The 2016 Dakar Rally has come to a close and three competitors added to their Dakar legacy while one joins an elite list of winners.
Stéphane Peterhansel won in the car class, his 12th Dakar victory, sixth in the car class. This is the Frenchman's first victory since going back-to-back in 2012 and 2013. This is Peugeot's first Dakar victory since Ari Vatanen won in 1990. Mini had won the last four Dakars in the car class.
Sébastien Loeb won the final stage. It was Loeb's fourth stage victory. He won by a minute and 13 seconds over Mikko Hirvonen. Nasser Al-Attiyah finished a minute and 36 seconds back in third on the same time as Cyril Despres in fourth. Leeroy Poulter was fifth, two minutes and four seconds back. Nani Roma and Orlando Terranova finished sixth and seventh. Roma finished a second behind Poulter and Terranova finished 34 seconds behind Roma. Giniel de Villiers finished three minutes and eight seconds back ahead of Vladimir Vasilyev in ninth, four minutes and 33 seconds back and Erik Van Loon finished tenth, five minutes and 19 seconds back.
Peterhansel finished 13th on the stage, over seven minutes back.
Peterhansel won overall by 34 minutes and 58 seconds over Al-Attiyah. Over an hour back was de Villiers in third. Hirvonen finished just under three minutes off the podium. Poulter finished an hour and a half back. Roma, Despres, Vasilyev, Loeb and Harry Hunt rounded out the top ten.
Other notables in the car class: Romain Dumas finished 20th and Robby Gordon finished 25th.
Toby Price became the first Australian to win the Dakar Rally in any class as he took the bike title. It is KTM's fifteenth consecutive victory in the bike class.
Pablo Quintanilla won the stage by a minute and 41 seconds over Kevin Benavides. Hélder Rodrigues finished two minutes and 37 seconds back in third. Price was fourth, four minutes and 22 seconds behind Quintanilla. Štefan Svitko was fifth, six minutes and 24 seconds back. Gerard Farres finished over ten minutes back in sixth. Ivan Cervantes was seventh, 11 minutes back with Ricky Brabec less than a minute behind Cervantes in eighth. Adrien Van Beveren and Mario Patrao rounded out the top ten on the stage.
Price took the overall victory by 39 minutes and 41 seconds over Svitko. Quantanilla finished 48 minutes and 48 seconds back in third. Benavides finished over 54 minutes back in fourth and Rodrigues was 55 minutes back in fifth. Van Beveren, Antoine Meo, Farres, Brabec and Armand Monleon were the back half of the top ten.
Marcos Patronelli became the first rider to win the Dakar Rally three times in the quad class. Patronelli previously won in 2010 and 2013. Yamaha has won all eight times quads have participated in the Dakar Rally.
Brian Baragwanath won his third stage by seven minutes and 44 seconds over Giuliano Giordana. Sergei Karyakin finished 11 seconds behind Giordana. Jeremias González finished fourth, 11 minutes and 45 seconds back. Walter Nosiglia rounded out the top five on the stage, 12 minutes and 43 seconds back. Alejandro Patronelli finished sixth, over 15 minutes back, Alexis Hernandez finished seventh and Marcos Patronelli finished eighth, exactly a minute behind his brother.
Marcos defeated this brother Alejandro by five minutes and 23 seconds in the overall standings. Baragwanath finished an hour and 41 minutes seconds back in third. Karyakin was fourth, an hour and 44 minutes back and González finished over two hours back in fifth.
Gerard de Rooy won his second Dakar Rally as the Dutchman took the truck class. His previous Dakar victory came in 2012 and that was the last time Iveco won until this year. Kamaz had won the three previous editions.
Hans Stacey won by a minute and 45 seconds over Pieter Versluis for the stage victory. Eduard Nikolaev finished two minutes and eight seconds back in third with Martin Kolomy in fourth, 44 seconds behind the Russian. Airat Mardeev finished fifth, three minutes and 13 seconds back with Federico Villagra three seconds behind him and de Rooy finishing five minutes and 56 seconds back in seventh.
De Rooy took the overall victory by an hour and ten minutes over Mardeev. Villagra was third, a half hour behind Mardeev. Stacey and Ton Van Genugten rounded out the top five and both finished over two hours behind their fellow Dutchman.
Covering All Motorsports. From Indianapolis to Le Mans, Daytona to Monaco.
Showing posts with label Dakar 2016. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dakar 2016. Show all posts
Saturday, January 16, 2016
Friday, January 15, 2016
Hirvonen Wins First Career Dakar Stage
The penultimate stage of the 2016 Dakar Rally was the longest stage of this year's race and it saw two competitors pick up their first stage victories.
Mikko Hirvonen won his first career stage. The Finn is competing in his first Dakar Rally. Hirvonen was victorious by nine seconds over fellow Mini driver Nasser Al-Attiyah. In third place on the stage was Leeroy Poulter, who finished 45 seconds back. Giniel de Villiers finished 57 seconds back in fourth. Nani Roma rounded out the top five, three minutes and nine seconds behind Hirvonen. Vladimir Vasilyev finished four minutes and 23 seconds back in sixth and Orlando Terranova finished six minutes back in seventh. Sébastien Loeb finished eighth, eight minutes and 33 seconds back. Cyril Despres and Stéphane Peterhansel rounded out the top ten, nine minutes and 11 minutes back respectively.
Peterhansel leads heading into the final stage of the 2016 Dakar Rally and is on the verge of his 12th Dakar victory and sixth in the car class. He leads Al-Attiyah by 40 minutes and 59 seconds. De Villiers is an hour and 11 minutes back with Hirvonen trailing the South African by just under four and a half minutes. Fifth place is Poulter. He is an hour and 36 minutes back. Roma is ten minutes outside the top five. Despres is an hour and 55 minutes back in seventh. Vasilyev, Loeb and Harry Hunt round out the top ten. Vasilyev and Loeb are over two hours back while Hunt trails by over three hours.
Hélder Rodrigues won his first stage of this year's race. The Portuguese rider won by four minutes and 32 seconds over overall bike class leader Toby Price. Kevin Benavides finished 23 seconds behind the Australian. Štefan Svitko finished sixth minutes and 48 seconds back with Adrien Van Beveren in fifth, 40 seconds behind the Slovakian. Pablo Quintanilla finished sixth, 12 minutes and 23 seconds back. Gerard Farres finished 17 minutes and four seconds back with Armand Monleon finishing 11 seconds behind Farres. Oliver Pain was 21 seconds behind Monleon and Jacopo Cerutti finished 53 seconds behind Monleon.
Price leads Svitko by 37 minutes and 39 seconds. Quantinalla is 53 minutes back with Benavides and Rodrigues both over 57 minutes back and only one second separating the two riders for fourth. An hour and 14 minutes back is Antoine Meo. Van Beveren trails by an hour and 36 minutes. Farres is an hour and 54 minutes back. American Ricky Brabec is ninth, two hours and three minutes behind Price. Monleon is over three hours back in tenth.
Marcos Patronelli won his third stage and extended his quad class lead. He won by nine seconds over Bolivian Walter Nosiglia. Sergei Karyakin finished 49 seconds back in third. Jeremias González finished fourth, three minutes and 47 seconds back. Alejandro Patronelli finished four minutes and 15 seconds back of his brother in fifth.
Marcos leads his brother Alejandro by four minutes and 23 seconds. Both riders are vying to become the first three-time winner in the quad class. Karyakin is an hour and 52 minutes behind Marcos in third. Brian Baragnwanath is an hour and 57 minutes back. González is two hours and six minutes back in fifth.
Pieter Versluis won stage 12 in the truck class, his first victory since stage two. Federico Villagra finished three minutes and 14 seconds back in second with Hans Stacey finishing four seconds behind the Argentine. Jaroslav Valtr finished five minutes and a second back in fourth and Gerard de Rooy finished fifth, 23 seconds behind Valtr.
De Rooy leads the truck class overall by an hour and 13 minutes over Airat Mardeev. De Rooy is on the verge of his second Dakar victory. Villagra trails by an hour and 43 minutes. Ton Van Genugten and Stacey round out the top five, both are over two hours behind their fellow Dutchman.
The final stage of the Dakar Rally heads from Villa Carlos Paz to Rosario.
Mikko Hirvonen won his first career stage. The Finn is competing in his first Dakar Rally. Hirvonen was victorious by nine seconds over fellow Mini driver Nasser Al-Attiyah. In third place on the stage was Leeroy Poulter, who finished 45 seconds back. Giniel de Villiers finished 57 seconds back in fourth. Nani Roma rounded out the top five, three minutes and nine seconds behind Hirvonen. Vladimir Vasilyev finished four minutes and 23 seconds back in sixth and Orlando Terranova finished six minutes back in seventh. Sébastien Loeb finished eighth, eight minutes and 33 seconds back. Cyril Despres and Stéphane Peterhansel rounded out the top ten, nine minutes and 11 minutes back respectively.
Peterhansel leads heading into the final stage of the 2016 Dakar Rally and is on the verge of his 12th Dakar victory and sixth in the car class. He leads Al-Attiyah by 40 minutes and 59 seconds. De Villiers is an hour and 11 minutes back with Hirvonen trailing the South African by just under four and a half minutes. Fifth place is Poulter. He is an hour and 36 minutes back. Roma is ten minutes outside the top five. Despres is an hour and 55 minutes back in seventh. Vasilyev, Loeb and Harry Hunt round out the top ten. Vasilyev and Loeb are over two hours back while Hunt trails by over three hours.
Hélder Rodrigues won his first stage of this year's race. The Portuguese rider won by four minutes and 32 seconds over overall bike class leader Toby Price. Kevin Benavides finished 23 seconds behind the Australian. Štefan Svitko finished sixth minutes and 48 seconds back with Adrien Van Beveren in fifth, 40 seconds behind the Slovakian. Pablo Quintanilla finished sixth, 12 minutes and 23 seconds back. Gerard Farres finished 17 minutes and four seconds back with Armand Monleon finishing 11 seconds behind Farres. Oliver Pain was 21 seconds behind Monleon and Jacopo Cerutti finished 53 seconds behind Monleon.
Price leads Svitko by 37 minutes and 39 seconds. Quantinalla is 53 minutes back with Benavides and Rodrigues both over 57 minutes back and only one second separating the two riders for fourth. An hour and 14 minutes back is Antoine Meo. Van Beveren trails by an hour and 36 minutes. Farres is an hour and 54 minutes back. American Ricky Brabec is ninth, two hours and three minutes behind Price. Monleon is over three hours back in tenth.
Marcos Patronelli won his third stage and extended his quad class lead. He won by nine seconds over Bolivian Walter Nosiglia. Sergei Karyakin finished 49 seconds back in third. Jeremias González finished fourth, three minutes and 47 seconds back. Alejandro Patronelli finished four minutes and 15 seconds back of his brother in fifth.
Marcos leads his brother Alejandro by four minutes and 23 seconds. Both riders are vying to become the first three-time winner in the quad class. Karyakin is an hour and 52 minutes behind Marcos in third. Brian Baragnwanath is an hour and 57 minutes back. González is two hours and six minutes back in fifth.
Pieter Versluis won stage 12 in the truck class, his first victory since stage two. Federico Villagra finished three minutes and 14 seconds back in second with Hans Stacey finishing four seconds behind the Argentine. Jaroslav Valtr finished five minutes and a second back in fourth and Gerard de Rooy finished fifth, 23 seconds behind Valtr.
De Rooy leads the truck class overall by an hour and 13 minutes over Airat Mardeev. De Rooy is on the verge of his second Dakar victory. Villagra trails by an hour and 43 minutes. Ton Van Genugten and Stacey round out the top five, both are over two hours behind their fellow Dutchman.
The final stage of the Dakar Rally heads from Villa Carlos Paz to Rosario.
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Al-Attiyah Wins Stage Eleven
The overall class leads stayed the same across the board after stage eleven of the 2016 Dakar Rally.
Nasser Al-Attiyah won his second stage of this year's race. Both have come after the rest day. The Qatari beat Sébastien Loeb by five minutes and 52 seconds with Mikko Hirvonen finishing third, seven minutes and a second back. Stéphane Peterhansel was fourth on the stage, eight minutes and five seconds behind Al-Attiyah. Fifth on the stage was Yazeed Al-Rajhi, 11 minutes and 57 second behind Al-Attiyah. Nani Roma finished 12 minutes and 14 seconds back in sixth with Giniel de Villiers 44 seconds behind Roma. Cyril Despres finished eighth, 14 minutes and 51 seconds back. Toyota drivers Leeroy Poulter and Vladimir Vasilyev rounded out the top ten, both finished over 20 minutes back. Robby Gordon was 11th, over 22 minutes back.
Peterhansel still leads overall but the gap to Al-Attiyah has dropped to 51 minutes. An hour and 17 minutes back is de Villiers. Hirvonen is just over five minutes behind the South African. Poulter trails Hirvonen by 24 minutes. Roma and Despres are the final two drivers within two hours of Peterhansel, an hour and 54 minutes and an hour and 56 minutes respectively. Vasilyev is two hours and 11 minutes back. Loeb trails by two hours and 25 minutes. Harry Hunt is tenth, two hours and 48 minutes back.
Gordon is over ten hours back in 28th.
Carlos Sainz has retired after a mechanical failure on stage ten. American Sheldon Creed was disqualified from the race after stage nine for skipping waypoints.
Antoine Meo picked up his second stage victory in the bike class. The Frenchman defeated class leader Toby Price by 18 seconds. Pablo Quintanilla finished third, two minutes and 48 seconds. Hélder Rodrigues was fourth, six minutes and two seconds behind Meo. Adrien Van Beveren finished sixth, 12 minutes and nine seconds back. Kevin Benavides finished four seconds back of Van Beveren. Štefan Svitko finished 26 seconds behind Benavides. American Ian Blythe was the surprise of the stage, finishing eighth, 21 minutes and 28 seconds back. Jordi Viladoms finished ninth, 25 minutes and 29 seconds back and Gerard Farres rounded out the top ten, 27 minutes and seven seconds back. Ricky Brabec finished less than a minute outside the top ten in 11th on stage eleven.
Price leads Svitko by over 35 minutes. Meo is now third, 43 minutes back and Quintanilla trails Meo by less than two minutes. Benavides is 57 minutes back in fifth. Rodrigues is an hour and two minutes back. An hour and 33 minutes back is Van Beveren with Brabec just over six minutes behind the Frenchman. Farres is an hour and 41 minutes back. Michael Metge is 10th, over three hours back.
Alejandro Patronelli won his first stage of this year's Dakar by a minute and six seconds over stage ten winner Brian Baragwanath. Marcos Patronelli was twenty seconds behind Baragwanath in third. Sergei Karyakin finished fourth, 17 minutes and 49 seconds back. Jeremias González was fifth, 28 minutes and 56 seconds back.
Eight seconds separate the Patronelli brothers entering the penultimate stage. Marcos leads Alejandro. Baragwanath is an hour and 41 minutes back in third. Karaykin trails by an hour and 51 minutes and González is two hours and two minutes back in fifth.
Eduard Nikolaev won his third stage in the truck class by seven minutes and two seconds over Hans Stacey. Ton Van Genugten was 34 seconds behind Stacey in third. Airat Mardeev finished fourth, seven minutes and 51 seconds behind his fellow Russian. In fifth was Dmitri Sotnikov, nine minutes and 38 seconds back. Overall leader Gerard de Rooy finished 13 minutes and 49 seconds back in sixth.
De Rooy leads overall by an hour and nine minutes over Mardeev. Federico Villagra finished ninth on the stage and is third in the truck class, an hour and 45 minutes back, Van Genugten trails by two hours and 10 minutes in fourth. Stacey is just over two and a half hours back in fifth.
The penultimate stage heads from San Juan to Villa Carlos Paz.
Nasser Al-Attiyah won his second stage of this year's race. Both have come after the rest day. The Qatari beat Sébastien Loeb by five minutes and 52 seconds with Mikko Hirvonen finishing third, seven minutes and a second back. Stéphane Peterhansel was fourth on the stage, eight minutes and five seconds behind Al-Attiyah. Fifth on the stage was Yazeed Al-Rajhi, 11 minutes and 57 second behind Al-Attiyah. Nani Roma finished 12 minutes and 14 seconds back in sixth with Giniel de Villiers 44 seconds behind Roma. Cyril Despres finished eighth, 14 minutes and 51 seconds back. Toyota drivers Leeroy Poulter and Vladimir Vasilyev rounded out the top ten, both finished over 20 minutes back. Robby Gordon was 11th, over 22 minutes back.
Peterhansel still leads overall but the gap to Al-Attiyah has dropped to 51 minutes. An hour and 17 minutes back is de Villiers. Hirvonen is just over five minutes behind the South African. Poulter trails Hirvonen by 24 minutes. Roma and Despres are the final two drivers within two hours of Peterhansel, an hour and 54 minutes and an hour and 56 minutes respectively. Vasilyev is two hours and 11 minutes back. Loeb trails by two hours and 25 minutes. Harry Hunt is tenth, two hours and 48 minutes back.
Gordon is over ten hours back in 28th.
Carlos Sainz has retired after a mechanical failure on stage ten. American Sheldon Creed was disqualified from the race after stage nine for skipping waypoints.
Antoine Meo picked up his second stage victory in the bike class. The Frenchman defeated class leader Toby Price by 18 seconds. Pablo Quintanilla finished third, two minutes and 48 seconds. Hélder Rodrigues was fourth, six minutes and two seconds behind Meo. Adrien Van Beveren finished sixth, 12 minutes and nine seconds back. Kevin Benavides finished four seconds back of Van Beveren. Štefan Svitko finished 26 seconds behind Benavides. American Ian Blythe was the surprise of the stage, finishing eighth, 21 minutes and 28 seconds back. Jordi Viladoms finished ninth, 25 minutes and 29 seconds back and Gerard Farres rounded out the top ten, 27 minutes and seven seconds back. Ricky Brabec finished less than a minute outside the top ten in 11th on stage eleven.
Price leads Svitko by over 35 minutes. Meo is now third, 43 minutes back and Quintanilla trails Meo by less than two minutes. Benavides is 57 minutes back in fifth. Rodrigues is an hour and two minutes back. An hour and 33 minutes back is Van Beveren with Brabec just over six minutes behind the Frenchman. Farres is an hour and 41 minutes back. Michael Metge is 10th, over three hours back.
Alejandro Patronelli won his first stage of this year's Dakar by a minute and six seconds over stage ten winner Brian Baragwanath. Marcos Patronelli was twenty seconds behind Baragwanath in third. Sergei Karyakin finished fourth, 17 minutes and 49 seconds back. Jeremias González was fifth, 28 minutes and 56 seconds back.
Eight seconds separate the Patronelli brothers entering the penultimate stage. Marcos leads Alejandro. Baragwanath is an hour and 41 minutes back in third. Karaykin trails by an hour and 51 minutes and González is two hours and two minutes back in fifth.
Eduard Nikolaev won his third stage in the truck class by seven minutes and two seconds over Hans Stacey. Ton Van Genugten was 34 seconds behind Stacey in third. Airat Mardeev finished fourth, seven minutes and 51 seconds behind his fellow Russian. In fifth was Dmitri Sotnikov, nine minutes and 38 seconds back. Overall leader Gerard de Rooy finished 13 minutes and 49 seconds back in sixth.
De Rooy leads overall by an hour and nine minutes over Mardeev. Federico Villagra finished ninth on the stage and is third in the truck class, an hour and 45 minutes back, Van Genugten trails by two hours and 10 minutes in fourth. Stacey is just over two and a half hours back in fifth.
The penultimate stage heads from San Juan to Villa Carlos Paz.
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Peterhansel Back On Top After Sainz Suffers Gearbox Issue
Stage ten of the 2016 Dakar Rally saw two class leads go unchanged but there was another changer a top the car class.
Stéphane Peterhansel won the stage, his third of this year's edition. Cyril Despres made it a French and Peugeot 1-2, finishing five minutes and 40 seconds behind Peterhansel. Vladimir Vasilyev was 12 minutes and 56 seconds back in third. Nani Roma finished fourth, 14 minutes and 33 seconds back. Sébastien Loeb scored his first top five stage finish since his accident on stage eight. Loeb was 17 minutes and 40 seconds behind his fellow countryman. Giniel de Villiers finished 26 minutes and 16 seconds back in sixth with Czech driver Miroslav Zapletal scoring his first top ten stage finish of this year's race, a minute and a half behind the South African. Harry Hunt of Great Britain also picked up his first top ten stage finish, 34 minutes and 25 seconds back. Emiliano Spataro finished five seconds behind Hunt. Leeroy Poulter rounded out the top ten, 37 minutes and 36 seconds back.
Carlos Sainz suffered a gearbox issue, stranding him out on the course for a significant amount of time before assistance could arrive. Sainz wasn't the only contending driver to stop on course today. Nasser Al-Attiyah suffered a flat tire and finished 52 minutes behind Peterhansel.
Peterhansel leads by exactly one hour over Al-Attiyah with three stages remaining. De Villiers is 12 minutes behind Al-Attiyah with Mikko Hirvonen just over 11 minutes behind the South African. He finished 56 minutes behind Peterhansel on stage ten. Ten minutes behind the Finn is Poulter. Despres is over an hour and 50 minutes back but Roma trails Despres by 18 seconds for sixth.
Štefan Svitko won his first stage of this year's Dakar. The Slovakian beat Kevin Benavides by two minutes and 54 seconds and Toby Price was five minutes and 47 seconds back in third. Paulo Gonçalves finished fourth, six minutes and a second back. Antoine Meo made it three KTMs in the top five. He finished seven minutes and 43 seconds back of Svitko. Pablo Quintanilla finished nine minutes and 55 seconds behind Svitko in sixth. Hélder Rodrigues was 12 minutes and a second back and American Ricky Brabec finished 13 minutes and 47 seconds back in eighth. Adrien Van Beveren and Gerard Farres rounded out the top ten, 18 minutes and 26 minutes back respectively.
Price retains his overall lead. The Australian leads Svitko by over 23 minutes. Gonçalves trails by 34 minutes in third. Quintanilla is 42 minutes back with Meo less than two minutes behind the Chilean and Benavides a little over a minute back of Meo. Rodrigues is 56 minutes back in seventh. Brabec trails by an hour and 12 minutes in eighth. Farres is three minutes and a second behind the American. Van Beveren rounds out the top ten, an hour and 21 minutes behind Price.
Brian Baragwanath won his second stage in the quad. The South African beat Marcos Patronelli by 29 seconds with Alejandro Patronelli a minute and 17 seconds back of Baragwanath. Sergei Karyakin was fourth, 17 minutes and 42 seconds back. Stage nine winner Pablo Bonetti finished fifth, 21 minutes and 53 seconds behind Baragwanath.
Marcos leads his brother Alejandro by a minute and 32 seconds. Jeremias González is an hour and 34 minutes back after losing over 41 minutes to Marcos Patronelli on this stage. Karyakin trails González by less than a minute. Baragwanath is fifth, an hour and 41 minutes back and the final rider within two hours of the quad class lead.
Dutchman Pascal De Baar took a surprise stage victory. His previous best stage finish this year was ninth on stage two. The Renaults Truck driver beat Gerard de Rooy by two minutes and 36 seconds. Airat Mardeev finished 26 minutes and six seconds back in third. Martin Kolomy finished 19 seconds behind Mardeev. A minute back of Kolomy was Hans Stacey.
De Rooy leads overall by an hour and 15 minutes over Mardeev. Federico Villagra is an hour and 32 minutes back in third. Stacey trails by an hour and 48 minutes. Two hours and 16 minutes back in fifth is Ton Van Genugten.
Stage eleven will go from La Rioja to San Juan.
Stéphane Peterhansel won the stage, his third of this year's edition. Cyril Despres made it a French and Peugeot 1-2, finishing five minutes and 40 seconds behind Peterhansel. Vladimir Vasilyev was 12 minutes and 56 seconds back in third. Nani Roma finished fourth, 14 minutes and 33 seconds back. Sébastien Loeb scored his first top five stage finish since his accident on stage eight. Loeb was 17 minutes and 40 seconds behind his fellow countryman. Giniel de Villiers finished 26 minutes and 16 seconds back in sixth with Czech driver Miroslav Zapletal scoring his first top ten stage finish of this year's race, a minute and a half behind the South African. Harry Hunt of Great Britain also picked up his first top ten stage finish, 34 minutes and 25 seconds back. Emiliano Spataro finished five seconds behind Hunt. Leeroy Poulter rounded out the top ten, 37 minutes and 36 seconds back.
Carlos Sainz suffered a gearbox issue, stranding him out on the course for a significant amount of time before assistance could arrive. Sainz wasn't the only contending driver to stop on course today. Nasser Al-Attiyah suffered a flat tire and finished 52 minutes behind Peterhansel.
Peterhansel leads by exactly one hour over Al-Attiyah with three stages remaining. De Villiers is 12 minutes behind Al-Attiyah with Mikko Hirvonen just over 11 minutes behind the South African. He finished 56 minutes behind Peterhansel on stage ten. Ten minutes behind the Finn is Poulter. Despres is over an hour and 50 minutes back but Roma trails Despres by 18 seconds for sixth.
Štefan Svitko won his first stage of this year's Dakar. The Slovakian beat Kevin Benavides by two minutes and 54 seconds and Toby Price was five minutes and 47 seconds back in third. Paulo Gonçalves finished fourth, six minutes and a second back. Antoine Meo made it three KTMs in the top five. He finished seven minutes and 43 seconds back of Svitko. Pablo Quintanilla finished nine minutes and 55 seconds behind Svitko in sixth. Hélder Rodrigues was 12 minutes and a second back and American Ricky Brabec finished 13 minutes and 47 seconds back in eighth. Adrien Van Beveren and Gerard Farres rounded out the top ten, 18 minutes and 26 minutes back respectively.
Price retains his overall lead. The Australian leads Svitko by over 23 minutes. Gonçalves trails by 34 minutes in third. Quintanilla is 42 minutes back with Meo less than two minutes behind the Chilean and Benavides a little over a minute back of Meo. Rodrigues is 56 minutes back in seventh. Brabec trails by an hour and 12 minutes in eighth. Farres is three minutes and a second behind the American. Van Beveren rounds out the top ten, an hour and 21 minutes behind Price.
Brian Baragwanath won his second stage in the quad. The South African beat Marcos Patronelli by 29 seconds with Alejandro Patronelli a minute and 17 seconds back of Baragwanath. Sergei Karyakin was fourth, 17 minutes and 42 seconds back. Stage nine winner Pablo Bonetti finished fifth, 21 minutes and 53 seconds behind Baragwanath.
Marcos leads his brother Alejandro by a minute and 32 seconds. Jeremias González is an hour and 34 minutes back after losing over 41 minutes to Marcos Patronelli on this stage. Karyakin trails González by less than a minute. Baragwanath is fifth, an hour and 41 minutes back and the final rider within two hours of the quad class lead.
Dutchman Pascal De Baar took a surprise stage victory. His previous best stage finish this year was ninth on stage two. The Renaults Truck driver beat Gerard de Rooy by two minutes and 36 seconds. Airat Mardeev finished 26 minutes and six seconds back in third. Martin Kolomy finished 19 seconds behind Mardeev. A minute back of Kolomy was Hans Stacey.
De Rooy leads overall by an hour and 15 minutes over Mardeev. Federico Villagra is an hour and 32 minutes back in third. Stacey trails by an hour and 48 minutes. Two hours and 16 minutes back in fifth is Ton Van Genugten.
Stage eleven will go from La Rioja to San Juan.
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Sainz Jumps to Top of Car Class
Another day and another lead change a top of the car class occurred while two class leaders entering stage nine were victorious and there was a first time winner.
Carlos Sainz won his second stage of the 2016 Dakar Rally and the Spaniard leaped to the top of the car class. He defeated Erik Van Loon by ten seconds. Mikko Hirvonen finished third, 17 seconds behind the Spaniard. Giniel de Villiers finished 38 seconds back in fourth and Nasser Al-Attiyah rounded out the top five, two minutes and four seconds back. Cyril Despres was sixth, six minutes and 46 seconds back and Stéphane Peterhansel finished seventh, nine minutes and 12 seconds behind Sainz. Yazeed Al-Rajhi finished 26 seconds behind Peterhansel in eighth. Orlando Terranova was ninth, ten minutes and 53 seconds back. Mark Corbett scored his best stage finish this year as the South African ended up tenth, 15 minutes and 31 seconds behind Sainz.
Sainz takes the overall lead by seven minutes and three seconds over Peterhansel. Al-Attiyah is 14 minutes and 38 seconds back in third. Hirvonen is fourth, over 34 minutes back. De Villiers trails by 53 minutes in fifth. An hour and a minute back is Al-Rajhi with Leeroy Poulter two minutes behind the Saudi driver. Van Loon is an hour and 28 minutes back in eighth. Nani Roma and Despres round out the top ten, both over an hour and 42 minutes back.
Toby Price won his second consecutive stage and fifth overall. The Australian defeated Kevin Benavides by seven minutes and ten seconds with Štefan Svitko ten minutes and 33 seconds behind him in third. Pablo Quintanilla finished 15 seconds behind the Slovakian and Ricky Brabec finished fifth, 11 minutes and three seconds behind Price. Antoine Meo finished 50 seconds behind the American. Adrien Van Beveren finished seventh, 14 minutes and 23 seconds back. Gerard Farres was eighth, 15 seconds behind Van Beveren. Hélder Rodrigues finished 16 minutes back of Price in ninth and Armand Monleon finished tenth, 38 seconds behind Rodrigues.
Price extended his overall lead to 24 minutes and 47 seconds over Svitko. Quintanilla is 32 minutes behind in third. Benavides trails Quintanilla by less than half a minute. Meo rounds out the top five, just over 40 minutes back. Rodrigues trails by 46 minutes in sixth. Farres is 52 minutes back in seventh. Brabec, Van Beveren and Italian Alessandro Botturi rounded out the top ten; all trail by over an hour.
Pablo Copetti won his first stage of the 2016 Dakar Rally in the quad class. He defended Alejandro Patronelli by 35 seconds and Marcos Patronelli by a minute and 28 seconds. Brian Baragwanath finished three minutes and four seconds back in fourth. Nelson Sanabria rounded out the top five, three seconds behind Baragwanath.
Marcos Patronelli still leads overall. He is a minute and 13 seconds ahead of his brother Alejandro. Alexis Hernandez is third, over 40 minutes back. Jeremias González trails by 50 minutes in fourth. Sergei Karyakin is fifth, an hour and five minutes behind Patronelli.
Gerard de Rooy won his second consecutive stage. The Dutchman defeated his fellow countryman Ton Van Genugten by three minutes and 59 seconds. Sixteen minutes and four seconds back in third was Andrey Karginov. Federico Villagra was 41 seconds behind Karginov in fourth. Eduard Nikolaev finished fifth, 19 minutes and 14 seconds behind de Rooy.
De Rooy's lead has increased to 27 minutes and 12 seconds over Nikolaev. Villagra is third, over 41 minutes back. Pieter Versluis trails by 44 minutes in fourth. Van Genugten jumps up to fifth, just over 45 minutes behind de Rooy.
Stage ten heads from Bélen to La Rioja.
Carlos Sainz won his second stage of the 2016 Dakar Rally and the Spaniard leaped to the top of the car class. He defeated Erik Van Loon by ten seconds. Mikko Hirvonen finished third, 17 seconds behind the Spaniard. Giniel de Villiers finished 38 seconds back in fourth and Nasser Al-Attiyah rounded out the top five, two minutes and four seconds back. Cyril Despres was sixth, six minutes and 46 seconds back and Stéphane Peterhansel finished seventh, nine minutes and 12 seconds behind Sainz. Yazeed Al-Rajhi finished 26 seconds behind Peterhansel in eighth. Orlando Terranova was ninth, ten minutes and 53 seconds back. Mark Corbett scored his best stage finish this year as the South African ended up tenth, 15 minutes and 31 seconds behind Sainz.
Sainz takes the overall lead by seven minutes and three seconds over Peterhansel. Al-Attiyah is 14 minutes and 38 seconds back in third. Hirvonen is fourth, over 34 minutes back. De Villiers trails by 53 minutes in fifth. An hour and a minute back is Al-Rajhi with Leeroy Poulter two minutes behind the Saudi driver. Van Loon is an hour and 28 minutes back in eighth. Nani Roma and Despres round out the top ten, both over an hour and 42 minutes back.
Toby Price won his second consecutive stage and fifth overall. The Australian defeated Kevin Benavides by seven minutes and ten seconds with Štefan Svitko ten minutes and 33 seconds behind him in third. Pablo Quintanilla finished 15 seconds behind the Slovakian and Ricky Brabec finished fifth, 11 minutes and three seconds behind Price. Antoine Meo finished 50 seconds behind the American. Adrien Van Beveren finished seventh, 14 minutes and 23 seconds back. Gerard Farres was eighth, 15 seconds behind Van Beveren. Hélder Rodrigues finished 16 minutes back of Price in ninth and Armand Monleon finished tenth, 38 seconds behind Rodrigues.
Price extended his overall lead to 24 minutes and 47 seconds over Svitko. Quintanilla is 32 minutes behind in third. Benavides trails Quintanilla by less than half a minute. Meo rounds out the top five, just over 40 minutes back. Rodrigues trails by 46 minutes in sixth. Farres is 52 minutes back in seventh. Brabec, Van Beveren and Italian Alessandro Botturi rounded out the top ten; all trail by over an hour.
Pablo Copetti won his first stage of the 2016 Dakar Rally in the quad class. He defended Alejandro Patronelli by 35 seconds and Marcos Patronelli by a minute and 28 seconds. Brian Baragwanath finished three minutes and four seconds back in fourth. Nelson Sanabria rounded out the top five, three seconds behind Baragwanath.
Marcos Patronelli still leads overall. He is a minute and 13 seconds ahead of his brother Alejandro. Alexis Hernandez is third, over 40 minutes back. Jeremias González trails by 50 minutes in fourth. Sergei Karyakin is fifth, an hour and five minutes behind Patronelli.
Gerard de Rooy won his second consecutive stage. The Dutchman defeated his fellow countryman Ton Van Genugten by three minutes and 59 seconds. Sixteen minutes and four seconds back in third was Andrey Karginov. Federico Villagra was 41 seconds behind Karginov in fourth. Eduard Nikolaev finished fifth, 19 minutes and 14 seconds behind de Rooy.
De Rooy's lead has increased to 27 minutes and 12 seconds over Nikolaev. Villagra is third, over 41 minutes back. Pieter Versluis trails by 44 minutes in fourth. Van Genugten jumps up to fifth, just over 45 minutes behind de Rooy.
Stage ten heads from Bélen to La Rioja.
Monday, January 11, 2016
Second Week of Dakar Starts With New Class Leaders Across the Board
Stage eight saw lead changes at the top of every class and a few contenders suffered major set backs.
The big change came in the car class as Nasser Al-Attiyah won his first stage of this year's Dakar and ended Peugeot's six-stage winning streak. The Mini driver defeated Carlos Sainz by 21 seconds and Stéphane Peterhansel by 31 seconds. Cyril Despres scored his best stage finish with a fourth, four minutes and 40 seconds behind Al-Attiyah. Mikko Hirvonen made it consecutive fifth place finishes. The Finn was six minutes and 42 seconds behind Al-Attiyah. Nani Roma and Orlando Terranova were sixth and seventh. The Spaniard was ten minutes and 11 seconds back and the Argentine was 11 minutes and 37 seconds back. Toyota's Leeroy Poulter and Yazeed Al-Rajhi finished eighth and ninth. Poulter finished 12 minutes and six seconds back and Al-Rajhi was 14 minutes and 21 seconds back of Al-Attiyah. Erik Van Loon rounded out the top ten, 15 minutes and 16 seconds back.
Sébastien Loeb suffered a major accident when he rolled his Peugeot 18 miles from the end of the stage. The class leading driver entering stage eight and his co-driver Daniel Elena were ok but the car needed a significant amount of repairs and they finished an hour and eight minutes after Al-Attiyah.
Peterhansel assume the lead of the car class after Loeb's disastrous stage and he leads Sainz by two minutes and nine seconds. Al-Attiyah is 14 minutes and 43 seconds back in third and Hirvonen moves up to fourth, over 36 minutes back. Poulter trails by 49 minutes in fifth. Al-Rajhi and Giniel de Villiers are separated by half a minute but both drivers are over 54 minutes behind Peterhansel. Loeb is the first competitor over an hour behind the lead in eighth. Vladimir Vasilyev and Roma round out the top ten, trailing Peterhansel by 68 minutes and 88 minutes respectively.
Toby Price won his fourth stage of this year's Dakar and in doing so the Australian now leads the bike class overall. He defeated Paulo Gonçalves by five minutes and 17 seconds and Pablo Quintanilla by six minutes and 32 seconds. Slovakian Štefan Svitko finished fourth, eight minutes and two seconds behind Price. Kevin Benavides came home in fifth, four seconds behind Svitko. Hélder Rodrigues finished sixth, nine minutes and 19 seconds back. Gerrard Farres finished 10 minutes and 47 seconds back in seventh and Antoine Meo was three seconds back of Farres. Juan Pedrero finished 18 seconds back of Meo and Adrien Van Beveren finished tenth, 15 minutes and seven seconds back. American Ricky Brabec finished 11th, a minute and 37 seconds outside the top ten for the stage.
Price leads Gonçalves by two minutes and five seconds with Svitko 14 minutes and 14 seconds back. Quintanilla, Benavides and Meo are all over twenty minutes behind Price. Rodrigues is the first rider trailing Price by over a half hour. Farres is 37 minutes back and Pedrero trails by 39 minutes. Alain Duclos is tenth, 45 minutes back. Brabec is 11th, 51 minutes behind Price.
Ian Blythe is 29th, two hours and 28 minutes back. Alexander Smith is nearly five hours back in 45th. Scott Bright trails by six hours and 41 minutes in 59th. Carroll Gittere is over ten hours back in 84th.
Marcos Patronelli won stage eight and like Price he took his class lead. The Argentine rider won in the quad class by five minutes and 42 seconds over his brother Alejandro. Alexis Hernandez finished third, nine minutes and 17 seconds back. Lucas Bonetto was fourth, 39 seconds behind Hernandez. Sergei Karyakin finished 16 minutes and 41 seconds back in fifth.
Marcos leads overall by two minutes and six seconds over Alejandro. Hernandez trails by 32 minutes in third. Karyakin is 43 minutes back in fourth. Jeremias González rounds out the top five by 46 minutes.
Gerard de Rooy won stage eight and took the truck class lead. The Dutch driver beat Eduard Nikolaev by two minutes and 35 seconds. Andrey Karginov finished five minutes and 23 seconds behind de Rooy in third. Jaroslav Valtr scored his best finish of this year's Dakar, as the Czech driver was fourth, 13 minutes and 38 seconds behind de Rooy. Dmitry Sotnikov was nine seconds behind Valtr. Federico Villagra was sixth, 14 minutes and 35 seconds back and Hans Stacey finished seventh, 14 seconds behind Villagra.
De Rooy will take a seven-minute and 58-second lead into stage nine over Nikolaev. Pieter Versluis dropped from the class lead to third, 13 minutes and 29 seconds behind de Rooy after finishing tenth on stage eight, 19 minutes behind his fellow countryman. Stacey trails by over twenty minutes in fourth. Airat Mardeev is 22 minutes back in fifth.
Stage nine will start and finish in Bélen.
The big change came in the car class as Nasser Al-Attiyah won his first stage of this year's Dakar and ended Peugeot's six-stage winning streak. The Mini driver defeated Carlos Sainz by 21 seconds and Stéphane Peterhansel by 31 seconds. Cyril Despres scored his best stage finish with a fourth, four minutes and 40 seconds behind Al-Attiyah. Mikko Hirvonen made it consecutive fifth place finishes. The Finn was six minutes and 42 seconds behind Al-Attiyah. Nani Roma and Orlando Terranova were sixth and seventh. The Spaniard was ten minutes and 11 seconds back and the Argentine was 11 minutes and 37 seconds back. Toyota's Leeroy Poulter and Yazeed Al-Rajhi finished eighth and ninth. Poulter finished 12 minutes and six seconds back and Al-Rajhi was 14 minutes and 21 seconds back of Al-Attiyah. Erik Van Loon rounded out the top ten, 15 minutes and 16 seconds back.
Sébastien Loeb suffered a major accident when he rolled his Peugeot 18 miles from the end of the stage. The class leading driver entering stage eight and his co-driver Daniel Elena were ok but the car needed a significant amount of repairs and they finished an hour and eight minutes after Al-Attiyah.
Peterhansel assume the lead of the car class after Loeb's disastrous stage and he leads Sainz by two minutes and nine seconds. Al-Attiyah is 14 minutes and 43 seconds back in third and Hirvonen moves up to fourth, over 36 minutes back. Poulter trails by 49 minutes in fifth. Al-Rajhi and Giniel de Villiers are separated by half a minute but both drivers are over 54 minutes behind Peterhansel. Loeb is the first competitor over an hour behind the lead in eighth. Vladimir Vasilyev and Roma round out the top ten, trailing Peterhansel by 68 minutes and 88 minutes respectively.
Toby Price won his fourth stage of this year's Dakar and in doing so the Australian now leads the bike class overall. He defeated Paulo Gonçalves by five minutes and 17 seconds and Pablo Quintanilla by six minutes and 32 seconds. Slovakian Štefan Svitko finished fourth, eight minutes and two seconds behind Price. Kevin Benavides came home in fifth, four seconds behind Svitko. Hélder Rodrigues finished sixth, nine minutes and 19 seconds back. Gerrard Farres finished 10 minutes and 47 seconds back in seventh and Antoine Meo was three seconds back of Farres. Juan Pedrero finished 18 seconds back of Meo and Adrien Van Beveren finished tenth, 15 minutes and seven seconds back. American Ricky Brabec finished 11th, a minute and 37 seconds outside the top ten for the stage.
Price leads Gonçalves by two minutes and five seconds with Svitko 14 minutes and 14 seconds back. Quintanilla, Benavides and Meo are all over twenty minutes behind Price. Rodrigues is the first rider trailing Price by over a half hour. Farres is 37 minutes back and Pedrero trails by 39 minutes. Alain Duclos is tenth, 45 minutes back. Brabec is 11th, 51 minutes behind Price.
Ian Blythe is 29th, two hours and 28 minutes back. Alexander Smith is nearly five hours back in 45th. Scott Bright trails by six hours and 41 minutes in 59th. Carroll Gittere is over ten hours back in 84th.
Marcos Patronelli won stage eight and like Price he took his class lead. The Argentine rider won in the quad class by five minutes and 42 seconds over his brother Alejandro. Alexis Hernandez finished third, nine minutes and 17 seconds back. Lucas Bonetto was fourth, 39 seconds behind Hernandez. Sergei Karyakin finished 16 minutes and 41 seconds back in fifth.
Marcos leads overall by two minutes and six seconds over Alejandro. Hernandez trails by 32 minutes in third. Karyakin is 43 minutes back in fourth. Jeremias González rounds out the top five by 46 minutes.
Gerard de Rooy won stage eight and took the truck class lead. The Dutch driver beat Eduard Nikolaev by two minutes and 35 seconds. Andrey Karginov finished five minutes and 23 seconds behind de Rooy in third. Jaroslav Valtr scored his best finish of this year's Dakar, as the Czech driver was fourth, 13 minutes and 38 seconds behind de Rooy. Dmitry Sotnikov was nine seconds behind Valtr. Federico Villagra was sixth, 14 minutes and 35 seconds back and Hans Stacey finished seventh, 14 seconds behind Villagra.
De Rooy will take a seven-minute and 58-second lead into stage nine over Nikolaev. Pieter Versluis dropped from the class lead to third, 13 minutes and 29 seconds behind de Rooy after finishing tenth on stage eight, 19 minutes behind his fellow countryman. Stacey trails by over twenty minutes in fourth. Airat Mardeev is 22 minutes back in fifth.
Stage nine will start and finish in Bélen.
Saturday, January 9, 2016
Loeb Retakes Class Lead
The 2016 Dakar Rally returned to Argentina and there was a change at the top of the car class.
Carlos Sainz won his first stage of this year's rally. The Spaniard defeated his Peugeot teammate Sébastien Loeb by 38 seconds. Nasser Al-Attiyah finished third, three minutes and 22 seconds behind Sainz. Stéphane Peterhansel entered stage seven as the car class leader but the Frenchman relinquished his lead after finishing fourth, five seconds behind Al-Attiyah. Mikko Hirvonen cracked the top five and was four minutes and seven seconds behind Sainz. Cyril Despres finished five minutes and 24 seconds back in sixth with Giniel de Villiers a second behind Despres. Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Leeroy Poulter followed their Toyota teammate de Villiers in eighth and ninth. They were six minutes and 42 seconds back and six minutes and 57 seconds back respectively. Nani Roma was tenth, seven minutes and 16 seconds back. Robby Gordon finished 11th, ten minutes and a second back.
Loeb takes a two-minute and 22-second lead into the rest day over Peterhansel. Sainz is four minutes and 50 seconds back in third. Al-Attiyah is fourth, over 17 minutes back and Hirvonen rounds out the top five, over 32 minutes behind Loeb. Toyota drivers take up the next four spots in the overall classifications. De Villiers leads Poulter, Al-Rajhi and Vladimir Vasilyev, who finished 13th on stage seven. Emiliano Spataro is tenth, the first driver over an hour behind Loeb.
Sheldon Creed remains the top American, 24th overall after finishing 21st on stage seven. Gordon is now 28th overall. Both drivers are over three and a half hours back.
Antoine Meo won his first career Dakar Rally stage. The Frenchman defeated Kevin Benavides by a minute and 53 seconds. Bike class leader Paulo Gonçalves finished third on the stage, three seconds behind Benavides. Michael Metge was fourth, three minutes and 51 seconds back. Hélder Rodrigues finished four minutes and 28 seconds behind Meo in fifth. Toby Price finished sixth, five seconds outside the top five. Pablo Quintanilla was 19 seconds behind the Australian in seventh. Txomin Arana was eighth, five minutes and three seconds. Ivan Cervandes and Gerard Farres rounded out the top ten. Cervandes was thirty seconds behind Arana and Farres was 28 seconds back of Cervandes.
Gonçalves retains the class lead into the rest day. He is three minutes and 12 seconds ahead of Price and nine minutes and 24 seconds ahead of Štefan Svitko, who finished 11th on stage seven. Quintanilla is 18 minutes and six seconds back in fourth with Benavides 21 minutes and a second back. Meo is five seconds behind Benavides. In seventh, Rodrigues is 22 minutes and 44 seconds behind his fellow countryman. Farres is eighth, 29 minutes and 57 seconds behind Gonçalves. Alain Duclos is over a half an hour back in ninth after finishing 15th on stage seven. Juan Pedrero rounds out the top ten, 32 minutes back after finishing 16th on the stage.
American Ricky Brabec finished 12th and is now 12th overall, over 38 minutes back. Ian Blythe is nearly two hours back in 34th. Alexander Smith is over three and a half hour behind Gonçalves in 47th. Scott Bright trails Smith by just less than an hour in 58th. Carroll Gittere is over seven hours back in 83rd.
Argentine Lucas Bonetto won his first stage of this year's rally. He won the quad class by 29 seconds over fellow countryman Pablo Copetti. Walter Nosiglia finished third, 54 seconds back. The Patronelli brothers rounded out the top five. Alejandro finished two minutes and 34 seconds back and Marcos was 48 seconds behind his brother.
Alejandro Patronelli continues to lead overall. He leads his brother by three minutes and 36 seconds. Russian Sergei Karyakin is third; seven minutes and 51 seconds back after finishing seventh on stage seven. Jeremias González is over 26 minutes behind Patronelli after he finished sixth on the stage. Alexis Hernandez rounds out the top five, just over a minute behind Gonzàlez. Since winning stage five, Hernandez had failed to crack the top five in a stage. The Peruvian finished 11th on stage seven, matching his worst stage finish in this year's race.
In the truck class, Eduard Nikolaev won his second stage of this year's Dakar. The Russian beat Kamaz teammate Airat Mardeev by 58 seconds. Dutchman Pieter Versluis was third, a minute and 17 seconds behind Nikolaev. Gerard de Rooy finished two minutes and 11 seconds back in fourth and Andrey Karginov was fifth, six minutes and 44 seconds behind his countryman.
Versluis leads the truck class heading into the rest day after Hans Stacey finished ninth on stage seven and drops to fifth in class. Versluis leads de Rooy by five minutes and 31 seconds. Ten minutes and 48 seconds back is Mardeev with Nikolaev six seconds behind his fellow Russian. Stacey is 11 minutes and 28 seconds behind Versluis.
Sunday will be a rest day. On Monday, the teams head from Salta to Bélen.
Carlos Sainz won his first stage of this year's rally. The Spaniard defeated his Peugeot teammate Sébastien Loeb by 38 seconds. Nasser Al-Attiyah finished third, three minutes and 22 seconds behind Sainz. Stéphane Peterhansel entered stage seven as the car class leader but the Frenchman relinquished his lead after finishing fourth, five seconds behind Al-Attiyah. Mikko Hirvonen cracked the top five and was four minutes and seven seconds behind Sainz. Cyril Despres finished five minutes and 24 seconds back in sixth with Giniel de Villiers a second behind Despres. Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Leeroy Poulter followed their Toyota teammate de Villiers in eighth and ninth. They were six minutes and 42 seconds back and six minutes and 57 seconds back respectively. Nani Roma was tenth, seven minutes and 16 seconds back. Robby Gordon finished 11th, ten minutes and a second back.
Loeb takes a two-minute and 22-second lead into the rest day over Peterhansel. Sainz is four minutes and 50 seconds back in third. Al-Attiyah is fourth, over 17 minutes back and Hirvonen rounds out the top five, over 32 minutes behind Loeb. Toyota drivers take up the next four spots in the overall classifications. De Villiers leads Poulter, Al-Rajhi and Vladimir Vasilyev, who finished 13th on stage seven. Emiliano Spataro is tenth, the first driver over an hour behind Loeb.
Sheldon Creed remains the top American, 24th overall after finishing 21st on stage seven. Gordon is now 28th overall. Both drivers are over three and a half hours back.
Antoine Meo won his first career Dakar Rally stage. The Frenchman defeated Kevin Benavides by a minute and 53 seconds. Bike class leader Paulo Gonçalves finished third on the stage, three seconds behind Benavides. Michael Metge was fourth, three minutes and 51 seconds back. Hélder Rodrigues finished four minutes and 28 seconds behind Meo in fifth. Toby Price finished sixth, five seconds outside the top five. Pablo Quintanilla was 19 seconds behind the Australian in seventh. Txomin Arana was eighth, five minutes and three seconds. Ivan Cervandes and Gerard Farres rounded out the top ten. Cervandes was thirty seconds behind Arana and Farres was 28 seconds back of Cervandes.
Gonçalves retains the class lead into the rest day. He is three minutes and 12 seconds ahead of Price and nine minutes and 24 seconds ahead of Štefan Svitko, who finished 11th on stage seven. Quintanilla is 18 minutes and six seconds back in fourth with Benavides 21 minutes and a second back. Meo is five seconds behind Benavides. In seventh, Rodrigues is 22 minutes and 44 seconds behind his fellow countryman. Farres is eighth, 29 minutes and 57 seconds behind Gonçalves. Alain Duclos is over a half an hour back in ninth after finishing 15th on stage seven. Juan Pedrero rounds out the top ten, 32 minutes back after finishing 16th on the stage.
American Ricky Brabec finished 12th and is now 12th overall, over 38 minutes back. Ian Blythe is nearly two hours back in 34th. Alexander Smith is over three and a half hour behind Gonçalves in 47th. Scott Bright trails Smith by just less than an hour in 58th. Carroll Gittere is over seven hours back in 83rd.
Argentine Lucas Bonetto won his first stage of this year's rally. He won the quad class by 29 seconds over fellow countryman Pablo Copetti. Walter Nosiglia finished third, 54 seconds back. The Patronelli brothers rounded out the top five. Alejandro finished two minutes and 34 seconds back and Marcos was 48 seconds behind his brother.
Alejandro Patronelli continues to lead overall. He leads his brother by three minutes and 36 seconds. Russian Sergei Karyakin is third; seven minutes and 51 seconds back after finishing seventh on stage seven. Jeremias González is over 26 minutes behind Patronelli after he finished sixth on the stage. Alexis Hernandez rounds out the top five, just over a minute behind Gonzàlez. Since winning stage five, Hernandez had failed to crack the top five in a stage. The Peruvian finished 11th on stage seven, matching his worst stage finish in this year's race.
In the truck class, Eduard Nikolaev won his second stage of this year's Dakar. The Russian beat Kamaz teammate Airat Mardeev by 58 seconds. Dutchman Pieter Versluis was third, a minute and 17 seconds behind Nikolaev. Gerard de Rooy finished two minutes and 11 seconds back in fourth and Andrey Karginov was fifth, six minutes and 44 seconds behind his countryman.
Versluis leads the truck class heading into the rest day after Hans Stacey finished ninth on stage seven and drops to fifth in class. Versluis leads de Rooy by five minutes and 31 seconds. Ten minutes and 48 seconds back is Mardeev with Nikolaev six seconds behind his fellow Russian. Stacey is 11 minutes and 28 seconds behind Versluis.
Sunday will be a rest day. On Monday, the teams head from Salta to Bélen.
Friday, January 8, 2016
Peterhansel Takes Dakar Lead, Loeb Drops to Second
The sixth stage of the 2016 Dakar Rally saw three lead changes in the overall classifications in three classes and one competitor scored his first stage victory of this year's race.
Stéphane Peterhansel won the car class, his second stage victory, by seventeen seconds over Peugeot teammate Carlos Sainz. Saudi driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi finished seven minutes and 19 seconds back in third. Sébastien Loeb failed to finish in the top three of a stage for the first time since the prologue as the nine-time World Rally champion finished eight minutes and 15 seconds back of Peterhansel. Nasser Al-Attiyah finished fifth, 36 seconds behind Loeb. Nani Roma was sixth, 11 minutes and a second back. Orlando Terranova finished two minutes and five seconds back of Roma and Mikko Hirvonen was a minute and nine seconds behind Terranova. Giniel de Villiers finished ninth, 59 seconds behind Hirvonen. Erik Van Loon and Cyril Despres finished tied for tenth, 16 minutes and 45 seconds back of Peterhansel.
Peterhansel has taken a 27-second lead over Loeb in the overall standings. Sainz is five minutes and 55 seconds back of Peterhansel, third overall. Al-Attiyah is fourth, over 15 minutes back. De Villiers and Hirvonen trail Peterhansel by 29 minutes and 21 seconds and 29 minutes and 51 seconds respectively. Leeroy Poulter is over 34 minutes back in seventh. Al-Rajhi is eighth, over 37 minutes back. Vladimir Vasilyev is ninth, 42 minutes back and Emiliano Spataro is tenth, 57 minutes back.
The Americans Sheldon Creed and Robby Gordon finished 37th and 50th on the day. Creed is 29th overall and Gordon is 32nd overall. Both are over three hours behind Peterhansel.
Toby Price won in the bike class for the second consecutive day. The Australian finished a minute and five seconds ahead of fellow KTM rider Matthias Walkner. Class leader Paulo Gonçalves finished third, a minute and 12 seconds behind Price. Štefan Svitko finished fourth, four minutes and 44 seconds behind Price and Hélder Rodrigues rounded out the top five, five minutes and 23 seconds back. Husqvarna riders Pablo Quintanilla and Txomin Arana finished sixth and seventh, with seven seconds separating the riders. Ricky Brabec finished eighth, eight minutes and 16 seconds behind Price. Italian Alessandro Botturi finished a minute and three seconds behind Brabec and Jordi Viladoms was tenth, 11 minutes and nine seconds behind Price.
Gonçalves keeps his overall lead but only leads Price by 35 seconds. Walkner is two minutes and 50 seconds back. Svikto trails by five minutes and 17 seconds with Quintanilla nearly ten minutes behind the Slovakian. Rodrigues is over 20 minutes behind his fellow countryman. Kevin Benavides is over 21 minutes back in seventh. French riders Antoine Meo and Alain Duclos are eight and ninth and Juan Pedrero is tenth.
Brabec is 14th with Ian Blythe in 36th, Alexander Smith in 50th and Scott Bright in 50th.
Marcos Patronelli won his second stage in the quad class. The Argentine rider finished six minutes and 39 seconds ahead of his brother Alejandro. Brian Baragwanath finished third, eight minutes and 21 seconds back. Sergei Karyakin finished nearly ten minutes behind Baragwanath and Jeremias González was fifth, over three minutes behind Karyakin.
Alejandro Patronelli took the overall lead in the quad class as Alexis Hernandez finished eighth on stage six. Alejandro leads his brother by two minutes and 48 seconds. Karyakin is five minutes and 39 seconds back. Hernandez dropped to fourth, trailing the Argentine by 21 minutes and a second back. González is fifth, just under 25 minutes back of his fellow countryman.
Hans Stacey won his first stage in the truck class and retook the truck class lead overall. The Dutchman finished seven seconds ahead of Gerard de Rooy. Pieter Versluis made it a Dutch sweep of the top three, finishing a minute and 15 seconds behind Stacey. Eduard Nikolaev was fourth, two minutes and 11 second back with Dmitry Sotnikov ten seconds back of Nikolaev.
Stacey leads Versluis by 59 seconds. Federico Villagra dropped from the lead to third, four minutes and five seconds back of Stacey after finishing ninth on stage six. De Rooy trails Stacey by five minutes and 36 seconds and Airat Mardeev is fifth, 12 minutes and six seconds behind Stacey after the Russian finished eighth in stage six.
Stage seven brings the teams back to Argentina. All four classes head to Salta.
Stéphane Peterhansel won the car class, his second stage victory, by seventeen seconds over Peugeot teammate Carlos Sainz. Saudi driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi finished seven minutes and 19 seconds back in third. Sébastien Loeb failed to finish in the top three of a stage for the first time since the prologue as the nine-time World Rally champion finished eight minutes and 15 seconds back of Peterhansel. Nasser Al-Attiyah finished fifth, 36 seconds behind Loeb. Nani Roma was sixth, 11 minutes and a second back. Orlando Terranova finished two minutes and five seconds back of Roma and Mikko Hirvonen was a minute and nine seconds behind Terranova. Giniel de Villiers finished ninth, 59 seconds behind Hirvonen. Erik Van Loon and Cyril Despres finished tied for tenth, 16 minutes and 45 seconds back of Peterhansel.
Peterhansel has taken a 27-second lead over Loeb in the overall standings. Sainz is five minutes and 55 seconds back of Peterhansel, third overall. Al-Attiyah is fourth, over 15 minutes back. De Villiers and Hirvonen trail Peterhansel by 29 minutes and 21 seconds and 29 minutes and 51 seconds respectively. Leeroy Poulter is over 34 minutes back in seventh. Al-Rajhi is eighth, over 37 minutes back. Vladimir Vasilyev is ninth, 42 minutes back and Emiliano Spataro is tenth, 57 minutes back.
The Americans Sheldon Creed and Robby Gordon finished 37th and 50th on the day. Creed is 29th overall and Gordon is 32nd overall. Both are over three hours behind Peterhansel.
Toby Price won in the bike class for the second consecutive day. The Australian finished a minute and five seconds ahead of fellow KTM rider Matthias Walkner. Class leader Paulo Gonçalves finished third, a minute and 12 seconds behind Price. Štefan Svitko finished fourth, four minutes and 44 seconds behind Price and Hélder Rodrigues rounded out the top five, five minutes and 23 seconds back. Husqvarna riders Pablo Quintanilla and Txomin Arana finished sixth and seventh, with seven seconds separating the riders. Ricky Brabec finished eighth, eight minutes and 16 seconds behind Price. Italian Alessandro Botturi finished a minute and three seconds behind Brabec and Jordi Viladoms was tenth, 11 minutes and nine seconds behind Price.
Gonçalves keeps his overall lead but only leads Price by 35 seconds. Walkner is two minutes and 50 seconds back. Svikto trails by five minutes and 17 seconds with Quintanilla nearly ten minutes behind the Slovakian. Rodrigues is over 20 minutes behind his fellow countryman. Kevin Benavides is over 21 minutes back in seventh. French riders Antoine Meo and Alain Duclos are eight and ninth and Juan Pedrero is tenth.
Brabec is 14th with Ian Blythe in 36th, Alexander Smith in 50th and Scott Bright in 50th.
Marcos Patronelli won his second stage in the quad class. The Argentine rider finished six minutes and 39 seconds ahead of his brother Alejandro. Brian Baragwanath finished third, eight minutes and 21 seconds back. Sergei Karyakin finished nearly ten minutes behind Baragwanath and Jeremias González was fifth, over three minutes behind Karyakin.
Alejandro Patronelli took the overall lead in the quad class as Alexis Hernandez finished eighth on stage six. Alejandro leads his brother by two minutes and 48 seconds. Karyakin is five minutes and 39 seconds back. Hernandez dropped to fourth, trailing the Argentine by 21 minutes and a second back. González is fifth, just under 25 minutes back of his fellow countryman.
Hans Stacey won his first stage in the truck class and retook the truck class lead overall. The Dutchman finished seven seconds ahead of Gerard de Rooy. Pieter Versluis made it a Dutch sweep of the top three, finishing a minute and 15 seconds behind Stacey. Eduard Nikolaev was fourth, two minutes and 11 second back with Dmitry Sotnikov ten seconds back of Nikolaev.
Stacey leads Versluis by 59 seconds. Federico Villagra dropped from the lead to third, four minutes and five seconds back of Stacey after finishing ninth on stage six. De Rooy trails Stacey by five minutes and 36 seconds and Airat Mardeev is fifth, 12 minutes and six seconds behind Stacey after the Russian finished eighth in stage six.
Stage seven brings the teams back to Argentina. All four classes head to Salta.
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Loeb Wins Stage Five, New Quad Class Leader
Stage five of the Dakar Rally saw two classes remain the same with two classes featuring changes at the top of the classifications.
Sébastien Loeb won his third stage of the 2016 Dakar Rally. The Frenchman defeated fellow Peugeot driver Carlos Sainz by 22 seconds. Stage four winner Stéphane Peterhansel finished third on stage five, three minutes behind Loeb. Nasser Al-Attiyah finished fourth, seven seconds off the podium. Leeroy Poulter finished three minutes behind Al-Attiyah and rounded out the top five.
Mikko Hirvonen finished sixth, seven minutes and 42 seconds back of Loeb. Giniel de Villiers was seventh, eight minutes and 36 seconds back. Robby Gordon was eighth on the day, nine minutes and 20 seconds back. Bernhard ten Brinke finished fifteen seconds behind Gordon and Orlando Terranova rounded out the top ten on the stage. The Argentine was ten minutes and 15 seconds back of Loeb. Nani Roma was 18 seconds outside the top ten.
Loeb extended his overall lead in the car class to seven minutes and 48 seconds over Peterhansel. Sainz is 13 minutes and 26 seconds back in third. Al-Attiyah is 50 seconds behind Sainz and is the top non-Peugeot competitor. Poulter rounds out the top five, 18 minutes and 38 seconds back. De Villiers follows his fellow South African in the classifications with Hirvonen seventh. Ten Brinke, Vladimir Vasilyev and Yazeed Al-Rajhi round out the top ten. Vasilyev and Al-Rajhi finished 13th and 16th respectively on stage five.
Robby Gordon jumped up to 24th overall, an hour and 48 minutes back. Sheldon Creed is 28th; two hours and two minutes back after finishing 32nd on stage five.
Toby Price won his second stage of the 2016 Dakar Rally. The Australian defeated Antoine Meo by two minutes and 21 seconds. Štefan Svitko was third, 12 seconds behind Meo. Matthias Walkner finished seven seconds off the podium in fourth. Joan Barreda was fifth on the day, five minutes and 57 seconds back. Pablo Quintanilla finished sixth, six minutes and 51 seconds back of Price. Ivan Jakes was seventh; seven minutes and 19 seconds back with Hélder Rodrigues a second behind Jakes and Juan Pedrero finishing 17 seconds behind the Slovakian Jakes. Alain Duclos rounded out the top ten, 58 seconds behind Pedrero.
Paulo Gonçalves finished 12th on stage five but retained his class lead. The Portuguese rider is a minute and 45 seconds ahead of Svitko and Price is two seconds back of Svitko. Barreda is two minutes and 27 seconds behind Gonçalves. Walkner is fifth, two minutes and 57 seconds back. Argentine Kevin Benavides finished 16th on the stage but remains sixth overall, six minutes and 46 seconds back. Meo is three seconds behind Benavides. Ruben Faria finished 11th on the day but is still eighth and is trails his countryman by eight minutes and 13 seconds. Quintanilla is eight minutes and 30 seconds back in ninth and Duclos is tenth, 13 minutes and 39 seconds behind Gonçalves.
Ricky Brabec is 19th overall; 26 minutes and 42 seconds back after finishing 24th on stage five. Ian Blythe remains the second-best American, 42nd and an hour and 12 minutes back. Alexander Smith is 59th, two hours and 21 minutes back. Scott Bright and Carroll Gittere are 67th and 91st respectively, both over two and a half hours behind Gonçalves.
There is a new leader in the quad class after Alexis Hernandez won the stage and Ignacio Casale suffered engine problems. The Peruvian won the stage by a minute and 57 seconds over stage three winner Brian Baragawanath. Alejandro Patronelli finished third, twenty seconds behind Baragawanath. Russian Sergei Karyakin finished two minutes and 50 seconds back in fourth and the Dutchman Kees Koolen was fifth, three minutes and 20 seconds behind Hernandez.
Hernandez took over the overall lead with his victory. The Peruvian is 48 seconds ahead of Alejandro Patronelli. Karyakin is third, eight minutes and 35 seconds back. Marcos Patronelli moves up to fourth, ten minutes and 15 seconds behind Hernandez. He finished eighth on the stage. Jeremias González is fifth, 11 minutes and nine seconds back. González was seventh on stage five. Casale dropped to 14th, an hour and four seconds behind Hernandez.
Eduard Nikolaev picked up his first victory of this year's Dakar in the truck class. The Russian finished two minutes and 32 seconds ahead of Martin Kolomy. Federico Villagra finished third, four minutes and 32 seconds behind Nikolaev. Dutch driver Ton Van Genugten finished fourth, with the same time as Villagra. Rounding out the top five was Airat Mardeev, five minutes and 58 seconds behind Nikolaev.
Villagra took the truck class lead by five seconds over Pieter Versluis, who finished sixth on the day. Hans Stacey was seventh on stage five and is now third, 21 seconds behind Villagra. Gerard de Rooy is five minutes and 50 seconds back after finishing eighth on stage five. Mardeev is fifth overall, eight minutes and 49 seconds back.
Stage six will be a lap around Bolivia with the teams starting and ending in Uyuni.
Sébastien Loeb won his third stage of the 2016 Dakar Rally. The Frenchman defeated fellow Peugeot driver Carlos Sainz by 22 seconds. Stage four winner Stéphane Peterhansel finished third on stage five, three minutes behind Loeb. Nasser Al-Attiyah finished fourth, seven seconds off the podium. Leeroy Poulter finished three minutes behind Al-Attiyah and rounded out the top five.
Mikko Hirvonen finished sixth, seven minutes and 42 seconds back of Loeb. Giniel de Villiers was seventh, eight minutes and 36 seconds back. Robby Gordon was eighth on the day, nine minutes and 20 seconds back. Bernhard ten Brinke finished fifteen seconds behind Gordon and Orlando Terranova rounded out the top ten on the stage. The Argentine was ten minutes and 15 seconds back of Loeb. Nani Roma was 18 seconds outside the top ten.
Loeb extended his overall lead in the car class to seven minutes and 48 seconds over Peterhansel. Sainz is 13 minutes and 26 seconds back in third. Al-Attiyah is 50 seconds behind Sainz and is the top non-Peugeot competitor. Poulter rounds out the top five, 18 minutes and 38 seconds back. De Villiers follows his fellow South African in the classifications with Hirvonen seventh. Ten Brinke, Vladimir Vasilyev and Yazeed Al-Rajhi round out the top ten. Vasilyev and Al-Rajhi finished 13th and 16th respectively on stage five.
Robby Gordon jumped up to 24th overall, an hour and 48 minutes back. Sheldon Creed is 28th; two hours and two minutes back after finishing 32nd on stage five.
Toby Price won his second stage of the 2016 Dakar Rally. The Australian defeated Antoine Meo by two minutes and 21 seconds. Štefan Svitko was third, 12 seconds behind Meo. Matthias Walkner finished seven seconds off the podium in fourth. Joan Barreda was fifth on the day, five minutes and 57 seconds back. Pablo Quintanilla finished sixth, six minutes and 51 seconds back of Price. Ivan Jakes was seventh; seven minutes and 19 seconds back with Hélder Rodrigues a second behind Jakes and Juan Pedrero finishing 17 seconds behind the Slovakian Jakes. Alain Duclos rounded out the top ten, 58 seconds behind Pedrero.
Paulo Gonçalves finished 12th on stage five but retained his class lead. The Portuguese rider is a minute and 45 seconds ahead of Svitko and Price is two seconds back of Svitko. Barreda is two minutes and 27 seconds behind Gonçalves. Walkner is fifth, two minutes and 57 seconds back. Argentine Kevin Benavides finished 16th on the stage but remains sixth overall, six minutes and 46 seconds back. Meo is three seconds behind Benavides. Ruben Faria finished 11th on the day but is still eighth and is trails his countryman by eight minutes and 13 seconds. Quintanilla is eight minutes and 30 seconds back in ninth and Duclos is tenth, 13 minutes and 39 seconds behind Gonçalves.
Ricky Brabec is 19th overall; 26 minutes and 42 seconds back after finishing 24th on stage five. Ian Blythe remains the second-best American, 42nd and an hour and 12 minutes back. Alexander Smith is 59th, two hours and 21 minutes back. Scott Bright and Carroll Gittere are 67th and 91st respectively, both over two and a half hours behind Gonçalves.
There is a new leader in the quad class after Alexis Hernandez won the stage and Ignacio Casale suffered engine problems. The Peruvian won the stage by a minute and 57 seconds over stage three winner Brian Baragawanath. Alejandro Patronelli finished third, twenty seconds behind Baragawanath. Russian Sergei Karyakin finished two minutes and 50 seconds back in fourth and the Dutchman Kees Koolen was fifth, three minutes and 20 seconds behind Hernandez.
Hernandez took over the overall lead with his victory. The Peruvian is 48 seconds ahead of Alejandro Patronelli. Karyakin is third, eight minutes and 35 seconds back. Marcos Patronelli moves up to fourth, ten minutes and 15 seconds behind Hernandez. He finished eighth on the stage. Jeremias González is fifth, 11 minutes and nine seconds back. González was seventh on stage five. Casale dropped to 14th, an hour and four seconds behind Hernandez.
Eduard Nikolaev picked up his first victory of this year's Dakar in the truck class. The Russian finished two minutes and 32 seconds ahead of Martin Kolomy. Federico Villagra finished third, four minutes and 32 seconds behind Nikolaev. Dutch driver Ton Van Genugten finished fourth, with the same time as Villagra. Rounding out the top five was Airat Mardeev, five minutes and 58 seconds behind Nikolaev.
Villagra took the truck class lead by five seconds over Pieter Versluis, who finished sixth on the day. Hans Stacey was seventh on stage five and is now third, 21 seconds behind Villagra. Gerard de Rooy is five minutes and 50 seconds back after finishing eighth on stage five. Mardeev is fifth overall, eight minutes and 49 seconds back.
Stage six will be a lap around Bolivia with the teams starting and ending in Uyuni.
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
2016 Dakar Rally Stage Four Review
Stage four of the 2016 Dakar Rally was completed today and four competitors picked up their first stage victories of this year's edition.
Stéphane Peterhansel won stage four, the third consecutive stage victory for Peugeot. The Frenchman won by eleven seconds over Carlos Sainz with Sébastien Loeb making it a Peugeot 1-2-3, 27 seconds back of Peterhansel. Defending Dakar winner Nasser Al-Attiyah finished four minutes and 57 seconds back in fourth. Cyril Despres rounded out the top five, five minutes and 44 seconds back.
Toyota drivers Yazeed Al-Rahji and Leeroy Poulter finished sixth and seventh. Al-Rahji was 15 seconds behind Despres and Poulter was 16 seconds behind his fellow Toyota driver. Mini drivers Nani Roma and Orlando Terranova finished eight and ninth. The Spaniard was seven minutes and ten seconds back of Peterhansel and Terranova was seven minutes and 43 seconds back of the stage winner. Robby Gordon rounded out the top ten. The American finished eight minutes and 43 seconds behind Peterhansel.
After four stages, Loeb continues to lead in the car class after the Frenchman won stages two and three. Peterhansel trails Loeb by four minutes and 48 seconds. Al-Attiyah is 11 minutes and nine seconds back in third. Poulter is 12 minutes and 31 seconds behind Loeb and Sainz rounds out the top five, 13 minutes and four seconds back. Giniel de Villiers and Mikko Hirvonen are sixth and seventh overall. They finished 11th and 12th respectively on stage four. Despres, prologue winner Bertnard ten Brinke and Russian Vladimir Vasilyev round out the top ten overall.
American Sheldon Creed is 24th, over an hour and five minutes back. Creed finished 17th on stage four. Gordon is 33rd, nearly an hour and 40 minutes behind Loeb. Gordon has accumulated an hour and four minutes in penalty time.
Paulo Gonçalves won stage four after Joan Barreda was handed a five-minute penalty. It was a Portuguese 1-2 with Ruben Faria finishing two minutes and 35 seconds behind Gonçalves. Argentine and stage three winner Kevin Benavides was third, two seconds behind Faria and Barreda finished fourth, three minutes and 11 seconds back after the penalty. Stage two winner Toby Price was third on the day, four minutes and a second behind Gonçalves.
French riders Antoine Meo and Michael Metge finished sixth and seventh. Meo was four minutes and 15 seconds back and Metge was a minute and five seconds behind Meo. Gerrard Farres Guell was eighth, three seconds behind Metge and American Ricky Brarbec was ninth, nine seconds behind Metge. Pablo Quintanilla rounded out the top ten, five minutes and 52 seconds back.
Gonçalves now leads overall, two minutes and 17 seconds ahead of Benavides and Barreda is three minutes and three seconds back. Štefan Svitko is fourth, five minutes and 22 seconds back. The Slovakian finished 12th on the day. Faria is two seconds behind Svitko and fifth overall. Austrian Matthias Walkner is sixth, seven minutes and eight seconds back and 48 seconds ahead of Price. Quintanilla, Meo and Alain Duclos round out the top ten.
Brabec is 17th, 18 minutes and 48 seconds back while Ian Blythe is 44th, over an hour back. Alexander Smith is 63rd, Scott Bright is 70th and Carroll Gittere is 92nd.
Marcos Patronelli won in the quad class by 16 seconds over Peruvian Alexis Hernandez and 25 seconds over prologue and stage two winner Ignacio Casale. Alejandro Patronelli finished three minutes and 49 seconds behind Marcos. Mohammed Abu-Issu rounded out the top five on the stage, four minutes and 12 seconds back.
Casale leads the quad class, 12 minutes and six seconds ahead of Brazilian debutant Marcelo Medeiros, who finished sixth on stage four. Alejandro Patronelli is third, 13 minutes and 52 seconds back and Hernandez is fourth, 15 minutes and 45 seconds back. Marcos Patronelli rounds out the top five overall, 17 minutes and 50 seconds back. Defending Dakar winner Rafeł Sonik is sixth overall, 19 minutes and 24 seconds behind Casale.
In the truck class, Gerard de Rooy took the stage four victory with fellow Dutchman Pieter Versluis finishing 37 seconds behind him in second. Stage two winner Hans Stacey made it a Dutch 1-2-3, finishing a minute and 18 seconds behind de Rooy. Argentine Federico Villagra finished fourth, a minute and 46 seconds back. Russian Eduard Nikolaev rounded out the top five, three minutes and 32 seconds behind de Rooy.
Versluis leads Stacey in the overall classification by 15 seconds. Villagra is third, two minutes and four seconds back. De Rooy trails Versluis by four minutes and 59 seconds in fourth. De Rooy has accumulated two minutes worth of penalties so far. Airat Mardeev rounds out the top five, nine minutes and 27 seconds back. Mardeev finished ninth on stage four, over five and a half minutes behind de Rooy.
Stage five of the Dakar Rally leaves Argentina. The teams will go from San Salvador de Jujuy to Uyuni, Bolivia.
Stéphane Peterhansel won stage four, the third consecutive stage victory for Peugeot. The Frenchman won by eleven seconds over Carlos Sainz with Sébastien Loeb making it a Peugeot 1-2-3, 27 seconds back of Peterhansel. Defending Dakar winner Nasser Al-Attiyah finished four minutes and 57 seconds back in fourth. Cyril Despres rounded out the top five, five minutes and 44 seconds back.
Toyota drivers Yazeed Al-Rahji and Leeroy Poulter finished sixth and seventh. Al-Rahji was 15 seconds behind Despres and Poulter was 16 seconds behind his fellow Toyota driver. Mini drivers Nani Roma and Orlando Terranova finished eight and ninth. The Spaniard was seven minutes and ten seconds back of Peterhansel and Terranova was seven minutes and 43 seconds back of the stage winner. Robby Gordon rounded out the top ten. The American finished eight minutes and 43 seconds behind Peterhansel.
After four stages, Loeb continues to lead in the car class after the Frenchman won stages two and three. Peterhansel trails Loeb by four minutes and 48 seconds. Al-Attiyah is 11 minutes and nine seconds back in third. Poulter is 12 minutes and 31 seconds behind Loeb and Sainz rounds out the top five, 13 minutes and four seconds back. Giniel de Villiers and Mikko Hirvonen are sixth and seventh overall. They finished 11th and 12th respectively on stage four. Despres, prologue winner Bertnard ten Brinke and Russian Vladimir Vasilyev round out the top ten overall.
American Sheldon Creed is 24th, over an hour and five minutes back. Creed finished 17th on stage four. Gordon is 33rd, nearly an hour and 40 minutes behind Loeb. Gordon has accumulated an hour and four minutes in penalty time.
Paulo Gonçalves won stage four after Joan Barreda was handed a five-minute penalty. It was a Portuguese 1-2 with Ruben Faria finishing two minutes and 35 seconds behind Gonçalves. Argentine and stage three winner Kevin Benavides was third, two seconds behind Faria and Barreda finished fourth, three minutes and 11 seconds back after the penalty. Stage two winner Toby Price was third on the day, four minutes and a second behind Gonçalves.
French riders Antoine Meo and Michael Metge finished sixth and seventh. Meo was four minutes and 15 seconds back and Metge was a minute and five seconds behind Meo. Gerrard Farres Guell was eighth, three seconds behind Metge and American Ricky Brarbec was ninth, nine seconds behind Metge. Pablo Quintanilla rounded out the top ten, five minutes and 52 seconds back.
Gonçalves now leads overall, two minutes and 17 seconds ahead of Benavides and Barreda is three minutes and three seconds back. Štefan Svitko is fourth, five minutes and 22 seconds back. The Slovakian finished 12th on the day. Faria is two seconds behind Svitko and fifth overall. Austrian Matthias Walkner is sixth, seven minutes and eight seconds back and 48 seconds ahead of Price. Quintanilla, Meo and Alain Duclos round out the top ten.
Brabec is 17th, 18 minutes and 48 seconds back while Ian Blythe is 44th, over an hour back. Alexander Smith is 63rd, Scott Bright is 70th and Carroll Gittere is 92nd.
Marcos Patronelli won in the quad class by 16 seconds over Peruvian Alexis Hernandez and 25 seconds over prologue and stage two winner Ignacio Casale. Alejandro Patronelli finished three minutes and 49 seconds behind Marcos. Mohammed Abu-Issu rounded out the top five on the stage, four minutes and 12 seconds back.
Casale leads the quad class, 12 minutes and six seconds ahead of Brazilian debutant Marcelo Medeiros, who finished sixth on stage four. Alejandro Patronelli is third, 13 minutes and 52 seconds back and Hernandez is fourth, 15 minutes and 45 seconds back. Marcos Patronelli rounds out the top five overall, 17 minutes and 50 seconds back. Defending Dakar winner Rafeł Sonik is sixth overall, 19 minutes and 24 seconds behind Casale.
In the truck class, Gerard de Rooy took the stage four victory with fellow Dutchman Pieter Versluis finishing 37 seconds behind him in second. Stage two winner Hans Stacey made it a Dutch 1-2-3, finishing a minute and 18 seconds behind de Rooy. Argentine Federico Villagra finished fourth, a minute and 46 seconds back. Russian Eduard Nikolaev rounded out the top five, three minutes and 32 seconds behind de Rooy.
Versluis leads Stacey in the overall classification by 15 seconds. Villagra is third, two minutes and four seconds back. De Rooy trails Versluis by four minutes and 59 seconds in fourth. De Rooy has accumulated two minutes worth of penalties so far. Airat Mardeev rounds out the top five, nine minutes and 27 seconds back. Mardeev finished ninth on stage four, over five and a half minutes behind de Rooy.
Stage five of the Dakar Rally leaves Argentina. The teams will go from San Salvador de Jujuy to Uyuni, Bolivia.
Saturday, January 2, 2016
2016 Dakar Rally Preview
Sunday marks the start of the 37th Dakar Rally. For the eighth consecutive year, the race will take place in South America and for the second consecutive year the race will start in Buenos Aires. Eleven of the thirteen stages will start in Argentina with two starting in Bolivia. A rest day is scheduled for January 10th in Salta, Argentina. This year's Dakar Rally features star-studded Peugeot line-up and the debuts for two of the best rally drivers of this 21st century and a Le Mans winner.
Mini has won the last four Dakars in the car class and Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah took his second Dakar victory last year. The 2014 car class winner Nani Roma returns to drive for Mini. Last year, Roma won a stage but failed to finish. Argentine Orlando Terranova is another Mini driver and he won four stages last year but finished 18th overall. A South American driver has never won the Dakar Rally in the car class. Mikko Hirvonen makes his Dakar debut driving for Mini. Other Mini drivers to watch for are Erik Van Loon, Boris Garafulic and Adam Malysz.
Peugeot's line-up is headlined by 11-time Dakar winner (five in cars) Stéphane Peterhansel and 2010 Dakar winner Carlos Sainz. Sébastien Loeb makes his Dakar debut for the French manufacture. The nine-time World Rally Championship Drivers' champion could become the fourth driver to win both the WRC title and a Dakar Rally joining Ari Vatanen, Juha Kankkunen and Sainz. Porsche factory driver Romain Dumas will also make his Dakar debut with Peugeot. Five-time Dakar bike-class winner Cyril Despres returns with Peugeot. He finished 34th last year in his car-class debut. Peugeot's last victory was in 1990 with Vatanen.
South Africa Giniel de Villiers leads the Toyota charge. The 2009 Dakar winner finished second last year to Al-Attiyah and has finished on the podium in five of the seven editions to take place on the South American continent. Russian Vladimir Vasilyev won a stage last year and finished fifth driving for Toyota and he returns this year. Bernhard ten Brinke returns with Toyota. The Dutchman finished seventh last year. Saudi driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi returns with Toyota for his sophomore Dakar Rally. He won a stage last year but failed to finish. Czech driver and full-time WRC competitor Martin Prokop will make his Dakar debut driving for Toyota.
Robby Gordon returns with his Gordini. An American has never won the Dakar Rally. Gordon won a stage last year, his eighth career stage victory, but finished 15th. His best finish was a third in 2009. Christian Lavieille and Emiliano Spataro will be driving Renaults. Carlos Sousa and Guilherme Spinelli lead the Mitsubishi line-up. Guarlain Chicherit will drive a Buggy.
Marc Coma will not return to defend his Dakar victory in the bike class. The Spaniard won his fifth Dakar last year and had won the previous two editions. KTM has won every Dakar Rally since 2001. Leading the KTM charge will be the Australian Toby Price. Price finished third last year and won a stage on debut. Štefan Svitko finished fifth last year and the Slovakian returns with KTM. Besides Price and Svitko, KTM has hired four other top ten finishers from last year's race including David Casteu, Olivier Pain, Ivan Jakeš and Laia Sanz. Austrian Matthias Walkner also returns to ride for his native manufacture and Jordi Viladoms returns with KTM.
Honda's Paulo Gonçalves leads the charge to end KTM's reign. The Portuguese rider finished second last year and won a stage. Joan Barreda won three stages last year and led until a disastrous stage eight handed Coma the class lead. Barreda has won 13 stages in the last four Dakars. American Ricky Brabec makes his Dakar debut riding for Honda. The last Dakar victory for Honda came in 1989 when France's Gilles Lalay was victorious.
Husqvarna will be led by last year's fourth place finisher Pablo Quintanella and Ruben Faria. The Swedish manufacture has never won a Dakar Rally.
Yamaha has not won since 1998 and Portuguese rider Hélder Rodrigues and Dutchman Frans Verhoeven.
Besides Brabec, there are four other Americans competing in the bike class. Scott Bright and Ian Blythe will be competing on KTMs. Alexander Smith and Carroll Gittere will ride Husqvarnas. All four are making Dakar debuts.
In the quad class, Polish rider Rafeł Sonik will not return to defend his title, leaving Chilean Ignacio Casale as the top Yamaha rider. Yamaha has won in the quad class in all seven Dakars that has featured the class. Casale looks to join Marcos and Alejandro Pastronelli as winner of multiple Dakars in the quad class. Both Pastronellis are looking for their third Dakar victory this year. Argentine Jeremias Gonzalez Ferioli looks for his first Dakar victory as does Paraguayan Nelson Sanabria. Both will ride Yamahas.
Looking to dethrone Yamaha of their reign in the quad class are Honda riders Mohammed Abu-Issu of Qatar and Walter Nosiglia of Bolivia. Other Honda riders to watch for are Argentine Lucas Bonetto and Chilean Sebastian Palma.
Can-Am is the other manufacture competing in the quad class. Italian Franco Picco is a Can-Am rider to watch for. He finished second in the bike class in 1988 and 1989.
In the truck class, Russian Ayrat Mardeev is the defending winner and he looks to become the first driver to win consecutive years in the truck class since Vladimir Chagin in 2010-11. Kamaz looks for their fourth consecutive Dakar victory. Eduard Nikolaev and Andrey Karginov each look for their second Dakar victories. Dmitry Sotnikov looks for his first Dakar victory and finished in the top five the last two years.
Iveco drivers Gérard de Rooy and Aleš Loprais look to end Kamaz's streak. The Dutch manufacture won the 2012 edition with de Rooy. Loprais is the nephew of six-time Dakar winner Karel Loprais. Winner of the 2007 Dakar Rally, Han Stacey will drive a MAN. Martin Kolomy is the lead Tatra driver. Belorussian Siarhei Viazovich leads the MAZ team. Jan Lammers will driver a Ginaf.
Stage one will go from Buenos Aires to Villa Carlos Paz.
Mini has won the last four Dakars in the car class and Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah took his second Dakar victory last year. The 2014 car class winner Nani Roma returns to drive for Mini. Last year, Roma won a stage but failed to finish. Argentine Orlando Terranova is another Mini driver and he won four stages last year but finished 18th overall. A South American driver has never won the Dakar Rally in the car class. Mikko Hirvonen makes his Dakar debut driving for Mini. Other Mini drivers to watch for are Erik Van Loon, Boris Garafulic and Adam Malysz.
Peugeot's line-up is headlined by 11-time Dakar winner (five in cars) Stéphane Peterhansel and 2010 Dakar winner Carlos Sainz. Sébastien Loeb makes his Dakar debut for the French manufacture. The nine-time World Rally Championship Drivers' champion could become the fourth driver to win both the WRC title and a Dakar Rally joining Ari Vatanen, Juha Kankkunen and Sainz. Porsche factory driver Romain Dumas will also make his Dakar debut with Peugeot. Five-time Dakar bike-class winner Cyril Despres returns with Peugeot. He finished 34th last year in his car-class debut. Peugeot's last victory was in 1990 with Vatanen.
South Africa Giniel de Villiers leads the Toyota charge. The 2009 Dakar winner finished second last year to Al-Attiyah and has finished on the podium in five of the seven editions to take place on the South American continent. Russian Vladimir Vasilyev won a stage last year and finished fifth driving for Toyota and he returns this year. Bernhard ten Brinke returns with Toyota. The Dutchman finished seventh last year. Saudi driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi returns with Toyota for his sophomore Dakar Rally. He won a stage last year but failed to finish. Czech driver and full-time WRC competitor Martin Prokop will make his Dakar debut driving for Toyota.
Robby Gordon returns with his Gordini. An American has never won the Dakar Rally. Gordon won a stage last year, his eighth career stage victory, but finished 15th. His best finish was a third in 2009. Christian Lavieille and Emiliano Spataro will be driving Renaults. Carlos Sousa and Guilherme Spinelli lead the Mitsubishi line-up. Guarlain Chicherit will drive a Buggy.
Marc Coma will not return to defend his Dakar victory in the bike class. The Spaniard won his fifth Dakar last year and had won the previous two editions. KTM has won every Dakar Rally since 2001. Leading the KTM charge will be the Australian Toby Price. Price finished third last year and won a stage on debut. Štefan Svitko finished fifth last year and the Slovakian returns with KTM. Besides Price and Svitko, KTM has hired four other top ten finishers from last year's race including David Casteu, Olivier Pain, Ivan Jakeš and Laia Sanz. Austrian Matthias Walkner also returns to ride for his native manufacture and Jordi Viladoms returns with KTM.
Honda's Paulo Gonçalves leads the charge to end KTM's reign. The Portuguese rider finished second last year and won a stage. Joan Barreda won three stages last year and led until a disastrous stage eight handed Coma the class lead. Barreda has won 13 stages in the last four Dakars. American Ricky Brabec makes his Dakar debut riding for Honda. The last Dakar victory for Honda came in 1989 when France's Gilles Lalay was victorious.
Husqvarna will be led by last year's fourth place finisher Pablo Quintanella and Ruben Faria. The Swedish manufacture has never won a Dakar Rally.
Yamaha has not won since 1998 and Portuguese rider Hélder Rodrigues and Dutchman Frans Verhoeven.
Besides Brabec, there are four other Americans competing in the bike class. Scott Bright and Ian Blythe will be competing on KTMs. Alexander Smith and Carroll Gittere will ride Husqvarnas. All four are making Dakar debuts.
In the quad class, Polish rider Rafeł Sonik will not return to defend his title, leaving Chilean Ignacio Casale as the top Yamaha rider. Yamaha has won in the quad class in all seven Dakars that has featured the class. Casale looks to join Marcos and Alejandro Pastronelli as winner of multiple Dakars in the quad class. Both Pastronellis are looking for their third Dakar victory this year. Argentine Jeremias Gonzalez Ferioli looks for his first Dakar victory as does Paraguayan Nelson Sanabria. Both will ride Yamahas.
Looking to dethrone Yamaha of their reign in the quad class are Honda riders Mohammed Abu-Issu of Qatar and Walter Nosiglia of Bolivia. Other Honda riders to watch for are Argentine Lucas Bonetto and Chilean Sebastian Palma.
Can-Am is the other manufacture competing in the quad class. Italian Franco Picco is a Can-Am rider to watch for. He finished second in the bike class in 1988 and 1989.
In the truck class, Russian Ayrat Mardeev is the defending winner and he looks to become the first driver to win consecutive years in the truck class since Vladimir Chagin in 2010-11. Kamaz looks for their fourth consecutive Dakar victory. Eduard Nikolaev and Andrey Karginov each look for their second Dakar victories. Dmitry Sotnikov looks for his first Dakar victory and finished in the top five the last two years.
Iveco drivers Gérard de Rooy and Aleš Loprais look to end Kamaz's streak. The Dutch manufacture won the 2012 edition with de Rooy. Loprais is the nephew of six-time Dakar winner Karel Loprais. Winner of the 2007 Dakar Rally, Han Stacey will drive a MAN. Martin Kolomy is the lead Tatra driver. Belorussian Siarhei Viazovich leads the MAZ team. Jan Lammers will driver a Ginaf.
Stage one will go from Buenos Aires to Villa Carlos Paz.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)