Picture of the Week from DPPI Images – Xion Rally Argentina – SS9 – Tanti-Mataderos (I)
Canon EOS 5D Mark III – Lens: 70mm
Rally Argentina’s first stage on Saturday morning – ‘Tanti’ – kicked off at 7:47am local time, with sunrise supposed to be just three minutes earlier. The spot I had found during my recce of the route the previous week was about 10 kilometres after the start and I wasn’t entirely sure whether there would be enough light. To be honest, I really didn’t hold out much hope because of the wet, cloudy weather we had had for several days. On top of that, the heavy rain had made the access roads practically impracticable for our hire car and we effectively got stuck in mud several times.
As we generally do in Argentina, we arrived well in advance and, often, the best solution can be to sleep in the car. During the walk to our chosen location, we found ourselves shrouded in fog and I seriously wondered whether it had all been worth the effort. A little further on, though, at an altitude of about 1,000 metres above sea level, we found ourselves above the cloud line. At 7:56am, the Toyota of Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila emerged from mist at the same moment as the sun made a welcome appearance, providing us with this amazing light. It only lasted a few fleeting moments…
François Flamand
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