Dani Oliveras successfully debuts in Raids Dani Oliveras successfully closed his participation in the Baja Aragon 2013 raid race, something that he himself takes as preparation for a long-awaited Dakar 2015.
A crash in the first sector of the last day dashed all hopes of being in the final podium positions , when both in the prologue and at the end of the day on Saturday, he was among the best.
Even so, the “trialero” asked for his photo to be fixed so that he could go out to do the last sector, where he was again among the best. A display of struggle and tenacity. Dani Oliveras was the great sensation of the 2013 Baja.
Dani Oliveras travelled to Aragon to “learn”, as he explained before starting the raid. But you know, this guy is running gasoline through his eyes and going little by little is almost impossible. The rider from Vilablareix felt comfortable, in this new specialty for him and above all he enjoyed it, on top of his GAS GAS. Oliveras, invited to do the Baja by the GAS GAS team, had no pressure whatsoever and that caused him to dedicate himself exclusively to giving “gas and enjoying like never before” on the bike.
In the prologue stage, Dani Oliveras started from the front, with all that meant. Even so, on a track of just over 6km, the Vilablareix rider was a spectacle for all the fans, setting the fourth fastest time at the end of the day. At the end of the prologue, Oliveras explained that:
“I’m happy with how this prologue has gone and especially with the time I’ve had. I didn’t expect to be among the best and the fact that I’m only 1 second behind Viladoms makes me very excited, although there is still a long way to go”.
The second stage had to be, the certification stage that Dani Oliveras was going fast and therefore, that being among the best was no coincidence. The rider from Vilablareix had three small scares, which made him lose a total of approximately 1’30”.
Even so, Oliveras was fast, surprised his rivals and slipped into third place in the provisional classification. At the end of Saturday’s stage, Dani explained “I really enjoyed it and had a great time. I had a bit of confusion at the start and that made me lose 30″; In the middle of the tour I had to stop because of a problem with the camellback. Even so, I was fast, I felt comfortable and I managed to climb to third place in the general standings. I came to the Baja to learn, but I didn’t expect it to be among the best and stand up to figures like Viladoms or Guasch. Let’s see how it goes tomorrow.”
On the last day of the 2013 Baja, Dani Oliveras was really unlucky.
An off-track in the first sector ended with the bike in a pit, completely destroyed. The most normal thing is that Dani Oliveras would have abandoned, but he asked his team to fix the bike to be able to do the second and last sector of the stage and the raid. Oliveras, who with this incident had the worst time of the first sector, said goodbye to the podium positions, but with desire and anger He went out to “give it his all” in the last sector, where with the bike again prepared, He set the third fastest time, showing his more than enough validity, for this raid.
As soon as he crossed the finish line, Oliveras declared “It makes me very angry to have had this incident that has caused me not to be able to be in podium positions. But I wanted to finish my debut in the world of raids with a good feeling and that’s why I asked the team to fix the bike to start in the second sector. Initially, I came to Baja to learn and I leave with a great experience that will serve me well in the future. I would never have said that I could be among the best. I would like to thank the entire GAS GAS team for the opportunity they have given me and the support I have received, as well as the rest of the sponsors.”
The rider from Vilablareix, in this way, puts an end to his debut in a specialty as tough as the raid to refocus on the trial. Next weekend, a new round of the Outdoor World Championships awaits him, this time in England.
Text: Communiqué D. Oliveras
