2009 Dakar Rally

[Hans Sneep]

Eliseo Salazar

Eliseo Salazar 54 years old Chilean,former F1 -Indycar and Le Mans 24 driver,
will be a participant in the Dakar Rally of Argentina and Chile.

He will drive this car:


McRae Enduro

I hope he has a Good time...

The cars below: the Audi Q7 will be driven (Co Pilot) by my son in low and
the McRea Enduro by Chris Leyds and Alister McRea

IT' IS ON...........

Hans

 

[Hans Sneep]

Jan en Gerard de Rooy

Jan de Rooy and Hans Becks teams up fore the Africa Rally that will start tomorrow 30-12-08.


While his son Gerard will start in the Dakar-Argentina it's a little strange that thee are not together (fore us Dutchies) but we can watch them on TV.



Hans

 

[Hans Sneep]

Last minute entry..

Last minute entry will be Peter van Merksteijn,if you ask who the H*l is van Merksteijn, he was the team owner and Co driver in the Porsche RS Spyder LMP2 with Jos Verstappen and Jeroen Bleekemolen.
Results: nr 1 24 U Le Mans LMP2
nr 1 Le Mans Sries LMP2

They will drive this BMW:



Hans

Finnish't 10 Place today best Dutchi !!

 

[Christophe Berton]

Stage 1 Buenos Aires - Santa Rosa de la Pampa

Its started!!!! :clap::clap::clap:

Here is the first stage, i think the factory cars will go imediltiy for the victory in this stage

Many have heard of La Pampa, where men are reputed to be “rough, but always courteous”. This first stage will provide the opportunity to discover the length of these vast plains. Dakar competitors have never faced such a long special. With over 400 km of rolling routes, perhaps the fastest on the program, this will constitute a real warm-up. It will be the occasion for everyone to affront a long day that will get rid of all problems in adapting to jet lag.

 

[Christophe Berton]

Coronels meet Muller in Argentina

The Coronels will be sharing a Bowler Nemesis car, while the 2008 FIA World Touring Car champion Muller will be at the wheel of a single-seater SMG buggy powered by a 250bhp 6-cylinder boxer Porsche engine.
"Tim and I are still discussing who will do the driving and now it looks we will share it fifty-fifty. Tim will drive for the first two days, I will do it for days three and four, and so on. The car is in good conditions and everything has been well prepared," Tom Coronel said.
The 2009 Dakar starts today from Buenos Aires and will come back to the Argentine capital city on January 18th, after 6,000 km of special stages through Argentina and Chile.

Eurosport

 

[Christophe Berton]

Dakar 2009 pic's

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/motorsport/dakar/photos.html

 

[Marcel vd Aa]

Stage 3: Puerto Madryn - Jacobacci

694.56 km are on the menu for the 3rd stage, but 550.74 km of these will be timed, making it the second longest special of the rally!
The route includes quick tracks without great difficulties, but the competitors will have to be careful about the state of their tires,
to avoid the pitfalls encountered in the first stage.
They also need to be wary of the vegetation typical of the Pampa, which will be all over the route…
This special should again witness a fine struggle between the car constructors in terms of pure speed, whereas in the bike category, Cyril Despres will be hoping to catch up more time on Marc Coma, probably a little angry about his misfortune on the 2nd stage.

Bike
Spanish rider Marc Coma (KTM) easily won this 3rd staget, 17’49" ahead of his team mate and countryman Jordi Viladoms (KTM) and Norway’s Pal-Anders Ullevalseter (KTM), both tieing in 2nd place.
The third fastest time of the stage goes to France’s David Casteu (KTM) checking 18’16" behind the winner.
By a way of consequence, in the overall rankings, Coma now has a 39’11" lead over Frenchman David Frétigné (Yamaha), also leader in the 450cc category and a 41’14" lead over Dutchman Frans Verhoeven (KTM), who is the leader in the marathon category.

Car
Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah (BMW) won his 2nd stage of the rally raid and his 3rd one in all his Dakar participations, 35" ahead of Spain’s Carlos Sainz (VW) and 1’40" ahead of Germany’s Dieter Depping (VW).
By a way of consequence in the overall rankings, the Qatari is climbing up two positions to now rank second, 3’40" behind the Spanish Volkswagen driver who still is a solid leader in the race.
The manufacturer from Wolfsburg still keeps two Touareg on the podium, as Giniel De Villiers (VW) ranks 3rd, 5’45" behind Sainz.
In the Open category, the stage victory goes to Robby Gordon (Hummer). And in the Production category, it is France’s Nicolas Gibon (Toyota) who wins the stage.

Truck
Five-time Dakar winner, Russian driver Vladimir Chagin (Kamaz), won his first stage victory in this 31st edition, 3’24" ahead of Dutchman Gerard de Rooy (Ginaf) and 7’12" ahead of Russia’s Firdaus Kabirov (Kamaz).
By a way of consequence, in the overall rankings, if Gérard De Rooy
(Ginaf) remains in the lead, the Dutchman now has a 7’46" lead over Russia’s Kabirov (Kamaz) and a 9’28" lead over today’s winner, Chagin, who is now ranking 3rd in the overall.

Quad
Czech driver Josef Machacek (Yamaha) won this third stage 1’47" ahead of France’s Christophe Declerck (Yamaha), winner of the 2 first special stages and 10’55" ahead of Spain’s Joan Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha).
In the overall rankings, Christophe Declerck nevertheless remains the firm leader of the rally raid with a 30’37" lead over the day’s winner and 45’45" over Spain’s Gonzalez.

source: www.dakar.com

 

[Marcel vd Aa]

Stage 4: Jacobacci-Neuquen

Over the 380 kilometers of the day’s special stage, Marc Coma boasted the best time and continues to increase his lead at the top of the general standings.
In the car race, the struggle continues between Sainz and Al Attiyah, with a slight advantage for the Spaniard.

What more would Marc Coma need to feel good? He had a relaxed start to the day, with the prospect of a long journey through Patagonia as the pathfinder. Since there were few navigational constraints, there was no worry about getting lost and losing time, especially since his nearest pursuer in the general standings, David Frétigné, was 39 minutes behind him. All the conditions were combined for the Catalan to continue widening the gap, riding at a pace that others would consider supersonic, but which he considers to be gentle. That said, on a bike, everything is relative…

On the finishing line, in spite of a few cattle gets that he was careful to open on the way, Coma grabbed the day’s best time. He won his 7th stage victory on the Dakar with a lead of 1.17 over Cyril Despres and 1.21 over Jonah Street. With this display, the American rider pushed David Frétigné back into 3rd position, but with only 45 seconds between the two, the battle for second place is far from over.

Spain continued its distinguished display in the car category, with a new victory for Carlos Sainz.
Arriving in Neuquen with 6 seconds less on the clock than Nasser Al Attiyah, the VW driver brings his total of triumphs on the Dakar to 11. After four days of racing, it would appear that the duel which has the spectators holding their breath is the one being fought out between Sainz and Al Attiyah, who have shared the stage wins this year so far and are only separated in the general standings by 3.49. However, will their vehicles continue to be reliable? After all there are still more than 6,000 kilometers of the race to go…

The expected rivalry with Mitsubishi could occur, as often is the case, later on in the race.
In any case, it was not during this fourth stage that “Peter” and his team-mates were able to charge back up the standings. Far behind the leading Hispano-Qatari duo, Nani Roma was the best representative of the Japanese constructor, driving his Lancer to a 5th placed finish on the stage, 6.54 behind the day’s winner. In the general standings, after Masuoka’s withdrawal and the misfortunes of Alphand during yesterday’s stage, only Peterhansel and Roma are in a position to ambush the leaders, less than 20 minutes behind, in 4th and 5th place respectively.

Close pursuit is also a method used in the T2 category. Today, Jun Mitsuhashi was again the quickest in the category, with the 28th best time of the day, followed this time by Ronan Chabot, also a former winner in the Production category. Having arrived in Neuquen 2.26 behind his Japanese team-mate, Chabot is also well placed in terms of the final podium, because Nicolas Gibon, who lost almost 30 minutes during the special, only hung onto his third place by three minutes.

With his third stage victory in the truck category this year, Gerard De Rooy has strengthened his status as a legitimate pretender to the title. However, his rivals behind him are starting to apply pressure, meaning there is no room for error. The Russian fleet of Kamaz trucks lies in wait, with three drivers pursuing De Rooy. Indeed, Chagain is only 10.14 behind in the general standings…

Cars
Spaniard Carlos Sainz (VW) picked up his 2nd stage victory of the rally, his 11th on the Dakar, 6 short seconds only in front of his main rival since the start of the event, Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah (BMW), and 2.24 in front of Frenchman Luc Alphand (Mitsubishi).
In the general standings, the VW-BMW duel continues: “El Matador” Sainz holds onto the lead and is now 3.46 ahead of the Qatari.
The Wolfsburg based constructor has two Touaregs on the provisional podium, because 3rd place is still occupied by South African Giniel De Villiers (VW), now 11.33 behind Sainz.
In the Open category, Robby Gordon (Hummer) pulled off another stage victory, with the day’s 10th best time. Lastly, in the Production category,once again the category leader in the general standings, Japan’s Jun Mitsuhashi (Toyota), was victorious.

Trucks
Dutchman Gerard de Rooy (Ginaf) picked up his 2nd stage victory of this 31st Dakar, 46" ahead of five times winner of the Dakar, Russian Vladimir Chagin (Kamaz), and 4.55 in front of “the Tsar’s” team-mate and countryman Firdaus Kabirov (Kamaz).
As a result, in the general standings, Gérard De Rooy (Ginaf) is still in the lead ahead of the three Kamaz trucks belonging to Russia’s Chagin, 2nd placed 10.14 behind, Kabirov, 3rd placed 12.41 behind, and Mardeev, 4th placed 46.58 behind.

Bikes
Spaniard Marc Coma (KTM) picked up his 3rd stage victory and 7th on the Dakar by finishing this 4th day 1.17 ahead of Frenchman Cyril Despres (KTM), who rode an excellent race having started in 48th place this morning. 3rd place went to American Jonah Street (KTM).
As a result, in the general standings, Coma now has a lead of 42.57 over Street, the new 2nd placed rider and leader of the marathon category, and 43.42 over Frenchman David Frétigné (Yamaha), 3rd placed and leader of the 450cc category. As regards Cyril Despres (KTM), he is now
11th in the general standings.

Quads
Spaniard Joan Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha) won the 4th stage, his first success on the Dakar, 16.18 ahead of France’s Christophe Declerck (Yamaha) and 18.59 in front of another Frenchman: Eric Carlini (Polaris). In the general standings, Christophe Declerck still holds a
solid lead, 31.27 ahead of the day’s winner, Gonzalez, the new 2nd placed rider, and 49.34 in front of Czech Josef Machacek (Yamaha).

source: www.dakar.com

 

[Christophe Berton]

French motorcyclist dies during Dakar Rally

NEUQUEN, Argentina (AFP) - The deadly Dakar Rally was in mourning again on Wednesday with the news that French motorcyclist Pascal Terry had been found dead while competing in this year's race.
The 49-year-old Terry was found dead overnight after the fourth stage of the gruelling spectacle which is taking place for the first time in South America after terrorist threats forced its cancellation last year.
He had been missing since Sunday and the 2nd stage of the race between Santa Rosa and Puerto Madryn.
"The motorcyclist was found in an area that is very inaccessible with very dense vegetation 15 metres from his bike," organisers said in a statement.
"He had taken off his helmet and had taken shelter with food and water next to him."
Terry had informed race control on Sunday that his Yamaha had run out of petrol at the 197 kilometre mark, but that he had procured some from another competitor.
Organisers later tried to contact him on two occasions, but were unable to get any response.
Search operations were launched the following day, but they were unable to locate Terry until early on Wednesday morning when he was found dead by local police.
An investigation was immediately opened to determine the cause of death.
"There was a breakdown in the organisation's chain of communication between January 4 and 5," said race director Etienne Lavigne.
"Information that he had deployed a distress signal reached Paris on January 4 and we here were not informed before the fifth."
Terry was the first fatality at this year's race which started in Buenos Aires on January 3 and finishes back in the Argentine capital on January 17, but according to an AFP count he is the 51st person involved with the event to die since its inception in 1979.
These include 19 competitors, 17 race personnel, including its founder Thierry Sabine in a helicopter crash in 1986, and at least 15 spectators or others who died due to the high-speed chase of cars, motorcycles and lorries over some of the toughest terrain in the world.
The rally is also hotly contested by ecologists, who blast its effect on the local environment, and has been the target of terrorist threats such as last year which forced organisers to cancel it for the first time.
They later agreed to switch the event to South America although the race's duration has been shortened.

MOVIE EUROSPORT: http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/ukyvideo?ch=5127641&cl=11435007&lang=

 

[Christophe Berton]

Stage 5: Cars: Al-Attiyah snatches lead

Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah took the lead at the Dakar ahead of stage five winner Giniel de Villiers, while Carlos Sainz drops back to third.

Double world rally champion Sainz suffered a gruelling day which saw him cross the line without a bonnet as he lost over 10 minutes to Al-Attiyah over the course of the day.





Stephane Peterhansel of France looked as if he would win the stage until he too lost part of his car, ripping the boot off on the final section and losing almost 10 minutes.
That left South African de Villiers a free run to win his first stage of the race in a time of five hours 47 minutes 43 seconds, 2'13" ahead of Germany's Dieter Depping and 4'12" ahead of NASCAR driver Robby Gordon in his Hummer.
In the overall rankings, Al-Attiyah is leading on a time of 18 hours 44 minutes 37 seconds, 2'24" of de Villiers and 6'33" ahead of Sainz.
Eurosport

stage profile
Connection: 173 km | Special: 506 km | Connection: 84 km | Total: 763 km The major test of the first week of the race will perhaps be fought on the road to San Rafael. The long distance will oblige teams to remain concentrated at all times. The pilots will also be confronted with real dune passageways, including a range nearly twenty kilometers long. Long off-road stretches will alternate with much more technical sections in the track following the “rios”. The Cordillera can be seen on the horizon, but taking time to sightsee is out of the question: a too-late arrival at the bivouac always leaves a mark.

 

[Marcel vd Aa]

Stage 5: Neuquen - San Rafael

Once again, the race in Stage 5 was a matter of tyres. Coma and Despres both had to stop to change tubes. American rider Jonah Street did not have the same problem and ends up with his very first stage victory on a Dakar special stage. The duel between Al-Attiyah and Sainz turned to the benefit of the Qatari who is the new leader in the car general standings.

The tide seems to have turned slightly in the bike race of this 2009 Dakar.
Spared by tyre problems, Marc Coma, the winner of the 2006 edition of the rally raid, ran flat at km 45 which forced him to stop for a good 20 min. This is when the pursuit started and that was great news for Cyril Despres… until right after the first CP (km 230) where the Frenchman had caught back 15’ from his Spanish rival. But the curse of the tyre tubes was going to hit again on the title holder. Forced - in turn - to organize an emergency pit stop, Despres lost his head start. Worse! He even lost an additional 7 min over Coma at the following CP (km 422).

After starting third in the early hours of the morning, Jonah Street once again demonstrated flawlesness and steadiness. Four times in the top ten since the start of this year’s edition of the Dakar, the American rider managed to both preserve his tyres and keep up the pace with the best in the race. Being the best to handle the first sand dunes in the finish, Street ended up with a 5’53" lead over Frans Verhoeven and a 7’34" lead over Francisco Lopez. In the duel between Despres and Coma, it is the first one who managed to steel back a tiny little minute to the Catalan rider.

In the general standings, Marc Coma, who ends the stage in 7th position, is loosing ground from the 42’ lead he had yesterday over a surprising Street, he only has 27’ left. David Frétigné, third of today’s stage, gets closer to the leader and is now at 39’09" of the leader.

The car category put on a great show on this very versatile special stage where all driving skills had the opportunity of being expressed by the drivers. Dieter Depping was the first to make his name known. He had a 23" lead at CP1 where he was ahead of Stéphane Peterhansel who was making a come-back and - using one his proven techniques - was returning center stage of the race after just a few days in the rally raid.

The Depping-Peterhansel duo was making a first gap of 1’50" and 2’07" on the cars of Nasser Al-Attiyah, Mark Miller and Carlos Sainz. Then came a change in the configuration of the race between both check points as the Madrid and Qatari leaders in the general standings picked up their personal fight where they had left it leaving their adversaries far behind.
The gap developed really quickly between them and Miller, De Villiers and the three Mitsubishis together. But the situation changed yet again and it is German driver Dieter Depping who ended up surprising everyone by being first to cross CP2 with a 24" lead over the title holder, whilst Al-Attiyah was timed with a 2’33" lead on Sainz.

The last events of the day were offered by the first sand dunes on this edition of the Dakar. 20 kilometers of sand where the leaders in the car category both broke their machines. De Villiers came out first of this boxing match and won the stage in front of Depping and Gordon, while Al-Attiyah was taking the lead in the general standings in front of De Villiers and relegated Carlos Sainz in third position, 6’33" behind.

The Pampa Battle is still raging in the truck category. This time, it is Firdaus Kabirov who won the stage achieving here his 26th stage victory in the Dakar and - hence - stealing the second place in the general standings to the Czar, Vladimir Chagin. Gerard de Rooy is still resisting the endless assaults of the Kamaz trucks. De Rooy’s third place at the finish in San Rafael, 12’28" from the winner, allows the driver to remain the general standings leader but his lead on the new number two is only of 13".

Source: www.dakar.com

 

[Christophe Berton]

Where are the dakar fans

hey

where are you all, dakar fans? Its like Marcel , Bram and me are only active here.
Where are you fans

for me its one of the best motorsport events of the year

 

[Christophe Berton]

WTCC drivers in Dakar

Reigning World Touring Car champion Yvan Muller was forced to retire from the Dakar Rally when his single-seater Porsche-powered SMG buggy caught fire during the fifth stage.

Contesting the 763km run from Nequen to San Rafael, the Frenchman had to slow down due to a cloud of dust after 40km and became stranded in a sand dune.
Seconds later his car was hit by the truck of another competitor and both vehicles burst into flames. Both Muller and the other driver escaped unhurt.
Twin brothers Tom and Tim Coronel are still competing in the race. Despite suffering a number of problems, especially with the fuel tank, the Dutch duo is placed in 67th position.

 

[Marcel vd Aa]

Stage 6: San Rafael - Mendoza

On a shortened 6th stage, Cyril Despres grabbed his first special stage victory on the Dakar in 2009. For once free of tire trouble, the Frenchman beat off his rival Marc Coma. The Spanish rider increased his advantage in the general standings and now boasts a lead of 40 minutes over Jonah Street, his nearest rival. Al Attiyah was again out at the front of the field in the car race, but may have only scored a Pyrrhic victory.

Due to the difficult nature of the previous day’s stage and a flooded river ford, the bikers set off this morning from San Rafael on a shortened special stage, which finished after 178 km, in the pretty village of La Junta at the foot of the Andes.

After his success yesterday, American Jonah Street kicked off proceedings before being caught up by a pack of bikers hungry for victory. Having started in eighth place, Cyril Despres proved to be the quickest on the section of dunes at the start of the day. The Frenchman posted the best time at CP1 (after 86 km) then headed for the finish alongside Street and Lopez until the finishing line, where he picked up his first special stage victory on this 31st edition of the race, and his 17th on the
Dakar.

Still as imperial as ever, general standings leader Marc Coma finished 2nd today, only giving up 2.09 to Despres, considered as his main rival at the start of the rally in Buenos Aires. The KTM-Repsol team this evening boasts two representatives in the first three places, with Jordi Viladoms third-placed finish, 5.15 behind the day’s winner.

In the general standings, Coma increased his lead. The Catalan is now 40.29 ahead of Jonah Street, who lost more than a quarter of an hour today. David Frétigné is still third, 47 minutes behind. Cyril Despres climbed to 7th position, but is still more than an hour and a half behind Coma.

The sixth stage was conducted at neck-breaking speed by the car drivers. Qatari Nasser Al Attiyah was first to CP 1. He seemed to be flying through the race and crushing all opposition with a lead of more than twenty minutes over all his rivals. However, due to an overheating engine, the BMW X-Raid team driver admitted to having missed a way point after 38 km, and therefore the chain of dunes at the beginning of the special stage, to avoid significant mechanical problems. His first place for today’s stage and in the general standings now hangs on the race stewards’ decision.

Behind him, there is an almighty struggle, conducted at the same crazy pace, with Giniel de Villiers at his best, day after day proving himself to be a credible leader for the Volkswagen team. The South African finished 5.07 behind Al Attiyah, the unofficial winner, whilst Mark Miller was only 5.27 behind. Completing the pursuing pack on the tail of the Qatari, Carlos Sainz took 4th place on this special, 8.37 behind. As a result, the three VW are lying in wait in the general standings in which De Villiers is second 7.31 behind, Sainz 3rd 15.16 behind and Miller 4th 25.22 behind. The second batch of pursuers has been cut down to two following the withdrawal of Luc Alphand, after his co-pilot Gilles Picard encountered health problems after the 12-km mark, and was evacuated to Mendoza. However, fortunately the doctors reported nothing serious. The Mitsubishis of Roma and Peterhansel are respectively 5th and 6th, 38.44 and 41.58 behind the leader in the general standings.

In the T2 category, the battle also raged for this short but demanding stage. The first four vehicles in the Production standings were separated by 7 minutes. In the end, it was Jun Mitsuhashi for Toyota who best represented the category. In the general standings, Frenchman Nicolas Gibon leads the way with a lead of more than half an hour over Spaniard Xavier Foj.

As for the truck race, Gerard de Rooy in his Ginaf, who started out from San Rafael with a 13-second lead in the general standings on his closest pursuer in a Kamaz, was unable to repeat yesterday’s resistance against the Russian fleet. He finished 25.53 behind Chagin, who won the special stage, and as such, the son of Jan de Rooy lost the lead in the general standings to Firdaus Kabirov, second today, and is now in third place. Chagin is the new second-placed driver.

 

[Richard Bunschoten]

Thanks for the update :good:

 

[Richard Bunschoten]

Not really a dakar fan , but i sure do apriciate all the hard work you guys put in it to update us about the rally.

Thank you very much , shame there little attension indeed.

 

[Hans Sneep]

Peter van Merksteijn lost his BMW at the end of the stage his car burned out,
shame he was the best placed Dutchi...



Bud I think he is back next year!

Hans

 

[Hans Sneep]

The sixth stage was conducted at neck-breaking speed by the car drivers. Qatari Nasser Al Attiyah was first to CP 1. He seemed to be flying through the race and crushing all opposition with a lead of more than twenty minutes over all his rivals. However, due to an overheating engine, the BMW X-Raid team driver admitted to having missed a way point after 38 km, and therefore the chain of dunes at the beginning of the special stage, to avoid significant mechanical problems. His first place for today’s stage and in the general standings now hangs on the race stewards’ decision.

Al Attiyah is out of the Dakar by decision of the stewards,misery for BMW and the rally because he makes it hard on VW and Mitsubishi..

Hans

 

[Marcel vd Aa]

Stage 7: Mendoza - Valparaiso

Before the day of rest during which the Dakar will be based inValparaiso, Francisco Lopez won the first special stage of his career on the Dakar. Just before crossing the border into Chile, the former world 450cc champion has scaled another summit of his career. In the car category, the Volkswagen parade continues. Carlos Sainz grabbed a 3rd stage victory and also took hold of the lead in the general standings. The title holder, Stéphane Peterhansel was forcedto abandon after breaking his motor. As regards the trucks, they headed straight for the Pacific coast, since their special stage was cancelled.

Francisco Lopez is not the type of man to put the brakes on and leave his triumphs for later. Indeed, his timing is just perfect. On the day when the Dakar crossed into Chile for the first time in its history, the country’s most promising hope in the event grabbed his first special stage victory on the Dakar. Almost two hours behind Marc Coma in the general standings, “Chaleco” recognized that there are only a few more specials left on which to shine to transform his Dakar into a success. The entry into Chile as winner will do no damage at all to his popularity whilst the rally passes through his native country. But the “Chaleco Tour” could also be accompanied by his climb back up the standings in the two stages that will follow the day of rest, because he is only 35 minutes from a provisional podium finish.

The stakes for the first place in the general standings were not really in play on this shortened special stage, which took place on a sometimes muddy terrain that must have reminded some riders of endurance championship races. Marc Coma, who set off second today, stayed constantly in contact with Cyril Despres, who led the way out for the day’s stage. With the second best time of the day, his consistency over the long haul continues to pay dividends. The day of rest should therefore be very relaxing for the Spaniard, sat atop the comfortable cushion of a 51-minutes lead over Jonah Street. The American, who wavered a bit en route to Chile (finishing 15 minutes behind Lopez), now has David Frétigné snapping at his heals. The Yamaha rider, comfortable on this type of special, has improved his prospects in the general standings thanks to the tire problems encountered by Jordi Viladoms, who drops to fifth place.

The car race once again held plenty of surprises in store on what was, however, only a short special stage before the rest day.
After the withdrawal the evening before of Nasser Al Attiyah, who was leader of the general standings at the time, the day was extremely difficult for title holder Stéphane Peterhansel. The story of his day resembles a nightmare: after 57 km, his Mitsubishi Lancer Racing caught fire, but the seven times winner in the car category was able to put it out and resume the race. Twenty kilometers later, the Mitsubishi again ground to a halt with an overheating engine. Finally, Peter’s adventure came to an end a short while later due to a supposed broken engine. In fact, the last 48 hours have been hellish for the Mitsubishi team. After the withdrawal of Luc Alphand yesterday, the Japanese constructor can only count on Nani Roma for success.

This was a God-send for the Volkswagen team, who again saw a rival removed from its road to triumph. On the way to the Chilean border, Carlos Sainz, hungry for success, gobbled up a third stage victory on this 31st edition of the Dakar. Having set off just behind his team-mates De Villiers and Miller, the native of Madrid must have enjoyed setting down the times of reference at each check point. He eventually beat Miller by 3.41 and Robby Gordon, finally amongst the best, by 4.13.

As a result, Carlos Sainz jumps into the lead in the general standings, taking advantage of a slightly disappointing display from De Villiers, 6th to finish the stage 7 minutes behind. In the general standings, the Spaniard only has a lead of 9 seconds over his South African team-mate. A third VW driven by Miller completes the provisional podium. The most threatening rival for the German constructor is currently Nani Roma, who trails by half an hour.

In the T2 category for the production cars, Japan’s Jun Mitsuhashi won the seventh stage, finishing, in terms of the whole special, 47.15 behind Carlos Sainz and in front of Nicolas Gibon, who finished the special 10.20 later. The other pretender to the crown in the category, Spaniard Xavier Foj, arrived 1:31.00 behind his countryman, the winner of the special, and as a result lost more than half an hour over the stage. In the general standings, Gibon held onto the lead ahead of Foj, who is now one hour behind the Frenchman.

source: www.dakar.com

 

[Marcel vd Aa]

Stage 8: Valparaiso - La Serena

This 8th very quick stage of the Dakar resembled a last warm-up before tackling the big dunes Chile has to offer. Cyril Despres was the quickest on the way to La Serena and continues to climb up the general standings. The Frenchman has climbed onto a place on the provisional podium, but is still one and a half hours behind leader Marc Coma. Sainz reacquainted himself with rallying sensations on a route tailor-made for him, on which he distanced Nani Roma, who finished fourth, by another several minutes. In the quad race, Machacek picked up his 3rd stage victory, strengthening his lead in the general standings.

Following a well deserved rest day on the shores of the Pacific, the bikers resumed battle in a fairly gentle manner before the three stages in the Atacama Desert, the genuine high-point of the Dakar in 2009. Today’s program included 294 kilometers on quick and winding tracks.

Chilean Francisco Lopez, who kicked off proceedings for this first special stage in his native land, knew that it would be difficult to grab another victory. The KTM Vectra rider was first caught up with by Marc Coma then by Cyril Despres, who took advantage to post the best time at CP 1 (after 180 km). The three riders then rode on together toward the finishing line in La Serena, again on the coast, opening up a considerable gap on their nearest pursuers. It was naturally Despres who picked up his second special stage victory on this Dakar after his success on the stage to Mendoza. The Frenchman beat Marc Coma by 1.49, a paltry advance in terms of the big picture but he still clawed back time nonetheless, and Lopez by 2.56

This 18th stage victory for Despres on the Dakar takes him up to third place in the general standings, taking advantage of a substandard performance from Jonah Street, who finished 34 minutes behind the winner, and a display slightly less below par from Pal Anders Ullevalseter.
The title holder is still 1 hour 33 minutes behind Coma, however. Apart from the several minutes lost to Despres, the Catalan had another excellent day, improving his lead over his nearest rival, David Frétigné, who finished 4th today and struggled somewhat on his 450cc, leaving him 1hour and 6 minutes behind the Spaniard.

In the quad category, the title holder Josef Machacek continued his march toward triumph. The Czech won his 3rd special stage on this 31st edition of the Dakar. The Yamaha rider beat his main rival for victory, Argentinean rider Patronelli, by 2.51 increasing his comfortable lead in the general standings to 2 hours and 30 minutes.

The leader of the general standings in the car race probably really enjoyed himself on the route of the day’s special stage. Quick and sometimes winding, the stage was a perfect reminder for the Spaniard of his exploits in the 1990s on the WRC circuit. As a result Carlos Sainz almost naturally won the 8th timed stage of the 2009 edition, turning this day of transition into one of confirmation. The Volkswagens drove at their favored pace and dominated all the more so since this type of special suited their aggressiveness. Depping finished second, 4.02 behind and Mark Miller third, 4.12 behind. In addition to this 1-2-3, the German constructor also managed to put a fourth vehicle in fifth place, even if Giniel De Villiers lost 10 minutes in the internal battle with his Spanish team-mate. This almost perfect finish was only disrupted by the tenacity of Nani Roma in his Mitsubishi Lancer, now the only representative of the Japanese constructor, who slotted into fourth position playing his role to the utmost as thorn in the side of Volkswagen, preventing complete domination.

As a result, the top part of the general standings underwent hardly any alteration. Sainz has picked up several extra minutes, distancing Roma, still in fourth, a slight bit more, improving a 29.16 lead to 33.31. This difference still does not mean that all bets are off, even if, unless a major surprise occurs, it is Roma alone against the VW. The race is still livened up by the tenacious Robby Gordon and his Hummer. 8th today, the North American is fifth in the general standings, but 1 hour and 32 minutes behind the leader.

In the T2 category, the most outstanding achievement of the day was made by the Japanese driver Jun Mitsuhashi who finished in the 15th position of stage 8, 39’ behind Carlos Sainz. In the general standings, the leader of the “Production” category, Nicolas Gibon finished 21st today and increased his lead over Xavier Foj, his closed rival, with 1h12.

The same drivers animated the truck race today. The Dutchman Gerard de Rooy was the fastest with a 1’42’’ lead aver Chagin. Kabirov finished 5th at 7’34’’. The Czech driver Ales Loprais finished third of the stage and Brazil’s André de Azevedo fourth. Firdaus Kabirov still leads the race before his fellow citizen Chagin with 3’46’’ while De Rooy is at 17’46’’. However, the most important piece of news today is that Hans Stacey did not start stage 8 this morning.

source: www.dakar.com