Jonathan Barragán is 26th after a 5-minute penalty and his teammate in Torrot's GasGas Rally Team, Cristian España, is 13th in a stage where the dense fog forced the cancellation of 118km of the special. This reduction in distance did not stop Johnny Aubert from finishing 17th and continuing in 13th position in the overall classification.

Newcomer Jonathan Barragán finished up in 26th place. "We are already in the bivouac in La Paz, in Bolivia. Thursday the times have been very close and, personally, I am satisfied because we have done pretty well. I'm happy to have got as far as I have, because bit by bit we keep improving day after day."

Cristian España received a new penalty in the 5th stage, this time of two hours, for not registering at two waypoints. The Andorran rider started in 89th place today and managed to get back up to the 30th position. After Thursday's result, España occupies the 56th position in the general standings. "We have left Peru behind and we are already in Bolivia. The race will change a lot here because of the altitude, the terrain and the contrast between the cold and the heat we are going to find," he stated.

"The Dakar has reached a new terrain: Very fast tracks with dirt and stones and the riders have not had any problems getting through it," said Team Manager Giovanni Sala. "The day was very hard because of the weather conditions, since it was very cold and raining. We have reached the rest stage without any physical problems, the riders are in good condition, and the bikes are in perfect condition, thanks to the work of the mechanics of the GasGas Rally Team."

Photos: GasGas Team

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