The Volkswagen team has once again dominated their opponents in the Dakar Rally: the German firm has clinched the top-3 positions in the rally, including a first win in the event for Nasser Al-Attiyah.
Winner of the 2010 event, Carlos Sainz was the first leader of the race, followed closely by his teammate and rival Nasser Al-Attiyah (with whom he had a tough battle for victory last year) and the BMW of Stéphane Peterhansel. The latter would quickly let go, leaving the two VW drivers compete again for victory.
After a week of racing, Nasser Al Attiyah took the top spot after his teammate got stuck in the sand dunes during the 9th stage. Then, the driver of Qatar took off gradually.
He took advantage of Sainz’s problems in the following days, especially when he lost an hour after having demolished his front suspension on a rock in the 12th stage. The Spaniard also lost the second place in favor of the other Volkswagen de Villiers, winner of the 2009 edition.
Volkswagen clinched his third consecutive success with the Touareg: the German team has never been beaten since the Dakar has moved in South America.
The only threat came from the BMW X3 CC X-Raid team, and especially Stéphane Peterhansel. Despite his experience of the race (he won five times in a car and five times on a motorcycle), he could not follow the train of Volkswagen.
Always on the tail of Sainz and Al-Attiyah in the early days, Peterhansel had a significant number of punctures, but also engine trouble, that dropped him down in classification. He finished fourth ahead of teammate Krzysztof Holowczyc.
X-Raid also ran a Mini Racing All4 based on the X3 CC and driven by Guerlain Chicherit. The car quickly suffered numerous mechanical problems, before it was completely destroyed in an accident during the rest day.
Another disappointment was Robby Gordon’s Hummer, which aimed to beat BMW and Volkswagen. He also encountered engine problems before being forced to retire on the 6th stage.
The Dakar was once again a great success with the enthusiasm of many spectators, both in Argentina and Chile. The event should remain in South America in 2012, with a possible departure from Brazil, and several stages in Peru.
Final classfication:
1. Nasser Al-Attiyah (Volkswagen) in 21h16m16s
2. Giniel de Villiers (Volkswagen) + 49m41s
3. Carlos Sainz (Volkswagen) + 1h20m38s
4. Stephane Peterhansel (BMW) + 1h43m48s
5. Krzysztof Holowczyc (BMW) + 4h11m21s
6. Mark Miller ( Volkswagen) + 4h54m42s
7. Ricardo Leal dos Santos (BMW) + 6h50m07s
8. Christian Lavieille (Nissan) + 7h57m18s
9. Guilherme Spinelli (Mitsubishi) + 8h23m37s
10. Matthias Kahle (SMG) + 15h11m56s
Etc.
Winner of the 2010 event, Carlos Sainz was the first leader of the race, followed closely by his teammate and rival Nasser Al-Attiyah (with whom he had a tough battle for victory last year) and the BMW of Stéphane Peterhansel. The latter would quickly let go, leaving the two VW drivers compete again for victory.
After a week of racing, Nasser Al Attiyah took the top spot after his teammate got stuck in the sand dunes during the 9th stage. Then, the driver of Qatar took off gradually.
He took advantage of Sainz’s problems in the following days, especially when he lost an hour after having demolished his front suspension on a rock in the 12th stage. The Spaniard also lost the second place in favor of the other Volkswagen de Villiers, winner of the 2009 edition.
Volkswagen clinched his third consecutive success with the Touareg: the German team has never been beaten since the Dakar has moved in South America.
The only threat came from the BMW X3 CC X-Raid team, and especially Stéphane Peterhansel. Despite his experience of the race (he won five times in a car and five times on a motorcycle), he could not follow the train of Volkswagen.
Always on the tail of Sainz and Al-Attiyah in the early days, Peterhansel had a significant number of punctures, but also engine trouble, that dropped him down in classification. He finished fourth ahead of teammate Krzysztof Holowczyc.
X-Raid also ran a Mini Racing All4 based on the X3 CC and driven by Guerlain Chicherit. The car quickly suffered numerous mechanical problems, before it was completely destroyed in an accident during the rest day.
Another disappointment was Robby Gordon’s Hummer, which aimed to beat BMW and Volkswagen. He also encountered engine problems before being forced to retire on the 6th stage.
The Dakar was once again a great success with the enthusiasm of many spectators, both in Argentina and Chile. The event should remain in South America in 2012, with a possible departure from Brazil, and several stages in Peru.
Final classfication:
1. Nasser Al-Attiyah (Volkswagen) in 21h16m16s
2. Giniel de Villiers (Volkswagen) + 49m41s
3. Carlos Sainz (Volkswagen) + 1h20m38s
4. Stephane Peterhansel (BMW) + 1h43m48s
5. Krzysztof Holowczyc (BMW) + 4h11m21s
6. Mark Miller ( Volkswagen) + 4h54m42s
7. Ricardo Leal dos Santos (BMW) + 6h50m07s
8. Christian Lavieille (Nissan) + 7h57m18s
9. Guilherme Spinelli (Mitsubishi) + 8h23m37s
10. Matthias Kahle (SMG) + 15h11m56s
Etc.