January 7 — In the third stage of the Dakar Rally, held on January 6 in South America and covering 884 kilometers, Argentine driver Tronova in the car category won his second stage victory. Zhou Yong, the Chinese driver of the Perfect China "Meinian Dajiankang" Yong Team driving car No. 332, faced brake failure and subsequent repairs. He finished 48th in the stage and 26th in the overall standings. The other two Chinese drivers in the car category, Zhong Lei and Liu Kun, also completed the stage, ranking 58th and 68th respectively.
“Tomorrow we’ll enter the Chile to Bolivia leg, which is the most challenging part of this Dakar Rally. We’ll be setting off at a little after 4:00 a.m., and the entire stage covers 900 kilometers, including 600 kilometers of desert driving — a huge test for all racers. On non-desert sections, being a few minutes faster or slower is normal and might allow you to catch up or overtake others. But in the desert, it’s completely different, almost impossible.” Veteran Zhou Yong, competing in his eighth Dakar Rally, made this assessment and remarked in a media interview: “The Dakar Rally is a game for the brave, and it’s also a major physical challenge. That’s why our ‘Perfect China "Meinian Dajiankang" Yong Team’ slogan — ‘Because we’re healthy, we’re brave’ — makes so much sense.”
Let’s look back at the first three days of the Dakar Rally, and you’ll truly understand why those who’ve taken part say, “Any driver who manages to finish is a hero.” Aside from the scorching heat, the race route design is also worth analyzing. The “marathon” of the second stage proved to be a real “game-changer,” eliminating 34 cars in the car category right away. But even then, the Dakar was just the warm-up. Among them, Liu Kun and Liao Min had the toughest time, arriving at the camp in the second stage sixth from last before the cut-off time, barely holding onto their qualification. They are currently ranked 81st overall, 23 hours, 6 minutes and 45 seconds behind the leader. First-time participant Zhong Lei and Ma Miao have been relatively steady, finishing the second stage at 3:00 a.m. and ranking 68th overall. Zhou Yong, known as the “No. 1 Chinese driver” and paired with Dakar-winning co-driver Schulz, also faced setbacks including brake failure and time lost during repairs.
Fortunately, the much-watched Chinese presence remains in this toughest rally in the world. And Zhou Yong, representing the Perfect China "Meinian Dajiankang" Yong Team, seems to have just entered his stride.