Stephane Peterhansel (MINI) was quickest in the fourth stage, and moved up into the lead of the provisional classification of the Dakar rally.
Winner of the second stage on Monday, the Frenchman lost ground on Tuesday as he suffered from two punctures.
Wednesday, in the stage that connected San Juan to Chilecito in Argentina, Peterhansel grabbed his first stage victory of the 2012 Dakar, 5m19s ahead of local hero Orlando Terranova aboard his Toyota Hilux.
And Peterhansel is back in the overall lead.
Giniel de Villiers (Toyota Hilux) keeps on putting the pressure on the leaders. The 2009 Dakar winner (driving a Volkswagen at the time), moves up to second place overall, a little more than five minutes behind Peterhansel.
Meanwhile, it was a tough day for the Hummer boys. Robby Gordon, who stood in second position overall on Tuesday evening, had to stop on the road with mechanical issues, which cost him a total of 15 minutes.
Gordon’s teammate Nasser Al Attiyah set the pace in the first part of the stage, on his way to first position overall. But the driver from Qatar also lost about 15 minutes when he was stuck in a mud sector at KM 155.
Juan Roma’s MINI was fourth today, and he moves up to third place overall. Canadians David Bensadoun and Patrick Beaule are still in the race, in 51st place overall.
Thurday, the drivers will reach the famous Fiambala’s dunes in the fifth stage of the race, which will be the last one to be ran exclusively on Argentinean soil. On Friday, the Dakar will cross the Andes to West, and will reach Chile.
Day 4 classification:
1. Stephane Peterhansel (MINI All 4 Racing) in 3h49’33’’
2. Orlando Terranova (Pickup Hilux Toyota) + 5’19’’
3. Giniel de Villiers (Pickup Hilux Toyota) +6’42’’
4. Juan Roma (MINI All 4 Racing) + 7’35’’
5. Krzysztof Holowczyc (MINI All 4 Racing) +10’51’’
Etc.
Overall classification:
1. Stephane Peterhansel (MINI All 4 Racing) in 9h43’20’’
2. Giniel de Villiers (Pickup Hilux Toyota) +5’41’’
3. Juan Roma (MINI All 4 Racing) + 6’44’’
4. Krzysztof Holowczyc (MINI All 4 Racing) +8’10’’
5. Robby Gordon (Hummer H3) + 16’23’’
Etc.
Winner of the second stage on Monday, the Frenchman lost ground on Tuesday as he suffered from two punctures.
Wednesday, in the stage that connected San Juan to Chilecito in Argentina, Peterhansel grabbed his first stage victory of the 2012 Dakar, 5m19s ahead of local hero Orlando Terranova aboard his Toyota Hilux.
And Peterhansel is back in the overall lead.
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| Stephane Peterhansel. (Photo: Mini Motorsports) |
Giniel de Villiers (Toyota Hilux) keeps on putting the pressure on the leaders. The 2009 Dakar winner (driving a Volkswagen at the time), moves up to second place overall, a little more than five minutes behind Peterhansel.
Meanwhile, it was a tough day for the Hummer boys. Robby Gordon, who stood in second position overall on Tuesday evening, had to stop on the road with mechanical issues, which cost him a total of 15 minutes.
Gordon’s teammate Nasser Al Attiyah set the pace in the first part of the stage, on his way to first position overall. But the driver from Qatar also lost about 15 minutes when he was stuck in a mud sector at KM 155.
Juan Roma’s MINI was fourth today, and he moves up to third place overall. Canadians David Bensadoun and Patrick Beaule are still in the race, in 51st place overall.
Thurday, the drivers will reach the famous Fiambala’s dunes in the fifth stage of the race, which will be the last one to be ran exclusively on Argentinean soil. On Friday, the Dakar will cross the Andes to West, and will reach Chile.
Day 4 classification:
1. Stephane Peterhansel (MINI All 4 Racing) in 3h49’33’’
2. Orlando Terranova (Pickup Hilux Toyota) + 5’19’’
3. Giniel de Villiers (Pickup Hilux Toyota) +6’42’’
4. Juan Roma (MINI All 4 Racing) + 7’35’’
5. Krzysztof Holowczyc (MINI All 4 Racing) +10’51’’
Etc.
Overall classification:
1. Stephane Peterhansel (MINI All 4 Racing) in 9h43’20’’
2. Giniel de Villiers (Pickup Hilux Toyota) +5’41’’
3. Juan Roma (MINI All 4 Racing) + 6’44’’
4. Krzysztof Holowczyc (MINI All 4 Racing) +8’10’’
5. Robby Gordon (Hummer H3) + 16’23’’
Etc.