Daily News Dakar 2009                                                                                 ASO Dakar 2009 Video Archive

18 Januari - S15 Dakar 2009 Victory Tour - Concours d'Elegance Buenos Aires - The 31st edition of the Dakar, the first one in Latin-America, is now over and has seen the victories of Marc Coma in the bike category, Josef Machacek in the quad category, Giniel De Villiers in the car category and Firdaus Kabirov in the truck category. In total, 113 bikers, 13 quad riders, 91 car teams and 54 truck teams finished the rally-raid, that was notably marked by the exceptional enthusiasm the Dakar generated amongst the crowds in Argentina and in Chile.

Beelden helicopter crash Dakar 2009 (Argentinie - Chili) op LiveLeak.com

17 Januari - S14 Cordoba > Buenos Aires FINISH DAKAR 2009 - Kwestie van thuiskomen...

Dakar 2009 winnaars Coma, De Villiers en Kabirov

791 km are on the menu of stage 14 including 227 against the clock. For this last special stage, the contenders will be able to enjoy a fast and flat route through acres of crops. However, in the lead of the race, prudence will - obviously - be the name of the drive because if the leaders in the general stadings do not have a lot to fear if nothing goes wrong, they might still loose everything if anything should go wrong.

16 Januari - S13 La Rioja > Cordoba - Kuijper en van Deijne zijn behoorlijk teruggevallen in het algemeen klassement. Volgens de website van X-Raid zou Kuijper algemeen nog steeds 10e staan. Kabirov heeft de leiding van Chagin weer overgenomen, de Rooy nog steeds veilig 3e. Verhoeven nog steeds aan de leiding in de marathonklasse en Pol beste dame.

21:30 Roma redt eer Mitsubishi door special te winnen. Bij de motoren zijn Verhoeven, Knuiman en Visser in de top-15 gefinished. Kuijpers 14e en Leyds 17e bij de auto's. Waar is van Deijne gebleven? Trucks nog niet binnen, maar het lijkt erop dat de top-3 hetzelfde blijft.

Tijdens S12 is van kruijsdijk in de problemen gekomen met de Bowler, de koppeling heeft het begeven. Ze staan momenteel op de lijst van uitvallers, erg jammer voor de gezworen kameraden die in het zicht van de finish stranden.

INGEKORT - Start @ CP4 - Due to the torrential rain that has fallen last night in the areas of La Rioja and Cordoba making the route of today’s special stage completely impassable - at least in its first part - the organizers have decided to change the route of stage 13. The contenders will drive in liaison on the road for 364 km to get to the original CP4 where the start of the 13th special stage will take place at 11:30AM with French biker Cyril Despres (KTM), winner of yesterday’s stage, starting first. The contenders will then race a 220 km special stage, before adding up another 47 km liaison that will take them to Cordoba, the finish of this 13th stage.

For the penultimate stage, the participants are back in the Pampa on a route that will appeal to their pure driving skills and includes some of the trails that welcome - every year - the WRC Rally of Argentina but also has a lot of vegetation, prickly bushes and cacti. This special stage is made for conventional rally drivers. A pitty for two-time WR champ Carlos Sainz, who was forced to withdraw yesterday. Faced with a decimated group, the remaining contenders of the Dakar in all categories, called to order by the misfortune of the Spaniard, will certainly make sure not to loose everthing just a couple of days shy of the podium in Buenos Aires. All the more so because the big time gaps in the standings now prevent the hierarchy from changing if nothing goes wrong.

15 Januari - S12 Fiambala > La Rioja - 02:45 Uitslagen S12 op ASO site. Nederlanders Kuijper en van Deijne lijken geen straftijd gehad te hebben, de mazzel van de neutralisatie? Ten Harkel mocht inderdaad starten van ASO en staat na S12 54e algemeen met een straftijd van 6u. Niet alle vrachtwagens zijn binnen.

Van den Brink en Strijkel                                Verhoeven                                                  Knuiman      

01:30 Van Deije wordt gesleepd naar La Rioja en zal waarschijnlijk een behoorlijke straftijd oplopen. De monteurs hebben een lange nacht voor de boeg. Is verzekeringsman van Eikeren dan ineens de beste Nederlander?

01:15 - Van Loon ligt er volgens ASO uit, nummer 360 staat op de lijst van uitvallers tijdens S12.

Flying Dutchman René Kuipers lost a potential seventh position overall when he became stuck in some difficult sand dunes 171km into a 220km stage which also claimed overall leader Carlos Sainz after an accident and Spaniard Joan Roma. Kuipers was a safe 12th and looked set to climb to seventh in the overall rankings following Sainz's retirement but, both he and Chicherit were delayed late on, as Giniel de Villiers set the fastest time and moved into an overall lead. Kuipers eventually got going again but the stage was stopped when ASO took the decision to stop the stage late on Thursday afternoon and Kuipers was en route to La Rioja and waiting to see what time penalties, if any, he would incur.

23:45 - Bij de auto's is van Eikeren (30e), de Groot (31e), Leyds (32e), van der Beek (34e), Tim Alfa en Tom Romeo Coronel (35e) en Tijsterman (36e) voorlopig binnen. De nieuwe top-5? Hebben de Nederlanders geen last gehad van het slagveld tussen CP1 en CP2? Meer ervaring? Wie zal het zeggen, de toppers Kuijper en van Deijne moeten nog binnen komen en een aantal andere Nederlanders. En wat zal de straftijd worden? Bij de trucks staat de Rooy veilig op de 3e plaats, met Mardeev op bijna 5u30 achterstand. Hier nog wat beelden van de crash van Terranova in zijn BMW op S10.

Pending validation by the race stewarts, Frenchman Cyril Despres (KTM) has won his 3rd stage today, 1’23" ahead of Spain’s Marc Coma (KTM), and 9’47" ahead of another Spaniard,a surprising Gerard Farres Guell (KTM). By a way of consequence, in the general standings, Spain’s Marc Coma (KTM) remains solidly attached to the lead of the rally, with a 1h29’48" lead over his closest contender, who is not David Frétigné anymore - arrived 6th today at 10’28" following an oil leak on his Yamaha - but Cyril Desprès, who is now second in the stadings, 4’07" ahead of "Fretos", who nevertheless remains the leader in the 450cc category. On the marathon side, it’s still Dutch rider Frans Verhoeven (KTM) who is at the top of the standings.

Pending validation by race stewarts, South-African driver Giniel De Villiers (VW) has won his 3rd stage in the rally - the 9th victory out of 11 stages for a Volkswagen driver - 16’17" ahead of his team-mate, US driver Mark Miller (VW) and 25’27" ahead of the Hummer of another American, Robby Gordon who gets an excellent third place today. But this 12th stage will have mainly been marked by the withdrawal of the rally’s top performer and previously leader by far, of the Dakar, Spanish driver Carlos Sainz (VW), after he rolled over in a ravine! In consequence it is now Giniel De Villiers who is in the lead in the general standings, 2’35" ahead of his US team-mate Miller and 1h18’52" ahead of another American still, Robby Gordon, who benefited from the mechanical problems of Spain’s Nani Roma who drives the last Mitsubishi Racing Lancer still in the race. The whimsical American is - again - successful in the Open category where he is an easy leader. Finally, in the Production category, Frenchman Christian Barbier (Mitsubishi) is the winner of stage 12.

Pending validation by the race stewards, Russian driver Vladimir Chagin (Kamaz) has won stage 12, his fifth stage victory in this rally and his 48th in the history of the Dakar, 1’47" ahead of his countryman and team-mate Firdaus Kabirov (Kamaz), and 24’40" ahead of Dutchman Gerard De Rooy (Ginaf). In consequence in the general standings, the five-time Dakar winner "Czar" Chagin is back in the lead of the rally with now 1’33" lead over Kabirov, and 56’58" over Dutch driver Gérard De Rooy (Ginaf), who is in 3rd place.

(Kuijper S10/pos8) en van Deijne (S10/pos14) beide in de problemen. Kuijper staat vast in het zand en wacht op assistentie en van Deijne mechanische problemen. Kan van Deijne 7u10m goedmaken op Kuijper vandaag? Of liggen beide teams eruit en wordt van Kruijsdijk verrassend eerste Nederlander als ze hun voosprong van 4u30m op van Eikeren kunnen volhouden?

Sainz uit de wedstrijd na een crash, Roma in de problemen bij km 165 en Gordon voorlopig 3e algemeen. Waar is Kuijpers gebleven? Broertjes Coronel erg snel geweest vandaag. De Rooy lag lange tijd eerste, maar het is nu Chagin die aan de leiding gaat met ruim 7m30 voorsprong. Knuiman 7e en Verhoeven 11e tijd gereden.

Ten Harkel mag volgens de site van Dakarsport toch starten als laatste auto in deze etappe. Ze staan nog steeds op de lijst van uitvallers. Zou het toch voordelen hebben om bij het grootste team te zitten en dat de teammanager/eigenaar (Rijpma) de navigator van ten Harkel is? En hoe zit het dan met de andere deelnemers die niet mogen starten, zoals Steenhuisen van het Bison Rally Team? De eerste auto's zijn inmiddels vetrokken.Later meer, het is hier in Nieuw Zeeland inmiddels 16 Januari 01:00 en wij gaan slapen... dromen van Dakar 2010...

Oefenen op Muriwai Beach, in Nieuw Zeeland mag je nog op het strand rijden

De route van vandaag wordt 30km korter in verband met archeologische vondsten op de route een maand geleden: Due to the archeological discoveries made a month ago in the Fiambala region and due to the presence of archeological treasures right on the route of the rally, the Argentinian authorities have asked the organizers to change the original route of the day’s special stage, which they readily accepted - of course - shortening the day’s stage by some 30 km...

253km technisch rijden. We beginnen de dag met een top van 2600m en zakken dan geleidelijk terug naar 1500m met wat 'heuvels' van 2000m. Het eerste deel van de route heeft duinen, daarna bochtige WRC achtige stukken. Snelle rijders zullen in hun element zijn, vermoeide rijders zullen goed moeten oppassen. Na 48u zien de teams hun monteurs weer.

14 Januari - S11 Copiapo > Fiambala CANCELLED - ASO heeft een aantal Nederlanders uit de rally gehaald: Steenhuisen, Voorhorst, en Ten Harkel bij de auto's. Blakenburg is bij de trucks uitgevallen. De statistieken tot en met vandaag:

Vandaag is er weinig nieuws vanuit de rally. De assistentie gaat naar La Rioja en de teams naar Fiambala waar ze morgen starten voor de 12e etappe. Dus maar op zoek naar ander nieuws. Wat dacht je van een Rolls Royce die van Argentinie naar Chili en terug rijdt?

Phantomorgana op de eindeloze vlakten van Chili

Het volledige artikel in The Daily Mail

ASO heeft besloten de 11e etappe van Dakar 2009 te annuleren in verband met zware mist (de helicopters die de veiligheid van de deelnemers moeten garanderen in geval van nood kunnen niet vliegen). De deelnemers - voor zover binnen - vertrekken om 08:00 lokale tijd in konvooi naar het Argentijnse Fiambala door de Andes. Voor sommigen een opluchting, voor de top een gemiste kans om extra minuten te pakken of in te halen. Veel deelnemers zijn nog niet binnen na S10. Ook gaat het gerucht dat (een deel van S10) geneutraliseerd wordt. Dat zou wel eens uren straftijd kunnen opleveren en voor sommigen een voordeel door het missen van het laatste waypoint vlak voor de finish...

De snelle assistentie van Dakarsport met Blom aan het stuur is nog niet binnen, ze moeten vlakbij de finish van S10 assistentie verlenen aan ten Harkel en teameigenaar Rijpma.

T4 snelle assistentie van Dakarsport

13 Januari - S10 - De Copiapo Loop - Van Deijne is eerst vast komen te zitten en heeft vervolgens zijn aandrijfas geroken naar de achterwielen. Uit het bivak is hulp gekomen en hij heeft 4 uur achterstand opgelopen maar staat waarschijnlijk nog wel in de top-15.

Veel trucks zijn nog niet binnen, een deel zou geneutraliseerd zijn en ASO heeft al een aantal uur geen updates meer gegeven inzake S10 en het algemeen klassement. Iets ernstigs gebeurt? Zou VW inderdaad waypoints gemist hebben en heeft Mitsubishi nog een kans? Bij GINAF veel problemen in de duinen. Later meer...

GINAF Team Power

Situatie

Het was zwaar in de Chileense duinen

Leyds in de McRae Enduro onderweg met schade

Verhoeven behoorlijk teruggevallen, Knuiman op 30 minuten achterstand. Visser aan een opmars bezig, maar 2.5~3 uur achter op de snelste Nederlanders. Hij mocht los van Kroon (zijn werkgever) op zijn semi-fabrieks KTM. Kuijpers bij de auto's een plaats opgeschoven, en 8e algemeen. Rest Nederlnaders nog niet binnen, er zit een grote groep rondom km 607 vlak voor de finish.

 Knuiman en Visser

GRP nu voorbij CP1 en van Vliet inmiddels bij CP2. GRP uit de problemen of hebben ze assistentie verleend aan een ander team onderweg? S11 morgen is afgelast en wordt een verbinding naar Fiambala in verband met zware mist. Voor de toppers een gemiste kans om achterstand weg te werken, voor de vele amateurs een opluchting om even op adem te komen. Het zwaarste deel van Dakar 2009 zit er dan op en de rally wordt meer WRC achtig richting de finish.

Van Deijne in de problemen? Hij lag bij km 530 nog 15e en bij km 607 staat hij niet meer in de top-30... Ook de beide van Ginkels, Kies en van Vliet lijken in de problemen te zitten met GINAF in de buurt van CP1. Edwin van Ginkel en van Vliet zijn nog voorbij CP1 gekomen, maar Wuf van Ginkel en Kies niet...

Wuf Van Ginkel / Tijsterman / De Rooy

Kies / van Herpen / Megens

De Rooy heeft lange tijd 3e gereden achter Kabirov, maar heeft hem bij km 530 ingehaald en ligt nu 2e, met bijna 2 minuten achterstand op Chagin. Hij lijkt in te lopen, Chagin had een voorsprong van bijna 6 minuten op Kabirov. Problemen bij Kamaz met de trommelremmen?

Gordon heeft de voorsprong op Sainz niet kunnen vasthouden, hij finished 21 seconden later en wordt 2e in de met 200km ingekorte special van vandaag.

Verhoeven (8e) en Knuiman (7e) rijden een goede special vandaag. Fretigne komt op bijna 30m van etappewinnaar Viladoms binnen (10e). Bij de auto's ligt de Hummer van Gordon voorlopig eerste. De afstand tussen Kuijpers en van Deijne is voor CP5 groter geworden. Leyds, Tijsterman,  de Groot en ten Harkel rijden allemaal een top-30 tijd in de buurt van CP4. Jammer van de tijdstraffen van 7 dagen...

  De 2wd buggy van Gordon, wat feitelijk geen Hummer is.

De Spaanse motorcoureur Cristobal Guerrero is dinsdag tijdens de tiende etappe van de Dakar Rally door een zware val in een coma geraakt. Volgens de organisatoren vond het ongeval plaats na ongeveer 160 kilometer.

God willing I will finish...                                                       

Het ongeluk gisteren van Tomecek waar de Rooy en andere trucks assistentie hebben verleend, de situatie van de monteur is zeer kritiek. Blakenburg heeft gisteren moeten opgeven met zijn Mercedes, Elfrink nog in de race.

Snelle stukken aan het begin en einde van deze special, stenen, grind en zand (de hoogste duinen die je in Dakar ooit gezien hebt) en een hoogte van 2600m maken deze etappe een killer van 670km. De kans is aanwezig dat ASO de dag gaat inkorten als het zand te droog en dun is geworden.

12 Januari - S9 La Serena > Copiapo - De equipe Kruijsdijk en Bohnenn staan 26e algemeen in hun eerste Dakar, ze zouden best wel eens Rookie of the Year kunnen worden met de auto waarmee Raoul en Jean-Pierre "Sjamp" Jacobs in 2006 tweede werden in het Rookie of the Year klassement. We gaan er vanuit dat Kuijpers - rijdende voor het semi-fabrieksteam - buiten dit klassement valt. De mariniers zijn heldhaftig bezig, zo wijd de wereld strekt. De Bowler met 2.8TGV International diesel en variabele turbo is toch betrouwbaarder dan de Desert Warrior met 3.0td bi-turbo? Of gaat Tijsterman er de komende jaren nog iets mee doen?

Chagin wint de ettappe bij de vrachtwagens en is de nieuwe leider in het algemeen klassement met een voorsprong op Kabirov van 29.50 en op de Rooy van 48.35. De Nederlanders die in de top-10 zitten bij de motoren en auto's kunnen nog veel posities opschuiven, bij de trucks is dat een stuck lastiger geworden inmiddels.

Tijsterman is inmiddels ook binnen en staat met een straftijd van 200u (S6 toch de boosdoener geweest?) op een 51e plaats algemeen. De nestor van de Nederlandse Dakar scene is zijn wilde haren nog niet kwijt, en blijkt nog steeds een sluwe woestijnvos te zijn. We zijn benieuwd hoe het team zich gaat ontwikkelen en of hun 3-jarenplan uitkomt (top-15). Het eerste jaar zit er bijna op, en het team heeft veel geleerd na alle veranderingen.

Verhoeven ridder van de dag. Samen met Knuiman in de top-10. De top-5 Nederlanders schuiven allemaal op in het klassement.

Een groot deel van de auto's is nog niet binnen, na Kuijper en van Deijne staat van Loon voorlopig 24e, maar daar kunnen er nogal wat tussenkomen gezien de tijd die hij achter liep. Coronel staat even 25e, maar met een straftijd van 7 dagen(!), zal die behoorlijk terugvallen als de andere deelnemers binnenkomen. Ze hebben wel een superdag gehad qua tijd. Volkswagen nog steeds 1-2-3 en Mitsibishi op ruim 30m erachter. Voldoende voorsprong?

Slagveld? De eerste 5 trucks zijn voorbij CP4 na een lange en zware dag met hulp van en aan derden. De Rooy verliets tijd door hulp aan Tomecek: The major rival of the Kamaz in the struggle for overall victory, Gerard De Rooy (Ginaf) came through CP2, after 218 km of the day’s special, 37.56 behind the current stage leader, because the Dutchman stopped for around twenty minutes at the 147-km mark to help Czech driver Tomas Tomecek (Tatra), who had run into trouble. The leader of the 9th special stage in the truck race at CP1, Czech Tomas Tomecek (Tatra) has run into trouble after 147 km of the day’s special stage and is now awaiting his assistance team.

Technisch snelle route met zand, steen, gravel en modder met aan het einde het begin van de zware hoge duinen (S10/11) wat de 'killer' van Dakar 2009 moet gaan worden.

11 Januari - S8 Valparaiso - La Serena - Verhoeven en Knuiman zakken iets terug, Depres in top-3. Van den Goorbergh voorbij Willemsen. Kuijper (zou laxeermiddel dan toch helpen?) en van Deijne (heeft altijd genoeg onderdelen) beiden in de top-10, Leyds klimt en Kruijsdijk valt terug. Coronel (hier niet d snelste man van Nederland) en van Loon dichtbij Leyds en van Eikeren er tussen. De Rooy nog steeds derde en van Vliet kruipt dichterbij. Elfrink terug van weggeweest en op weg naar zijn eerste complete Dakar? Van Eerd in NL Top-5.

Kuijper op de special

Schoo is met zijn MAN uitgevallen, de schroothandelaar was aan zijn tweede Dakar bezig, in 2007 met een Desert Warrior.

The first 4 trucks have finished the day’s special stage, which was 178 km long for the heavy duty vehicles, with the finishing line at CP1. Gerard De Rooy (Ginaf) has won his 3rd special stage this year, and his 13th on the Dakar. The Dutchman beat Russian Vladimir Chagin (Kamaz) by 1.42 and Czech Alès Loprais (Tatra) by 2.12.

Now that the first 7 cars have finished the day’s special stage, Spaniard Carlos Sainz (VW) is the winner, 4.02 ahead of his German team-mate Dieter Depping (VW) and 4.12 in front of another Volkswagen belonging to American Mark Miller. The two times world rally champion thus strengthens his lead in the general standings, 10.57 ahead of his South African team-mate Giniel De Villiers (VW) and 18.05 in front of American Mark Miller (VW).

With the first 3 bikes across the finishing line for the day’s special stage, Frenchman Cyril Despres (KTM) is in the lead, 1.49 ahead of general standings leader, Spaniard Marc Coma (KTM), and 2.56 in front of the stage’s local boy, Chilean Francisco Lopez (KTM).

Bij de motoren is Kroon uitgevalen, hij mag niet starten van ASO vanwege gebroken rbben, hij wilde wel verder. Pol staat bij de dames nog steeds eerste nadat Meier is uitgevallen en heeft ruim 4  uur voorsprong op Steel. De afgelopen jaren is ze altijd 2e geworden bij de dames, nu haar 1e overwinning?

De tweede week van Dakar 2009 gaat beginnen met een relatief korte, maar zeer technische route noord. Het is oppassen geblazen. Snelle stukken worden afgewisseld met zeer gevaarlijke stukken met diepe ravijnen. Stenen, gravel en zand staat de teams te wachten.

10 Januari - REST DAY - Wonden likken, uitrusten, weerzien van vrienden, en afscheid van Le Dakar...

Bison Rally-Team, het ware verhaal. Tijdens S5 heeft Tijsterman de laatste band gegeven aan een ander team. Toen ze zelf in de problemen kwamen hadden ze geen banden meer en moesten ze noodgedwongen de nacht aan het einde van S5 doorbrengen. Toen ze uiteindelijk in het bivak waren, later mochten starten en wilde vertrekken - aan de start in S6 - heeft ASO besloten ze niet te laten starten omdat de trucks de special behoorlijk kapot hadden gereden. Vandaar withdrawn, en weer in de rally... en onderhoud plegen.

Met een beetje Bisonkit kom je een heel eind

Kroon ligt eruit, de Quote 500 miljonair heeft  gebroken ribben en de organisatie vindt het onverantwoord als hij verder gaat. Zelf wil hij wel. Er zijn nog meer uitvallen, daarover straks meer...  Ook van Mourik is uitgevallen, zij hebben tijdens de laatste special hand en spandiensten verleend aan MAN en hebben moeten opgeven door materiaalpech met hun Desert Warrior.

Stacey helaas uit de wedstrijd, teams hebben zaterdag wel de tijd om hun voertuigen goed te onderhouden, iets wat van Deijne dagelijks doet en wat hem naar de top brengt.

Groot onderhoud bij Dakarsport tijdens de rustdag

For the first time, the 2009 Dakar takes place on the American continent. The race has reached Valparaiso where the contenders enjoy a days of rest. 139 bikes, 15 quads, 95 cars and 70 trucks (the race stewards are deliberating on the possibility of letting though some competitors) have arrived half-way. Marc Coma has taken an option on the victory in the bikes category whilst Carlos Sainz is leading the race with his Volkswagen.

Two major factors influenced the beginning of the race in the bike category: the domination of Marc Coma and the tire problems of some favorites as soon as the rally started. After 371 km of special, Coma already boasted a 41’ lead over Cyril Despres, 1:01 over David Casteu and 1:28 over Francisco López, his three declared rivals at the start of the 2009 Dakar in Buenos Aires. Their tires did not resist the hardness of the roads. The riders had a hard time finding the best option between foam bibs that heat up quickly and tubes that are prone to punctures.

Two days later, on his way to Jacobacci, the title holder Cyril Despres lost an additional hour, again due to a tire problem. Marc Coma, for his part, was spared, except for 15 minutes lost due to a puncture in stage 5, which had no impact on the Spanish rider’s results, since he has dominated all the way to Valparaiso. Coma won 3 specials and currently has a 51-minute lead in the overall standings over Jonah Street. Besides this excellent position in the overall standings, the American rider has also clinched a stage win, reached the top 10 six times and even the top 5 in four stages!

David Frétigné also showed great regularity during the first half of the rally arriving in the top 10 in all the stages. He is the other good surprise of this 2009 Dakar. Moreover, the French rider did not seem to expect such a good position in the overall standings with his “small” 450cc on the trails of Argentina. The Yamaha rider is 52’ behind Coma but leads his category and is more than one and a half hour ahead of the Brazilian rider José Helio Rodrigues Filho.

Three ladies started the race in Buenos Aires, and two are still going. However, Christina Meier had to withdraw when she broke her engine in stage 2. The category is lead by Myriam Pol from the Netherlands who is 47th in the overall standings, with a 4-hour lead over Annie Seel. The small but tough Swedish rider remains strong in spite of all her difficulties in the last three stages.

The Chilean rider Juan Pablo Zegers Correa is leading the bike trunk category with his Honda and is 54th in the overall standings. But his lead is a very short as he is only 1’23 ahead of Italian rider Miotto and 3’20 over Frenchman Carillon. Jakob Przygonski is the first rookie of the 2009 Dakar with his 14th position.

Out of the 25 quads leaving Buenos Aires, 15 have reached Valparaiso. Between the two cities, the race in new category created this year has been breathtaking with the rookie Christophe Declerck, who led the race during the first four days with two stage victories. Then Machacek and Gonzalez, who are both former winners, took the lead again from the 5th stage on. The Spanish quad rider took the lead of the general standings for two days before withdrawing with the Frenchman during stage 7 leaving Machacek in a favourable position. Marcos Patronelli, for his part, won the first quad victory for Argentina.

The scenario after seven days of the race leaves no room for doubt: Volkswagen has never been closer to putting one of its Race Touaregs on the top of the final Dakar podium. With three cars in the first three places of the general standings, 29 minutes between them and their nearest rival for the title, five special stages won on the way to Valparaiso, their adversaries decimated and mechanical proficiency that seems to have gained in maturity, it is difficult to see just how the first place might be torn from the grasp of Carlos Sainz, Giniel De Villiers or why not Mark Miller.

The ‘knock-out’ stages began with the first special, in which Hiroshi Masuoka was soon eliminated from the battle, forced to crawl into Santa Rosa at the end of a tow-rope before abandoning the race. After that, it was with the Andes Mountains on the horizon that the Mitsubishi clan, already suffering in the general standings, received two consecutive sledgehammer blows. On the Mendoza stage, Luc Alphand, stuck in the swamps with his Lancer, was forced to drop out following the health problems of his co-pilot Gilles Picard. The following day, it was the turn of Stéphane Peterhansel to withdraw.

Better to race with MPR13 then new Lancer?

The title holder, who had already rolled the car tip over tail, a new experience he will not be wanting to repeat, had his race cut short due to an overheating engine. Lone ranger Roma, 4th in the general standings, is now the only hope in the rally for the diamond-brand constructor, and is looking to take advantage of any mishaps that may occur during the decisive first two steps after the rest day.

The X-Raid BMW Team is not in position to steal the show from the Race Touaregs. Guerlain Chicherit, the unofficial and ephemeral leader with the two best intermediate times in the first stage, came unstuck on the very same day. What’s more Nasser Al Attiyah, with two special stages, disqualified himself by avoiding the dunes at the end of the Mendoza stage. Also suffering from an overheating engine, the Qatari arrived at the bivouac with a rather incomplete road-sheet, leading to a compulsory disqualification at a time when he was dominating the general standings. In these conditions, Robby Gordon, who nobody took seriously when he proclaimed his ambitions of victory in Buenos Aires, is starting to look like a credible pretender for a place on the podium: he is currently in fifth position.

The main threat hanging over the German constructor could come from an internal battle that their drivers may embark upon on the return journey. Carlos Sainz is currently only nine seconds ahead of his team-mate Giniel De Villiers, whereas the 13 minute gap between “El Matador” Sainz and Mark Miller does not count the American out in light of the difficulties still lying in wait for the competitors. The high stakes in play could lead team director Kris Nissen to impose strict instructions to his drivers to avoid them getting involved in too dangerous a game.

The mid-way state of play in the Production category shows just as stark domination, this time from the Toyota drivers, who occupy the first four places. In particular, the competitiveness of the T2s is especially elevated and intense, because Nicolas Gibon, the category leader, is in 20th place in the general standings. Furthermore, his two pursuers in the T2 category, Xavier Foj and Ronan Chabot, are more than an hour behind him. In total, the leading five T2 cars are all in the Top 30 of the race.

In the truck race, the Russians dominated the first part of this rally. Always at the forefront, they soon only had Gerard de Rooy as a rival, because, whilst the victory of Marcel Van Vliet pointed to a more open race, the competition soon turned into a stand-off between Kabirov and Chagin on the one hand and Gerard De Rooy on the other. Title holder Hans Stacey has gone from mishap to mishap, with three flat tires in three days and now finds himself in 20th place more than 16 hours off the leader. In spite of two stage wins, De Rooy only boasted a 13 second lead over Firdaus Kabirov in the general standings after stage 5. However, the very next day Chagin won the special stage and Kabirov took over the lead in the general standings. The three drivers are separated by 25 minutes at the start of the second week.

9 Januari - Stage 7 Mendoza > Valparaiso - Pending validation of the results by the race stewards, Spaniard Carlos Sainz (VW) has won the 7th stage, picking up his 3rd stage victory of this 31st Dakar, 3.41 ahead of his American team-mate Mark Miller (VW) and 4.13 in front of American Robby Gordon and his Hummer. As a result, in the general standings "El Matador" Sainz has taken the lead, 9 short seconds ahead of his South African team-mate Giniel De Villiers and 13.53 in front of the Race Touareg belonging to Miller, putting the 3 Volkswagens in the first 3 places! Worthy of note, the 9 times winner of the event Stéphane Peterhansel again suffered problems today. After a fire in the engine of his Mitsubishi Racing Lancer, the Frenchman has now lost all chance of grabbing a 10th victory on his 20th Dakar. In the Open category, Robby Gordon (Hummer) was again victorious and is the undisputed category leader in the general standings. Finally, in the Production category, Japanese driver Jun Mitsuhashi (Toyota) won the stage, but still only managed to claw back 10.20 on Frenchman Nicolas Gibon (Toyota) who retains a solid lead in the category in the general standings.

Pending validation of the results by the race stewards, Chilean Francisco Lopez (KTM) has won the 7th stage, picking up his 1st success on the Dakar, 3.57 ahead of the leader of the general standings, Spaniard Marc Coma (KTM) and 5.21 in front of France’s Cyril Despres (KTM). As a result, in the general standings Spaniard Marc Coma (KTM) carries on opening up a gap at the top of the rankings, with a 51.22 lead over American Jonah Street (KTM), still leader in the marathon category, and a 52.31 lead over Frenchman David Frétigné (Yamaha), leader of the 450cc category.

Bison rijder Tijsterman en Steenhuisen rijden weer in S7 en zijn opgenomen in het algemeen klassement nadat ze S6 niet gereden hebben. Van ASO mochten ze blijkbaar toch starten. Vreemd, want Al Attiyah mist een checkpoint en wordt gediskwalificeerd en is uit de wedstrijd. Misschien rijdt het team buiten mededinging mee en mogen ze na de rustdag niet verder rijden (sponsors?). Is Dakar, Dakar niet meer?

Peterhansel ligt waarschijnlijk uit de wedstrijd, zijn 10e Dakar overwinning en de 15e voor Mitsubishi is letterlijk en figuurlijk in rook opgegaan nadat zijn motor in brand is gevlogen. Wordt het dan toch Volkswagen of zijn er nog verrassingen volgende week?

Bij de quads staat van Gastel, met zijn Yamaha, op een 14e plaats, op 10 uur van de top-10. Kuijper staat 10e bij de auto's gevolgd door op bijna 30 minuten door van Deijne op een 11e plaats algemeen. Leyds zit kort op van Kruijsdijk en zal deze waarschijnlijk nog wel passeren met al zijn ervaring. Bij de trucks staat de Rooy op een half uur van de leiders in het klassement, geen onmogelijke taak (na S6).

Alleen de motoren en auto's rijden vandaag, de vrachtwagens rijden een verbinding naar Chile. Ze MOETEN vandaag allemaal de grens over. Hoogste punt is 3100m.

There are 815 km on the menu of the 7th stage, including a 419.31-km timed section. After two difficult days, the competitors will be happy to get to the rest day in Valparaiso, but prior to that, they must again tackle the dunes and the fesh-fesh, before finishing off with a climb into the Andes to 3000 m altitude… These extreme conditions are likely to make men and machines suffer, especially due to the thinner air. In all the categories, the contestants who have been able to save the most energy since the start should take advantage to open up the last gaps before getting to grips with the second week of the race…

8Januari - Stage 6 San Rafael > Mendoza - Het Bison Rally-Team is uit de wedstrijd, na het niet rijden van S6 heeft ASO (terecht) besloten het team uit de ranking te halen. Tijsterman en Steenhuisen kunnen naar huis. Wellicht nog doorrijden naar Chili voor de rustdag om met sponsors na te praten. Omdat een aantal trucks niet verder kunnen zou S6 ook geneutraliseerd zijn - wie komen er dan terug in de wedstrijd?

Biertjuh?

Telegraaf: Hans Stacey heeft donderdag de Dakar Rally tijdens de zesde etappe moeten verlaten. Tot vier keer toe brak de tussenas van zijn vrachtwagen. De chauffeur uit Best won in 2007 nog de Dakar Rally bij de trucks. Autocoureur Nasser Al-Attiyah moet de Dakar Rally verlaten. De Qatari won donderdag de zesde etappe van San Rafael naar Mendoza, maar sloeg een controlepost over na problemen met de radiateur van zijn BMW. Al-Attiyah liep daardoor negen punten mis en werd volgens de regels door de racecommissie uitgesloten van verdere deelname. De BMW-coureur had deze editie eerder al twee etappes gewonnen. Alphand is ook uit de wedstrijd.

Leider Al Attiyah is volgens ASO uitgevallen (withdrawl) in S6, terwijl hij deze special gewonnen heeft. We moeten wachten op de reden. VW heeft de top-3 in handen, Roma en Peterhansel (Mitsubishi) op meer dan 30 minuten van de leider en 15 minuten van het podium. Er kan nog van alles gebeuren. Kuijper inmiddels 10e, van Deijne 13e en van Kruijsdijk 32e. Waar is Stacey gebleven?

Brusselers officieel uitgevallen in S5?

Bison Rally-Team (Tijsterman en Steenhuisen) niet aan de start? Ze zijn in overleg met ASO omdat ze pas laat van S5 zijn teruggekomen. Vermoeidheid en materiaal speelt parten. Veel teams hebben de nacht onderweg doorgebracht in verband met het zware weer en zijn (nog) niet in het bivak aangekomen. Het begint een mix te worden tussen een Dakar, een snelle Cross Country en een Challenge achtige Camel Trophy. Waar is Raoul Jacobs gebleven die in 2006 zoveel succes had met zijn broer?

Kuijper 11e op dit moment, bijna in de top-10, van Dei jne 14e! Prestaties van Nederlanders zijn goed net ach

ter de fabrieksteams. Marinier van Kruijsdijk 30e (in de oude Bowler van de broertjes Jacobs). De Rooy verliest de leiding en zakt naar de 3e plaats. Over de andere Nederlanders is nog niets bekent. 385 teams zouden mogen starten vandaag.

Eens een marinier, altijd een marinier?

Pending validation of results by the race stewards, Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah (BMW) looks to have won the 6th special, 5.07 in front of the Volkswagen of Giniel de Villiers. The South African came home ahead of his two VW team-mates, American Mark Miller, 3rd 5.27 behind the provisional winner, and Spaniard Carlos Sainz, 4th 8.37 behind the Qatari. In 5th, with a gap of 13.14 from Al-Attiyah, lies Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel, the leading Mitsubishi driver. As a result, in the general standings, the Qatari leads, 7.31 ahead of South African De Villiers and 15.10 in front of “El Matador” Sainz. In the Open category, Robby Gordon (Hummer) is in the lead, whereas in the Production category, Frenchman Nicolas Gibon (Toyota) leads the category.

Pending validation of results by the race stewards, Frenchman Cyril Despres (KTM) has won the 6th special, his first stage victory this year and his 17th on the Dakar, 2.09 ahead of general standings leader, Spaniard Marc Coma (KTM), and 5.15 in front of another Spaniard Jordi Viladoms (KTM). As a result, in the general standings, Spain’s Marc Coma (KTM) is still in the lead, 40.29 in front of American Jonah Street (KTM), who still leads the marathon category, and 47.30 ahead of Frenchman David Frétigné (Yamaha), who is leading in the 450cc category.

Pending validation of results by the race stewards, the “Tsar of the Dakar”, Russian Vladimir Chagin (Kamaz) has won the 6th special, picking up his 45th stage victory on the Dakar and his 2nd this year, 20 seconds ahead of his team-mate and countryman Firdaus Kabirov (Kamaz) and 25.53 in front of Dutchman Gerard De Rooy (Ginaf). As a result, in the general standings, it is now Kabirov who has taken the lead, 9.32 ahead of Chagin and 25.20 in front of Gerard De Rooy.

Van Argentinie richting de Chilense Andes over een top van 2700m met stenen, gravel en zand. Mogelijk dat de broertjes Coronel nog kunnen starten als de auto weer opgelapt is (voordeel van de neutralisatie). Voor van Merksteijn en zijn uitgebrande BMW is het definitief over. Al een paar dagen is de Desert Warrior van Steenhuisen zijn motorkap kwijt, de organisatie doet moeilijk. Gisteren is de VW van Sainz ook zijn motorkap kwijtgeraakt. Peterhansel is over de kop gegaan, maar nog wel in de wedstrijd (+15m straftijd). Kans op zijn 10e Dakar overwinning en de 15e voor Mitsubishi definitief verkeken? Of mag Alphand nu voluit gaan voor het klassement? Uit eerdere Dakars weten we dat Mitsubishi pas na een dag of vijf de leiding van VW overneemt. Of blijft de sjeik uit Quatar aan de leiding tot de finish?

7 Januari - Stage 5 - GENEUTRALISEERD - Dakar 2009 heeft een zware dag, letterlijk en figuurlijk door het onweer boven de route. Veel teams zijn nog niet binnen, de eerste dode is gevallen en er zijn grote verschuivingen in het klassement, Stage 5 heeft veel uitvallers, waaronder de Nederlandse topper van Merksteijn.

It is with great sadness that the organization has been informed that rider Pascal Terry (192), 49 years old, has been found dead in the night of January 6th to 7th at 2:10 AM. The biker was in a very hard-to-reach area in the middle of very dense bush-like vegetation 15m from his bike. He had taken his helmet off and had sought shade; he had food and water by him. The Las Pampas Province police and authorities will now carry out the necessary legal investigation in order to determine the causes of the biker’s death.

As battle is raging in the last sand dunes of this fifth special stage, the leader in the general standings, Spain’s Carlos Sainz (VW) made a driving mistake and tore off his front hood. Same situation but for the rear hood for Stéphane Peterhansel (Mitsubishi). However, both drivers were able to continue the race.

Pending validation, South-Africa’s Giniel de Villiers (VW) has won his first stage in the rally raid, his 9th on the total of his participations in the Dakar, 2’18" ahead of his team mate from Volkswagen, Germany’s Dieter Depping, and 4’12" in front of the Hummer of American driver Robby Gordon. Fourth at 5’23", Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah (BMW), is today’s top strategist. Indeed, benefitting from a somersault of Spaniard driver Carlos Sainz (VW) in the last part of the special stage, the Qatari has taken the lead in the general standings, 2’24" ahead of South-Africa’s De Villiers, who is also the new second place and 6’33" ahead of "El Matador" Sainz. In the new Open category, it is a new victory for Robby Gordon (Hummer), who gets a nice third place.

Pending validation, US rider Jonah Street (KTM) has won stage 5; it is the American’s first stage victory on the Dakar. He wins with a 7’34" lead over Chile’s Francisco "Chaleco" Lopez (KTM) and an 11’12" lead over the 450cc Yamaha of French rider David Frétigné. Therefore, in the general standings, Spanish rider Marc Coma (KTM), who has lost 15’ today due to a flat tyre, is now 27’12" ahead of Street, which stengthens his position at the top of the marathon category and 39’09" ahead of Frenchman David Frétigné (Yamaha), who is the leader in the 450cc category.

Pending validation, Russian driver Firdaus Kabirov (Kamaz) has won stage 5; it is his first stage victory in this 31st edition of the Dakar but his 26th stage victories on his total participation in the rally raid. He won with a 12’19" lead over his countryman and team mate Vladimir Chagin and a 12’28" lead over Dutchman Gerard de Rooy (Ginaf). By a way of consequence, in the general standings, Gérard De Rooy (Ginaf) remains the leader in the rally but for only 13 seconds in front of the Russian Kamaz of Firdaus Kabirov, who is brand new in second place. The Czar, Chagin, is ranking 3rd, 10’05" behind the Dutchman.

Dakar bereikt nieuwe hoogten: vandaag is het hoogste punt 2300m. De eerste problemen met de ijlere lucht? Mirjam Pol in de Nederlandse top-5 binnen gekomen met stip ten nadele van van Pelt. Tijsterman en de Groot zijn iets terug gezakt. Bij de trucks heeft van den Brink (eerste Dakar!) de Baar weer ingehaald, welke op de voeten wordt gezeten door Verhoeven. Wat zal het einde van stage 5 brengen?

6Januari - Stage 4 - Visser aan opmars bezig, Knuiman en Verhoeven in top-10. 24 uur van Le Mans winnaar Van Merksteijn sluipt langzaam richting top-10. Kuijper en van Deijne klimmen ook. Tijsterman en de Groot vallen terug. Stacey terug in top-10.

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

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

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

5Januari - Stage 3 - "Nieuwkomers" in Le Dakar staan sterk bovenaan bij de Nederlanders. Van Merksteijn en Kuijper zijn echter geen onbekenden in de autosport. Van Deijne dringt de top-20 binnen en gaat voor een top-15 klassering. Nestor van de Nederlandse Dakar scene, Tijsterman, bezig aan gestage opmars. Met een 5e plek, de beste Nederlandse autorijder in Dakar ooit. Bij de trucks veel verschuivingen. Stacey is aan een opmars bezig en Elfrink doet het erg goed. Bij de motoren de bekende namen vooraan. Visser is de man die we in de gaten moeten houden...

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

In the Open category, the stage victory goes to Robby Gordon (Hummer). And in the Production category, it is France’s Nicolas Gibon (Toyota) who wins the stage.

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

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

4 Januari 2009 - Stage 2 - Pending validation of the results, Dutchman Frans Verhoeven (KTM) has picked up his first special stage victory on the Dakar, 41" ahead of Frenchman Cyril Despres (KTM) and 1.04 in front of Franc’s David Frétigné (Yamaha), who won the 450cc category. In the general standings, Spaniard Marc Coma (KTM) is still in the lead and is now 13.47 ahead of Holland’s Verhoeven, who leads in the marathon category, and 15.46 in front of American Jonah Street (KTM). Video>>

Pending validation of the results, Spaniard Carlos Sainz (VW) won his 10th stage on the Dakar and his first of this 31st edition, 1.14 ahead of Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel (Mitsubishi) and 1.56 in front of South African Giniel de Villiers (VW). Sainz also takes the lead in the general standings and now leads team-mate De Villiers by 2.19, with also a 3.51 lead over Peterhansel. In the Open category, Robby Gordon (Hummer) was triumphant, finishing 10th in the day’s special stage. Lastly, in the Production Category, Japan’s Jun Mitsuhashi (Toyota) was victorious.

Pending validation of the results, Dutchman Gérard De Rooy (Ginaf) won the second special stage, picking up his 11th stage victory on the Dakar as a result and his first in 2009, 2 minutes in front of Russian Firdaus Kabirov (Kamaz) and 8.38 ahead of his team-mate and countryman Marcel Van Vliet (Ginaf). Gérard De Rooy also took the lead in the general standings, 3.58 ahead of Kabirov and 8.36 in front of Van Vliet.

3 Januari 2009 - Stage 1 - First victory for Van Vliet - Stacey has problems - Now that 8 trucks have finished the special, Dutchman Marcel Van Vliet (Ginaf) has finished in the lead, just 2 seconds in front of his countryman Gerard De Rooy (Ginaf). As a result, Van Vliet picks up his first victory on the Dakar! Russian Ilgizar Mardeev (Kamaz) finished 22" behind, in third place in Santa Rosa. LIVE >>

Dakar Stage 1 - You Tube >>>

Pending validation of the results, Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah (BMW) won the first special stage, taking charge of the general standings, 2.17 ahead of Spain’s Carlos Sainz (VW) and 2.40 in front of South African Giniel de Villiers (VW). In the Open category, the stage victory went to Robby Gordon (Hummer), who finished 17th overall. Lastly, in the Production category, Italian Massimo Biasion (Mitsubishi) was triumphant.

Pending validation of the results, Spaniard Marc Coma (KTM) won the first special stage, 22.05 ahead of Poland’s Jacek Czachor (KTM). Third place, 24.42 behind, went to Slovenian Miran Stanovnik (KTM), first in the marathon category. Frenchman David Frétigné, 6th to finish the stage 28.14 the day’s winner, scored the best time of the 450cc.

Race Report - Whilst Marc Coma’s victory was foreseeable for the first stage, the magnitude of his success and the catastrophes experienced by other bike race favorites put paid to most of the predictions. Despres and Casteu may have already seen their hopes for overall Dakar victory evaporate. In the car race, BMW met both with success, for Nasser Al Attiyah, and disappointment, with Guerlain Chicherit’s accident, after he started out of the blocks a bit too ambitiously.

Marc Coma’s methodology does not involve hesitation. He seems to have even grown in stature since the Dakar in 2007, where he was way ahead of all his pursuers in the first two decisive steps in Morocco, at Er Rachidia and Ouarzazate. On the inaugural special of this 31st edition, the Spaniard carved out a gulf between him and his rivals, confirming his unofficial status as the fastest rider in the world. Having started behind title holder Cyril Despres, the winner in 2006 already boasted the best intermediate time after 134 km of the race, 1” ahead. He used this first section to catch up with Despres, and what was to follow was a springboard to leaving him in his wake at CP 3 (after 248 km), with the race becoming a demonstration ride. On the 123 km of long straight tracks remaining, Coma showed the full extent of his power: at the finishing line at San Saladillo, he had to wait for almost half an hour before the first of his pursuers arrived. Finally, it was Jacek Czachor who came home in second position, with a gap to make up that would destabilize even the toughest of competitors: more than 22 minutes.

There is no way of really knowing whether the pitfalls at the start of this event will be fatal to overall hopes. However, the situation has never been as critical in terms of final triumph for Cyril Despres. With uncertainty hanging over his choice of tires for this year before the start, the Frenchman received some sort of confirmation on this first special stage: he crossed the line with the rims bare on his rear wheel, 41 minutes behind Coma! Others misfortune rarely lessens his own distress, but David Casteu, a serious challenger for the title, also experienced problems with his tires. Following a puncture, he was forced to turn round and head back to CP2, where one of his team-mates, Emanuel Gyenes, gave him his rear wheel. In total, he has a deficit of 1:01.53 to make up on Coma over the next 13 stages if he still hopes to win.

Van der Laan > 

The day also turned out to be a catastrophe for one of the drivers involved in the struggle for the lead, because Guerlain Chicherit, having gone through CP3 with the best time of the day, lost all hope of making an impression on the stage, and probably even on the whole event, by rolling his car onto its roof after 277 km. The outcome was not as pessimistic for Dieter Depping, who also flew through the first 250 kilometers, but then experienced electronic problems with his VW Race Touareg. He finished the stage an hour behind Nasser Al Attiyah, whose victory will probably not help to console the X-Raid team. However, for the Qatari, triumphant the last time out during the UAE Desert Challenge race, it was his second success on the Dakar, after the Nema-Nema loop in 2007. Today’s showing confirms his status as an outside chance for overall victory.

Ultimately, the two biggest teams on the rally, Mitsubishi and Volkswagen, had to settle for battling for the runner-up position and other places. Former winner Hirochi Masuoka was not so lucky and ended up being towed to the finish, but Carlos Sainz was the most convincing at this game, taking second place behind Al Attiyah, followed closely by his two team-mates, Giniel De Villiers and Mark Miller. Used to pursuing, the Mitsubishi drivers lost a bit of ground on their main rivals: Alphand finished 4.44 behind the day’s winner and Peterhansel 4.54. Just behind them, Argentine Orlando Terranova once again showed how competitive the BMW X-3s are, with a 7th-placed finish on his first day on the event.

The vehicles enrolled in the T2 category are generally less exposed to such spectacular mishaps, but are on the other hand involved an intense struggle for victory. To start the rally, it was a prestigious debutant for the Dakar car race who best represented the category. The former World Rally Champion, who has already taken part behind the wheel of a truck, Micki Biasion finished in 28th place in the general standings. His closest rival in the category, Ricardo Garosci, finished in 36th place.

 
The truck race gave rise to its own share of surprises. Vladimir Chagin started the day on top form with the best times at the first two checkpoints. In the end, though, Marcel Van Vliet triumphed, winning the special by only 2 seconds from Gerard De Rooy. The “Tsar” only finished in 7th place, more than three minutes behind the winner.

2 Januari 2009 - ASO - All on parade - With 217 bikers, 25 quad riders, 177 car crews and 81 others in trucks, 837 pioneers in total on board 500 vehicles will take starter’s orders tomorrow and get to grips with the route of the 31st Dakar, the first on the South American continent. For the moment, they have been enjoying their last day in the Argentine capital, where the city’s inhabitants have been wishing them a good journey.

The day has been filled with the last recommendations, the last hours of rest and especially the last encouragements before taking on this imposing challenge. The riders and drivers of the 500 vehicles enrolled for the Dakar started their day with a grand meeting, the traditional pre-race “briefing”, during which rally director Etienne Lavigne underlined certain points, with the emphasis on safety and the confidence he has in the competitors to honor and respect the two new host countries, Argentina and Chile.

Before getting to grips with the race itself, the vehicles will be warming up their engines around an initial loop that is to prove much easier than the rally that awaits them, with only a handful of miles to be covered. During this parade, the competitors will visit a part of the Buenos Aires city center, setting of from the La Rural exhibition park. Several obligatory ports of call have been selected for the parade: the Argentine Automobile Club, a national institution with 5000 races organized per year; Avenida 9 de Julio (9th July Avenue), which is claimed to be the widest in the world; and the famous Obelisk that dominates the Plaza de Republica (Republic Square).

In addition to a sunny saunter through the Argentine capital, the competitors can look forward to mingling with the huge crowds. After the 80,000 visitors who attended La Rural during scrutineering, 500,000 spectators were crammed along the route of the parade, a welcome encouragement and source of inspiration for the 14 stages to come: after today the competitors will have to affront 5,700 miles of roads and tracks.

De Telegraaf - Terugkeer Dakar naar Afrika ver weg BUENOS AIRES - De Dakar Rally keert niet vanzelfsprekend terug naar Afrika, waar de wortels van de woestijnrally liggen. „De actualiteit in Afrika is helaas dramatisch. Elk jaar neemt het grondgebied af waar we mogen racen”, zei directeur Etienne Lavigne vrijdag, een dag voor de start van de rally in Buenos Aires. Lees verder >>>

31 December 2008 - Finally Ready - The last day of technical and administrative scrutineering, whose chief aim was to establish the list of competitors, attracted more than 60,000 spectators to the site of La Rural. The natives of Buenos Aires, like most Argentines and Chileans, displayed enthusiasm on par with that of the 837 competitors, who, whether favorites or merely there to make up numbers, cannot wait to get started. The 500 vehicules line-up will be made of 217 bikes, 25 quads, 177 cars, 81 trucks.

It is perfectly normal that the prospect of taking part in the Dakar in South America gets the competitors excited to a certain degree. One of them, however, was blinded by this euphoria, or even over-confidence. Registered to take part in his first Dakar, Chinese rider Li Zhiheng quite simply forgot to bring biking overalls to wear on his KTM. As if that absent-mindedness was not enough, he also arrived in Buenos Aires without the license issued by the international federation, which is essential for taking starter’s orders for the rally. Alongside his two countrymen, Chen Jianguo and Wei Guanghui, both similarly lacking in paperwork, Zhiheng is now in a race against the clock to present the required license before the first stage of the race starts.

Apart from the Chinese trio, who could be worthy overall winners in the forgetfulness standings, all the competitors had, on the contrary, prepared for this event in minute detail. The best illustration is the case of the Mitsubishi team, which will be starting with four Lancer diesels. The change in technology required almost two years of development, with just over 10,000 miles of tests. The tracks of Argentina will play host to the grand entrance of the Pajero’s successor, after a successful run-out on the Baja at Porto Alegre. Behind the wheel of these four prototypes, Peterhansel, Alphand, Roma and Masuoka are midway between the status of favorites or challengers. This time, their rivals at Volkswagen can point to greater experience with diesel engines. The German firm’s drivers, sadly unused to lady luck smiling on them, could finally see the tide turn in their favor, especially since during preparation, the engineers responsible for the Race Touaregs of Sainz, De Villiers, Miller and Depping have apparently left nothing to chance. From this parade of champions at the La Rural exhibition centre, it has been extremely difficult to pick out a clear favorite, nor even the leading car. Only American Robby Gordon, an exceedingly confident driver, is unhesitant in declaring outright victory as his sole objective. It remains to be seen if his Hummer is really capable of challenging the factory vehicles right throughout the rally.

On the bikes, the last two winners of the rally, Cyril Despres and Marc Coma, are sufficiently experienced in the discipline to exercise the necessary caution. As a result, their burning desire for triumph is systematically tempered by customary reserve and surprises that the race may hold in store. These types of incidents could be of benefit to David Frétigné, who is aiming to land himself a place on the podium for the first time, behind the handlebars of his 450cc Yamaha.

An initial idea of how the situation will pan out on the tracks should be apparent on Saturday, on the first stage leading to Santa Rosa. Between now and then, the riders and drivers will be testing their vehicles on a pedestal assembled next to the Obelisk in the majestic Plaza de la Republica, right in the middle of the Avenida 9 de Julio.

And it’s how they discovered America…

Three days prior to the start of the rally, the Argentine side of the scrutineering has started. The mission of the race stewards is to check the conformity of vehicles and see if it matches the rules for those who had not yet done so in Le Havre. The contenders – already thrilled by the first part of their stays – are now impatient to discover the rest of the continent.

The countdown is ticking slowly toward the start of the rally raid; the wheels have not yet turned for the start of the 2009 edition of the Dakar. But people are already talking about excitement and fascination. Out of the 100km or so between Delta Rock and the La Rural Exhibition Park where the second round of scrutineering is happening, the competitors already had several opportunities to enjoy the thrilling atmosphere that is now gaining the country. A lot of them had chosen to arrive a little earlier in the southern hemisphere: the most insatiable meat eaters of them all relished at eating “bife de chorizo”, these huge slices of beef served in all restaurants in Buenos Aires; the most careful of them decided to take some margin to adapt to the jetlag and the tourists strolled down the colorful streets of the Boca area or tasted a nice and fresh Quilmes on a terrace in San Telmo. No matter why, all were conquered by the preparation and expressed nothing but enthusiasm when the time of the last formalities came. “First, I tried the car, then I tried the meat”, nevertheless clarifies Carlos Sainz who is focused on his aim: the final victory.

The scrutineering of the participants – mainly organized for the technical scrutineering of the vehicles from the American continent – allowed the Porteños to catch a glimpse of some of the favorites in the race who had been summoned on this first day. In the bike category, France’s David Casteu, flanked by his new team mate, Chile’s Francisco Lopez, successfully passed this first test. It was also the case for the BMW X-Raid Team with its top drivers Nasser Al Attiyah and Guerlain Chicherit, and of truck title holder Hans Stacey, who is more concerned with his recently injured wrist than with the technical and admin scrutineering. Expected in the mid afternoon, the gems of the Mitsubishi team however asked for their scrutineering to be differed. Wishing to take a new series of tests on the brand new Lancer of Peterhansel, Alphand, Roma and Masuoka, Dominique Serieys asked the organizers to slightly postpone their scrutineering appointment: “At the shake-down session in Le Creusot, the temperature was 2°C. The cars being packed with electronics, we had to change some parameters that are sensitive e.g. to temperature differences, height or fuel, which is not exactly the same here. This is why we went test driving the cars on the Buenos Aires test track today”, explains the boss of the squad that has a track record of 12 success on the Dakar.

So New Year’s Eve will be studious and busy for the pilots of the Japanese manufacturer who now have an appointment in the morning for the administrative scrutineering. In the afternoon, their cars might cross paths for the first time with their main rivals from Volkswagen, i.e. Sainz and De Villiers as well as Robby Gordon’s Hummer. The last two winners in the bike category, Cyril Despres and Marc Coma, will also have the opportunity of chatting along the 9,500km of road and trail that await them. But one thing is sure: they will certainly not reveal their strategies to one another…

Grand Benelux arrives in Argentina - Many freighters arrive daily in the harbour of Delta Dock situated a hundred kilometres from Buenos Aires. This is exactly where the Grand Benelux was to complete a very special mission that started in the French harbour of Le Havre on December 2nd: to carry the vehicles of the European competitors of the 2009 Dakar.

The ship arrived on December 18th at 4 a.m. Once the ship was moored, the 820 vehicles onboard could be landed. From 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., 13 staff of the Dakar and fifty dockers unloaded the Grand Benelux. At the time of the inventory, only a few flat tyres or batteries had slowed down the operation. All the vehicles were then placed in the Parc Fermé where the competitors will come and pick them up on December 30th and 31st.

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