin Straver
  

  In a critical state after one each
  

The obvious lack of filming, typical of a pilot who had never left the circuits, did not prevent Fernando Alonso from reaching the Dakar's goal, where he even fought until the last day for a stage victory. The double winner in Le Mans squeezed his Hilux in the last special, although he could not move from fourth place to 3:25 of Nasser Al-Attiyah, his head of ranks at Toyota.

The satisfaction of completing 7,900 kilometers through the desert was evident in the face of the Spaniard, one of the first to congratulate his friend Carlos Sainz. When I decided to join this adventure, not even the most optimistic in the Japanese team imagined such a positive climax in this extremely tough rally.

Alonso's balance includes eight stages in the top-10, with special mention for the second place of the ninth day. In that loop around Wadi Al Dawasir I play an essential role Marc Coma, the desert fox who has accompanied him in the right seat. The wise advice of the pentacampen cleared the way to the thirteenth final place in the goal of Qiddiyah, at 4:42:47 from Sainz's record.

To the rhythm of the head

Despite his unquestionable talent, Alonso had to digest in Saudi Arabia the difficulties of the hardest 'raid' on the planet. In the second stage, still near the Red Sea, the impact of a stone caused structural damage to one of its wheels that gave it two and a half hours. And on Wednesday, when another attack is ready to fight for the partial victory, he took two bells in a cut dune.

It is useless to think about those more than three hours lost, usual toll for any newbie. Better to keep this learning in record time, a prelude to future participation. Until now, the only great legend of the circuits that could be imposed on the Dakar was Jackie Ickx. That example can still be useful for Fernando.

Because although far from the time of Al-Attiyah, the double world champion of Formula 1 s has been able to sustain the rhythm of Bernhard ten Brinke and Giniel de Villiers, companions in Gazoo Racing. He also loaded his backpack with experiences. From that exceptional feeling of opening a track for almost 300 km of the ninth day, at least gratifying to drive almost blindly behind the trucks, just two days later.