"It's a great relief and a lot of happiness that I share with my co-driver Jean-Paul Cottret. On a bike you're alone but this time we built the win together. My last victory on a bike was 6 years ago and after what happened last year, it wasn't easy for me to win this year," commented an exhausted but overjoyed Peterhansel.
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| Peterhansel's teammate Hiroshi Masuoka took second place overall, giving Mitsubishi the one-two win. (Photo: Mitsubishi Motors North America) |
Rounding out the top three in the car class was Peterhansel's Mitsubishi teammate, and two time four-wheel class winner, Hiroshi Masuoka with a time of 54h 37m 01s, and Jean-Louis Schlesser with a time of 56h 48m 10s in his custom Ford powered buggy. After the race, Schlesser tipped his hat to the one-two finish of Mitsubishi, "On a personal behalf, I couldn't expect better than third place. The Mitsubishi cars are untouchable."
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| I knew it was going to be tough but I never expected anything like this," commented World Rally Champion and first time Dakar challenger Colin McRae. (Photo: Nissan Canada) |
One new entry into the car class this year that North American motorsport fans should be familiar with is World Rally Champion Colin McRae. Deciding to sit out the 2004 WRC season and take part in the Dakar driving for Nissan, even the rally veteran McRae was surprised at the overall challenge of the race. "I knew it was going to be tough but I never expected anything like this," the Briton told a British newspaper last week. "The name of the game is survival," he added. Nissan team boss Gilles Martineau has already stated that he would like to have McRae back on the team for next year's race.