McRae plays catch-up

Colin McRae's hopes of completing his first Dakar Rally continue to hang by a thread after gearbox problems stranded him in the desert for three days and two nights

Jan 12, 2004, 9:45 AM

According to the latest report, McRae is now heading for Bobo Dioulasso in the heart of Burkina Faso, to catch up with the other runners. The Scot has been fortunate to remain in the event, as both of the weekend's competitive stages were cancelled due to safety fears.

Nissan's assistance truck reached both McRae and the similarly stranded Ari Vatanen in the Mauritanian sands on Saturday to repair the two vehicles. At 11:00am on Sunday morning, after hours of uninterrupted work, the two cars were able to get underway in order to cover the 350km that separated them from the finish line.

At the end of the afternoon, Colin McRae arrived at Nema, and then set off for Bobo, where he has to clock in before 6:00pm today if he wishes to stay in the event, which begins again competitively on Tuesday morning.

Multiple Dakar winner Vatanen, meanwhile, has suffered another gearbox failure since his desert 'fix', but has not yet given up his attempt to complete the event once again.