TEAM REPSOL MITSUBISHI RALLIART SAFELY THROUGH STAGE INTO KAYES TO MAINTAIN OVERALL LEAD
18 January 2007
Ayoun - Kayes
Liaison 227kms / SS 257kms
Total 484kms
Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart drivers Stéphane Peterhansel and Luc Alphand stayed in firm control of the 29th Dakar Rally, after the 257km special stage between Ayoûn-el-Atroûs in Mauritania and Kayes in north-western Mali on Thursday. But Alphand and co-driver Gilles Picard managed to reduce Peterhansel’s and Jean-Paul Cottret’s overall lead to just 6m 29s.
Peterhansel and Cottret began the day in fourth position and were a cautious eighth through the first passage control. They finished the stage in sixth place and maintained a reduced lead in the overall standings.
"The stage was very narrow in places between many small trees and we touched one tree on the right-hand side of the car," said Peterhansel. "But the car was perfect otherwise. The stage offered very tricky navigation. About 50km from the end we lost the track and a little time."
Alphand/Picard
Alphand and Picard were sixth into the stage this morning and the fourth fastest crew through PC1. Despite taking no risks, the defending champions set the third fastest time and managed to reduce their team mates’ overall lead to 6m 29s with three stages remaining.
"We started behind Carlos Sainz and he really pushed, so we had a clear track for much of the stage and were able to gain some time," said Alphand. "Now we have to be quiet and intelligent. We had a little navigation problem, about 600 metres the wrong way, but it was the same for several drivers."
Hiroshi Masuoka/Pascal Maimon
Hiroshi Masuoka and Pascal Maimon followed Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah into this morning’s stage in second position and were under team orders to slow down and wait for team mate Peterhansel and shadow him to the stage finish. Masuoka was 19th at PC1 and reached the stage finish in 19th position, although he duly slipped behind the American Marc Miller into sixth overall.
"I played the waiting game today to make sure that the other team drivers were okay," said Masuoka. "It was difficult to avoid the small trees. It will be very difficult for the trucks running behind us on the stage."
Joan ’Nani’ Roma/Lucas Cruz
Joan ’Nani’ Roma and Lucas Cruz started eighth on the road into Kayes, but were six seconds faster than Carlos Sainz at the first PC and the virtual leaders on the stage. Roma eventually finished fifth on the special, which was won by Sainz from Portugal’s Carlos Sousa.
"I was running very well to the first PC," said Roma. "But, after the water, I caught a Mitsubishi and thought it was Luc in the dust. I followed him, but it was Hiroshi. We both took the wrong route and both cars had to turn around. I lost a little time there, but more time following in Hiroshi’s dust. There are only about 500km of racing to go, but they will feel very long…"
"It was a good day for us," said MMSP’s Managing and Sporting Director Dominique Serieys. "We now have to be very careful over the next three days and keep our concentration. There is a great spirit within our team. I will have a chat tonight with Isao Torii and we will discuss a team strategy. Tomorrow’s stage through Black Africa is very narrow and technical and we don’t want a fight between our two drivers on the stages. They are professional and will fully understand the situation."
China’s Lui Bin and Thai Pornsiriched hold 49th and 68th places in Kayes
Lui Bin/Serge Henninot
China’s Lui Bin and French co-driver Serge Henninot began the stage in 46th overall and 28th position on the stage. They were 42nd fastest into Kayes and slipped to 49th place.
"It was okay today, but I think the stage was more tiring than the last two specials in Mauritania," said Bin. "It was more like a jungle. There were some low trees with no tops, just roots and stumps. It was easy to break the suspension. I broke a mirror on the tree, but nothing serious."
Frenchman Dominique Housieaux and co-driver Jean-Michel Polato were the 39th team into today’s stage in their Mitsubishi L200 Triton and finished 23rd. They remain the leading Mitsubishi privateers in 19th place.
Mana Pornsiriched/Jean Brucy
Thailand’s Mana Pornsiriched and French co-driver Jean Brucy were classified 24th at the finish of the day’s stage and now hold 68th overall.
"The stage today reminded me of a typical special in Thailand," said Pornsiriched. "It was not so difficult, but more of a test for my co-driver and his navigation skills. We hit three tiny trees today. There was no major damage, but just some scratches on the car."
Russian Leonid Novitskiy was 21st on the road this morning, while Brazilian Klever Kolberg began this morning’s stage 22nd on the road, behind the Russian. The Brazilian finished the stage in an excellent 20th position and now holds 59th, while the Russian is 21st overall after setting the 15th fastest time.
"The landscape and the scenery in Mali were very beautiful," said Novitskiy. "There were many small baobab trees on the stage and we were very careful. We grazed some gently, but nothing too serious. No problems with the car."
Yaroslav Soloviev was 43rd of the 111 starters to leave Ayoûn-el-Atroûs this morning and finished the stage in 35th place to hold 52nd position.
Tomorrow (Friday) is the penultimate of the longer Dakar Rally stages and begins with a 180km liaison across the border into Sénégal. Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart will then tackle a varied 260km special on stony terrain and across laterite piste to finish a mere 18km from the Sénégalese town of Tambacounda, a regular stopover on the Dakar Rally and the final bivouac on this year’s event.
There are now only around 1,127km for competitors to cross before they reach the finish in Dakar and a mere 501km are competitive.
-MMSP
TEAM REPSOL MITSUBISHI RALLIART TAKE ROAD SECTION TO AYOUN-EL-ATROUS BEFORE FINAL STAGES TO DAKAR
17 January 2007
Néma – Ayoûn-el-Atroûs
Liaison 280kms
Total 280kms
TEAM REPSOL MITSUBISHI RALLIART TAKE ROAD SECTION TO AYOUN-EL-ATROUS BEFORE FINAL STAGES TO DAKAR
Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart enjoyed a welcome break from competition on Wednesday, after the day’s special stage had been cancelled in late December and turned into a non-competitive liaison.
Instead of returning from the legendary Mali town of Timbuktu on Wednesday morning, the entire Dakar caravan embarked upon a 280km liaison section from Néma to Ayoûn-el-Atroûs and the event will continue as normal towards Kayes on Thursday.
Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart support truck (MAN)
Assistance crews were requested to leave the windswept and dusty bivouac in Néma between 07.00hrs and 09.00hrs and then the surviving 142 motorcycles left at 11.00hrs. The 112 cars and 60 trucks departed from 13.00hrs on the three-hour journey to the next bivouac, set adjacent to a remote, sandy and blustery airstrip between desert bushes and clumps of parched grass, located on the southern tip of the vast Mauritanian Sahel.
There were rigid speed restrictions in place on the liaison section this morning, for both the assistance and competition cars. There are now just three longer timed special stages and the short sprint around Lac Rose standing between Mitsubishi and a potential seventh successive and 12th overall Dakar victory.
Over the course of the next four days, Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart drivers Stéphane Peterhansel, Luc Alphand, Hiroshi Masuoka and Joan ’Nani’ Roma will drive 1,601km, of which 758km will take place on timed special stages. The team’s four Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero Evolutions currently hold first, second, fifth and 13th places in the overall classification.
Tomorrow (Thursday) the schedule returns to its near-original format with a 257km competitive section between Ayoûn-el-Atroûs in Mauritania and Kayes in the Republic of Mali. A 110km liaison heads in a southerly direction to the start of the timed section near Kobenni. Teams then head across the border to a finish near Tambakafa and a 117km liaison takes cars through several populated areas into Kayes.
-MMSP
TEAM REPSOL MITSUBISHI RALLIART MAINTAIN IRON GRIP ON DAKAR RALLY AFTER NEMA LOOP STAGE
16 January 2007
Néma - Néma
Liaison 34kms / SS 366kms
Total 400kms
Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart maintained firm control of the 29th Dakar Rally, after the 366km loop stage around the Néma bivouac in Mauritania on Tuesday.
All four Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero Evolutions reached the bivouac without any problems or without the drivers taking any risks, but Stéphane Peterhansel’s and Jean-Paul Cottret’s fourth fastest time means they head into the 11th stage on Thursday, 9m 56s ahead of team mates Luc Alphand and Gilles Picard in the overall standings. Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah clinched his first ever Dakar Rally stage win, with Mitsubishi’s Hiroshi Masuoka in second place.
Luc Alphand/Gilles Picard
Alphand and Picard began the special behind Jean-Louis Schlesser’s Buggy, as they attempted to reduce Peterhansel’s 7m 50s overall lead. But Peterhansel had extended his advantage by 1m 41s at the 186km point and, despite following the defending champion for much of the special caught. He passed Alphand near the end.
Stephane Peterhansel/Jean Paul Cottret
"We caught Luc after about 150km and we stayed behind him in the dust and the soft sand," said Peterhansel. "Then, in an off-road section, we passed him about 10km from the end. But I drove more than 200km in the dust. It was not very comfortable. Today’s stage was not too fast and on a sandy track. It was not too hard, but we will see completely different terrain in the next few days and this was not very kind to me last year, so we will see."
Alphand was unable to claw back any time: "We had orders to preserve our cars this morning and, when we passed Schlesser, it was not easy to be the first car on the road. It is not easy to find a good pace. We will try again over the next few stages without taking any risks. Stéphane will be ahead of us on the next stage, so it will be a little easier."
Hiroshi Masuoka/Pascal Maimon
Hiroshi Masuoka and Pascal Maimon began the stage in fifth overall and were the fastest of the four Mitsubishi crews at PCs one and two, 1m 22s ahead of Peterhansel at the 259km point. The Japanese reached the finish in second position to consolidate fifth overall.
"It was an enjoyable stage, driving in between the small trees," said Masuoka. "It was difficult to overtake the bikes, because the riders were not able to leave the main track. For that reason we needed to be extra careful. When I caught Stéphane and Luc, I followed them and stayed behind to the stage finish without taking any risks."
Joan ’Nani’ Roma/Lucas Cruz
Joan ’Nani’ Roma and Lucas Cruz began the 10th stage in 13th position in the overall standings, after Carlos Sainz had been reinstated in the results in 10th place. Roma was seventh fastest through PC1 and eventually finished the stage in eighth to retain 13th place.
"We lost about a minute and a half with a tiny navigational mistake, but everything else was okay," said Roma. "After that I drove very carefully to make sure I did not break the car. The plan now is to follow the first two cars and stay in contact with them. The new partnership with Lucas is working well."
"Today’s stage was very different to the last two Marathon days," said MMSP’s Managing and Sporting Director Dominique Serieys. "It was not necessary to create a big fight by pushing. We have a cushion now and around 850km of special stages still to run. After the liaison tomorrow we will see. There is still some way to go. Hiroshi and ’Nani’ are now working to support our two lead drivers."
China’s Lui Bin and Thailand’s Pornsiriched safely into Nema
Lui Bin/Serge Henninot
China’s Lui Bin and French co-driver Serge Henninot began the stage in 52nd overall and 41st on the road and reached Nema with the 28th fastest time to move up to 46th position.
"It was again a good day for us," said Bin. "I think that Mauritanian stages are very good for us. Now I must make sure that I conserve the car that we damaged last week on the early stages. Dakar is getting closer every day and I hope to be able to continue without any big problems."
Frenchman Dominique Housieaux and former Mitsubishi factory co-driver Jean-Michel Polato had climbed to 19th overall at the start of the stage on Tuesday. They were 26th in today’s special stage and slipped to 20th.
Mana Pornsiriched/Jean Brucy
Thailand’s Mana Pornsiriched and French co-driver Jean Brucy were classified 70th overall at the start of the loop stage. They began the day’s stage 35th on the road and reached the finish in 35th position. "We are not too far away from Dakar now," said the Thai. "We are on the home straight and it is even more important that we preserve our car over the next few days."
Russian Leonid Novitskiy began Tuesday stage in 24th position and reached the finish in 21st place.
Yaroslav Soloviev was 55th and Brazilian Klever Kolberg was 67th overall. They arrived at the finish in 37th and 22nd, respectively, and the Russian is now 49th.
"I had no problems with my car, but we had a small problem on the stage with another car," said Kolberg. "I pulled over to let Giniel De Villiers go passed and then I saw him stopped in the middle of the stage with a motorcycle in front. We had problems getting passed him, but that was the only real thing today. We are not fighting for overall places any more. I am just trying to reach Dakar."
Tomorrow (Wednesday) will be an enforced rest day on the 29th Dakar Rally, the lack of competition brought about by the curtailment of competition between Néma and Timbuktu. Instead, teams will drive on a 280km liaison section from Néma to Ayoûn-el-Atroûs and competitive action will restart on Thursday morning.
-MMSP
TEAM REPSOL MITSUBISHI RALLIART SEIZE FIRST AND SECOND PLACES AFTER DRAMATIC DAY IN DAKAR RALLY
15 January 2007
Tichit - Néma
Liaison 3kms / SS 494kms
Total 497kms
Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart were the beneficiaries from a dramatic ninth special stage of the 29th Dakar Rally between Tichit and Néma in Mauritania on Monday.
After a dramatic turn of events, whereby overall rally leader Giniel de Villiers badly delayed with engine-related problems and arch rival Carlos Sainz stopped with electrical woes, the Mitsubishi crews of Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-Paul Cottret and Luc Alphand/Gilles Picard arrived in Néma in first and second positions in the overall classification. They set the third and second fastest times on the tricky 494km special stage, which was won by Frenchman Jean-Louis Schlesser.
Peterhansel and Cottret headed into this morning’s stage behind overall leader de Villiers, but they were forced to stop and change the clutch. A late puncture failed to halt their progress and the winners of the Dakar in 2004 and 2005 arrived at the stage finish in third place to take the overall lead.
Stephane Peterhansel
"When I saw Giniel De Villiers had stopped and there was the start of a fire on his car, it was unbelievable," said Peterhansel. "He had driven a great race so far. After that Jean-Paul and I knew we were in a good position, but we had our own problems with the clutch and spent 15 minutes changing it. Carlos, Mark Miller and Schlesser passed us and I really tried to catch them all. Then I saw Carlos stopped after a big jump and began to follow Luc. But we had a puncture near the end and I had to stop and change the wheel."
Alphand and Picard began the stage in third position and were classified sixth at the first passage control. Problems for their rivals pushed the defending champions into overall contention and Alphand recorded the second fastest time to move up to second overall, 7m 50s behind his team mate.
Luc Alphand/Gilles Picard
"It was an amazing day," said Alphand. "We saw De Villiers stopped and thought it was good for us. But I knew that Stéphane was pushing. Then we saw that he had stopped as well and I knew that we would have to lift off, because my turn for some bad luck may have been just around the corner. Then Sainz, Miller and Stéphane caught me. My pace was not so fast. They passed me and then Carlos stopped again with Miller alongside. Then I saw Stéphane and we finished the stage! Amazing…"
Hiroshi Masuoka and Pascal Maimon were classified fifth through the first passage control and fourth at PC2. They eventually finished the stage in fourth place, despite changing two flat tires and stopping a third time to check for a potential slow puncture.
Hiroshi Masuoka/Pascal Maimon
"I had a good stage position today," said Masuoka. "But I think I could have won the special. I had two flat tires and stopped again once to check that the tires were okay. That was, perhaps, the difference between winning the stage and finishing fourth."
Joan ’Nani’ Roma and Lucas Cruz were able to cure the minor electrical problem, which had dogged their progress into Tichit, and restarted in 18th place overall. They were seventh quickest through PC1, after making rapid progress over the opening kilometres. They were up to fifth at PC2 and maintained that position to the finish. The Spaniards now lie just outside the top 10 in the overall standings.
"The engine and the car are working very well now," said Roma. "I did not want to push too hard, because I am working to help the rest of the team. I have a good starting position for the next stage, so I will do my best to support the other three cars."
"I said to many people in Atar that the differences between the drivers at the rest day were very small," said MMSP’s Managing and Sporting Director Dominique Serieys. "Anything and everything can happen in Mauritania. After one very hard week in Morocco there is always a strain on the cars. The rally will be very difficult until Tambacounda, and maybe even Dakar. Now we are leading, we are not under pressure. But we have to manage our new strategy in a very intelligent way."
"It was a very positive day, but we have to take great care now for the final days," said MMSP’s President Isao Torii. "We will do our best. I feel very sorry for Volkswagen, but that is the nature of this rally. It is so unpredictable."
China’s Lui Bin and Russian Novitskiy enjoy clean runs into Néma
Frenchman Housieaux leads Mitsubishi privateer challenge in 19th
Thailand’s Pornsiriched back on the pace into Néma
China’s Lui Bin and French co-driver Serge Henninot finished the Atar to Tichit stage in a highly-creditable 35th position, after the driver’s first real taste of the one of the most difficult special stages on the Dakar Rally. He held 51st overall at the start of the stage into Néma this morning and was unofficially classified as 39th at 18.10hrs and moved up to 46th overall.
Lui Bin/Serge Henninot
"It was a long stage into Tichit, very tough, said Bin. "There were many cars stuck at the start of the stage and I did not want to follow them into trouble, so I found a route around the problems and it worked very well.
"Today was a very good day. I had just one puncture and four times I got stuck in the sand. The car is perfect. There are no problems at all and I am starting to enjoy the rally. After seven stages in Africa I am learning how to manage the pace and how to work really well with my co-driver."
Frenchman Dominique Housieaux and former Mitsubishi factory co-driver Jean-Michel Polato were the leading privateer crew in the Dakar at the start of the Tichit to Néma stage. Housieaux was 20th fastest into Tichit and held a similar position overall. The Frenchman finished 25th in the stage into Néma and climbed a place to 19th overall.
"I have been driving with great care," admitted the Frenchman. "I stopped in the dunes to inflate and deflate the tires yesterday. It takes time, but it is worth it. Patience is the name of the game for me on some of the very difficult stages."
Mana Pornsiriched/Jean Brucy
Thailand’s Mana Pornsiriched and French co-driver Jean Brucy arrived in the Tichit bivouac at 03.56 hrs on Monday morning and didn’t have long to catch up on some much-needed rest before taking the start of the stage into Néma at 10.29 hrs. The lack of sleep failed to stop the Thai driver finishing the stage in an excellent 31st position.
"I had no punctures today and I did not get stuck," said Pornsiriched. "I actually enjoyed the beautiful scenery here in Mauritania. It was a real shame that I had problems in Atar yesterday morning with the fuel pump, otherwise it would have been a perfect Marathon stage for me."
Russian Leonid Novitskiy finished the Tichit to Néma stage in 29th position and held 26th in the overall classification at the start of the day’s stage. He completed Monday’s special in 19th place and moved up to 23rd overall.
Brazilian Klever Kolberg restarted this morning from the rear of the field, alongside Mana Pornsiriched, after delays into Tichit, but he enjoyed an excellent stage and set the 21st fastest time.
Tomorrow (Tuesday), teams will follow an amended route after the ASO announced on December 23rd that the route of the 29th Dakar Rally would not head across Malian territory to the tourist outpost at Timbuktu. Instead of the tricky special to the remote outpost, teams will tackle a 366km loop section around Néma, starting 10km from the bivouac and finishing 24km away.
Néma is surrounded by vast expanses of sandy wasteland and, according to the ASO, this stage is a worthy replacement for the Timbuktu special.
-MMSP
PETERHANSEL MOVES UP TO SECOND PLACE AS TEAM REPSOL MITSUBISHI RALLIART MAINTAIN THE PRESSURE
14 January 2007
Atar - Tichit
Liaison 37kms / SS 589kms
Total 626kms
Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart applied fierce pressure on rivals and leaders Volkswagen on the longest stage of the entire 2007 Dakar Rally - the punishing 589km special between Atar and Tichit in Mauritania on Sunday.
One hundred and twenty-seven of the original 180 starters left the start in Atar on Sunday morning and Mitsubishi’s Stéphane Peterhansel and Jean-Paul Cottret moved into second position in the overall standings by setting the second fastest time.
The French duo are now 31m 13s behind overall rally leader and stage winner Giniel de Villiers, while team mates Luc Alphand and Gilles Picard were third fastest and now hold third overall.
Peterhansel and Cottret began the stage behind de Villiers, but the South African had extended his overall lead over the twice former winners by 13m 55s at the 201km point when the Frenchman had two punctures and lost time in soft sand. Peterhansel hit back into the next PC at 357km and reduced the leader’s on-stage lead to 6m 48s. The margin was identical at the final PC as the paid headed across the camel grass towards Tichit, with De Villiers eventually winning the stage by 6m 35s.
"I had two punctures today after just 30km," groaned Peterhansel. "We had one after six kilometres, we were stuck after 22km and then another flat tire again at 28km. What a start to a 589km stage! With a full tank of fuel and spare parts, the car was very heavy on the big rocks, so we always ran a risk of flat tires. It was also difficult to cross the dunes with a heavy car.
"After the punctures I only had one spare wheel for more than 550km, so I just had to be very careful and take no risks. If I had punctured again, I would have needed to wait for Hiroshi or ’Nani’ and that would have cost even more time. I was waiting for the hard stage today and I made a mistake. Now I have to plan another attack tomorrow."
Alphand/Picard
Alphand and Picard were classified third at the first passage control, albeit 6m 34s behind De Villiers and fourth at PC2. They maintained their momentum through the remainder of the stage to record the third fastest time.
"It was a tough and very long stage," said Alphand. "We were stuck twice in the sand in the first dunes and had to deflate and inflate. Then we had to change one wheel near the end when we had a slow puncture. In total, we stopped five times. You cannot expect to win the stage when this happens and you lose 20 minutes. But a big positive is that there are no problems at all with the car for the Marathon stage."
Hiroshi Masuoka/Pascal Maimon
Hiroshi Masuoka and Pascal Maimon began the stage in fourth place, but were forced to stop at the 25km point with clutch problems. The crew benefited from the quick-change technology of the clutch in Mitsubishi’s new MPR13, but still lost 1h 19m changing the clutch and replacing no less than four flat tires. The Japanese reached the first passage control in 4h 05m, 1h 13m behind team mate Alphand and in 29th place. He went on to record the ninth fastest time and slipped to eighth overall.
"I had four punctures today, as well as the problem with the clutch," said Masuoka. "I am very disappointed after the rest day when the whole car was rebuilt. ’Nani’ stopped and gave me one tire and then I drove 500km with no spare tires, But this is life."
Joan ’Nani’ Roma and Lucas Cruz were classified 23rd at the start of the special. The cylinder head had been successfully replaced at the rest day by team technicians, although Roma admitted that his position within the team had changed to a support role for his team mates. Unfortunately, they lost over 90 minutes before PC1 with clutch problems and further time later in the stage with a down-on-power engine and unofficially finished the stage in 12th position.
Roma/Senra Cruz
"This morning the clutch broke in the first dunes at about 28km and we had to stop and change it," said Roma. "Then, about 120km from the end of the stage the engine started to splutter a little and it was not possible to push harder. I think it a sensor fault or a minor electrical problem. Hopefully the race truck mechanics can take a look at it tonight."
"It was one of those days where Stéphane and Luc lost time in the sand and had flat tires," said MMSP’s Managing and Sporting Director Dominique Serieys. "But both the cars are in good condition and we will try and gain some time on Monday. It was never going to be an easy stage, but we are still very much in contention and that is important."
China’s Lui Bin and Russian Novitskiy make headway towards Tichit
Thailand’s Pornsiriched late at the start; Japan’s Ikemachi forced to retire
Lui Bin/Serge Henninot
China’s Lui Bin and French co-driver Serge Henninot started the Atar to Tichit stage in 69th overall. They reached PC1 in 47th position, but speeded up through the closing sections and were 37th at PC2 and 36th at PC3 en route to Tichit at 19.45 hrs.7
Thailand’s Mana Pornsiriched and French co-driver Jean Brucy suffered a fuel pump problem in the service area in Atar this morning, shortly before they were supposed to leave. Technicians worked to rectify the problem, although the Thai driver was late at the start and eventually reached the stage start 10 minutes before he would have been excluded for being over his time limit. At 19.45hrs he was still in the special stage before PC1.
Brazilian Klever Kolberg was permitted to restart with a fistful of time penalties. "It is just a matter of finishing the rally now after all the time penalties we incurred," said the Brazilian at the restart. He was 102nd through PC1 and 76th at PC2 at 19.45hrs.
Japan’s Yoshio Ikemachi was forced to retire from the rally between Atar and Tichit. He had problems with the turbocharger just before PC1 and returned to Dakar, via the Mauritanian capital of Nouakchott.
Russians Leonid Novitskiy was 30th at PC3, driving towards the stage finish and fellow countryman Yaroslav Soloviev held 52nd at 19.45hrs.
Tomorrow (Monday) marks the ninth timed special stage of the Dakar Rally – a 494km section that starts near the Tichit bivouac and finishes a mere three kilometres from Néma. This promises to be one of the classic Dakar stages across a huge expanse of sandy wasteland with few landmarks and vast areas of deep sand and dune complexes at the start of the special and camel grass, stony terrain and laterite piste further into the stage.
-MMSP
TEAM REPSOL MITSUBISHI RALLIART REGROUPS AT ATAR REST DAY AND PREPARES FOR DRAMATIC FINAL WEEK
13 January 2007
Rest Day
Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart will begin the second week of the 2007 Dakar Rally in a somewhat unusual position, attempting to win the event from behind their arch rivals. In recent years the Pont-de-Vaux-based team has led the world’s most daunting off-road rally at the rest day mid-point and has won the event for the last six years.
But the 29th edition of the Dakar Rally has been one of the toughest in the Japanese manufacturer’s 25-year history of competing in the world’s premier cross-country event. Team drivers Stéphane Peterhansel, Luc Alphand and Hiroshi Masuoka currently hold third, fourth and fifth places in the overall classification, behind new rally leader Giniel de Villiers and team mate and former front-runner Carlos Sainz.
Stephane Peterhansel
"We have left ourselves some work to do next week," said Peterhansel. "But we all know how unpredictable the Dakar Rally can be and this event will not be decided until the final stage next Sunday. Maybe the next few days will give us a chance to fight-back and gain some time. It has not been easy so far, but I know that we have a good track record in the dunes and there will be plenty of those in the next few days…"
Defending champion Alphand is hoping for a change of fortune in the final week. "I have been quite frustrated over the last few days. We have never had a good clean stage. There has always been something that cost us time. I know I am on the right pace, but I need a bit of better luck this week. The victory is still quite within the grasp."
"We have quite a lot of time to make up this week," said Masuoka. "It is still possible for me to win the rally, but the important thing is to work for the team to ensure that we have the victory. I have a good starting position on Sunday behind Carlos (Sainz), so we will see."
Mitsubishi’s fourth driver Joan ’Nani’ Roma rolled on the seventh stage into Atar and was forced to wait for the assistance truck. He eventually finished the stage over six hours late and slipped to 23rd position in the overall rankings. The engine sustained valve damage in the accident. Mitsubishi mechanics and team engineers changed the cylinder head in Atar on Saturday, after the Spaniard had reached the rest halt with the help of the race support truck.
This year’s event is shorter than previous years – due largely to an unforeseen route change in Mali that was announced before Christmas – and that has placed a greater emphasis on speed and made the event more of a sprint race thus far. Mitsubishi knows that its team’s strength lies in its ability to perform well in sand dunes, camel grass and really harsh African terrain that has, so far, been scarce on the 29th Dakar Rally.
But MMSP’s Managing and Sporting Director Dominique Serieys is confident about the coming days: "Our rivals have started very well this year and have pushed on every stage. There has been no respite. We have suffered some minor set-backs and it was a bitter blow for ’Nani’ Roma to lose so much time into Atar on Friday.
"But I said at the start that we needed to be in the top five at the rest day and not more than 20 minutes from the leaders. The next two days in the sand dunes in Mauritania will be critical. We will continue to push and put pressure on the two leaders. The stages between Atar and Tichit and Tichit and Néma are likely to be very tough and there can be swings on the leaderboard of many minutes each day quite easily."
Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart Service Area
Mitsubishi have already proved that the new MPR13 version of the Pajero/Montero Evolution has the pace and development to give the Japanese manufacturer a 12th Dakar triumph. Peterhansel was close to winning stages on two occasions last week, before clutch problems and a puncture intervened, while Mitsubishis have regularly been inside the top five on the stages and always in contention in the overall rankings.
Peterhansel and co-driver Jean-Paul Cottret head into the stage to Tichit trailing De Villiers by 24m 38s, with Alphand and co-driver Gilles Picard 33m 53s behind the South African. Clutch problems and several punctures cost Masuoka and co-driver Pascal Maimon precious time in the opening stages and they move into the second week of competition over 70 minutes behind De Villiers.
Joan 'Nani' Roma
Friday’s accident cost Roma and Lucas Cruz their chance of winning the Dakar for the first time with Mitsubishi, but the Spaniards – who lie 6h 56m behind the leader - can still play a crucial tactical role in helping Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart confirm victory on the event for a seventh successive season at Lac Rose in Sénégal next Sunday.
"I have every confidence that the team can still win the Dakar Rally this year," said MMSP’s Team President Isao Torii. "We are not in the same position as we were for the last two years, but there are some difficult stages to go and I am confident in our team’s experience."
Rear differential problems cost Mitsubishi crews time into Atar
China’s Lui Bin and Thailand’s Pornsiriched reach Atar late on Friday night
Four of the Tibau Team-run Mitsubishis suffered rear differential problems on the stage between Zouerat and Atar and each of the problems were caused by the same large rock hidden in the sand.
China’s Lui Bin, Thailand’s Mana Pornsiriched, Brazil’s Klever Kolberg and Russian Leonid Novitskiy all suffered rear transmission problems and had to wait for the assistance trucks before repairs were carried out.
"It was a hectic day and a long night," admitted Team Manager Jürgen Masal. "Everybody hit the same big stone and all seem to have had the same rear differential problem. For that reason they were all late. There is a lot of damage on all the cars and our mechanics have a very busy day to repair them and also complete the rest day service plan."
China’s Lui Bin and French co-driver Serge Henninot arrived at the bivouac in 120th position on the stage. They entered the campsite at two minutes before midnight on Friday night, but maintained a place in the rally in 69th overall.
Thailand’s Mana Pornsiriched and French co-driver Jean Brucy were also badly delayed and reached the camp site at 01.51 hrs on Saturday morning. They were classified 121st on the special, but were within their time limit and will restart from the rear of the field on Sunday, albeit in 84th position in the overall classification.
Brazilian Klever Kolberg held 54th position in the overall rankings at the start of the day’s stage, but he too was badly delayed and reached the bivouac without completing the special stage. He was awaiting the organizers’ decision on time penalties before he knew whether he would be able to continue on Sunday.
Frenchman Dominique Housieaux completed the stage as the first of the Tibau Team-run cars in 29th position in his Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero and now holds 22nd in the overall standings, while Russian Yaroslav Soloviev was classified 52nd overall and holds 50th.
Japan’s Yoshio Ikemachi began the stage between Zouerat and Atar in 28th position, but suffered rear differential problems and was forced to wait for the assistance truck, which arrived at 03.00 hrs on Saturday morning to carry out repairs. The Japanese arrived in the Atar bivouac at around 11.45 hrs.
Russians Leonid Novitskiy and Alexey Berkut were also delayed: Novitskiy finished the stage in 61st position. Berkut rolled his Mitsubishi and, although he arrived at the Atar bivouac, technical officials withdrew his damaged L200 Triton from the event on safety grounds. "Unfortunately for us, Alexey appears to be out of the race," confirmed Masal. "It is annoying because the car was damaged in the accident and some of the tracking equipment is missing."
Tomorrow (Sunday) marks the first of three of the most difficult sections of this year’s Dakar. A 35km liaison steers crews to the start of the longest stage of the entire rally – a potentially-daunting 589km section across the Mauritanian wastelands, via Tidjikja, to finish a mere two kilometres from the Tichit oasis.
Service vehicles are not allowed into the Tichit bivouac on this first and only Marathon section of the 29th Dakar Rally for cars. Instead, assistance vehicles and support personnel will make an arduous two-day trip, via the Mauritanian capital of Nouakchott, to rejoin the rally in Néma on Tuesday afternoon.
-MMSP
TEAM REPSOL MITSUBISHI RALLIART DRIVERS PETERHANSEL AND ALPHAND CLIMB TO THIRD AND FOURTH OVERALL AT THE ATAR REST DAY
12 January 2007
Zouérat - Atar
Liaison 38kms / SS 542kms
Total 580kms
Twice former Dakar Rally winners Stéphane Peterhansel and Jean-Paul Cottret and defending champions Luc Alphand and Gilles Picard moved up to third and fourth overall in the 29th Dakar Rally, after the shortened seventh special stage that wound its way between Zouérat and Atar in Mauritania on Friday.
Today’s stage was shortened for safety reasons by event organizers. A fierce sandstorm was blowing at the second passage control at the 439km point and helicopters were unable to fly in such conditions. Therefore, ASO officials cancelled the last 134km of the special stage and the timed section finished at the 407.6km point, thereby reducing the competitive distance by just under 135km.
Peterhansel/Cottret
Peterhansel and Cottret began the day fifth on the road and quickly joined the leading pack. At the 188km point they were running alongside Carlos Sainz, Giniel De Villiers and Robbie Gordon, although Jean-Louis Schlesser had been forced to stop for several minutes with technical problems. Peterhansel was fastest at the first 216km passage control and eventually finished the stage in second position, after a puncture and delays in soft sand. He duly moved up to third in the overall rankings and unofficially trails new overall leader Giniel De Villiers by 24m 38s and second-placed Carlos Sainz by 22m 59s.
"This morning I thought that the stage would be harder," said Peterhansel. "Normally this kind of stage has soft sand and dunes, but today we only had a few dunes. It was soft but not too long. We tried to follow the line of the motorbikes. It is important to keep the concentration and follow the correct line. Near the end I got stuck in the sand at the very last dune. We tried to pass with high tire pressure, but it was not easy.
"We lost about 10 minutes and then, just before the end of the stage, we had a puncture and had to stop and change the wheel and inflate the tires. This morning we were fifth and now we are third, but the difference between us and the leaders is still much the same, so we have it all to do next week."
Luc Alphand and Gilles Picard began the stage in eighth position and were fourth through the first passage control. They eventually finished the stage in sixth place and climbed to fourth in the general classification, their cause helped when Portugal’s Carlos Sousa lost time in the sand dunes.
"Again it was a frustrating day for us," said Alphand. "Nothing really that clean and we got stuck twice. We were on the same pace as the others when we got stuck the first time. That was not a problem, because we deflated the tires, but then we got stuck again. It was really soft and was purely a case of taking a wrong decision. It’s so frustrating when you have to stop, get out of the car, get the sand plates out and free the car. It all costs valuable time – seven minutes wasted – and then we had to stop again to inflate the tires. But, we are here and will continue to do our best next week."
Hiroshi Masuoka and Pascal Maimon had set the 23rd fastest time into Zouérat, after stopping to change the clutch and were 21st into the stage this morning. But they were running as the sixth fastest car through PC1 and eventually completed the shortened stage in an excellent fourth overall to give them a good starting position when the event resumes to Tichit on Sunday.
"We started this morning as the 23rd car," said Masuoka. "It was very difficult to drive in a series of sand storms. In some places the visibility was down to 30 metres. It was a wall of sand. I did not see too many cars. Pascal did a great job on the navigation. I was about to enter the sand dunes and I realised it would have been impossible to get through, so we turned around and deflated the tires. It was a good decision, because we had a clean run through the dunes."
Joan ’Nani’ Roma/Lucas Cruz
Joan ’Nani’ Roma and Lucas Cruz were 14th into the second Mauritanian stage and held eighth at PC1. But the Spaniard rolled his Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero Evolution in sand dunes at the 295km point, 112km from the stage finish. Neither team member was injured in the incident, but the roll cost Roma his place on the top 10 leaderboard.
Heading for bivoac
"Obviously safety is paramount on this rally and we must respect the decision of the organizers to shorten the stage," said MMSP’s Managing and Sporting Director Dominique Serieys. "Stephane and Hiroshi drove a very good stage today and that puts Hiroshi in a good position to start the next stage on Sunday. Luc is also in contention and we now have third and fourth places. At the beginning of the rally, we had a team chat and the target was top five and around 20 minutes behind the leaders at this stage.
"We will push ever harder now and apply more pressure on the leaders. It appears that ’Nani’ had a slow roll in the sand dunes. Neither of the crew were injured and the car is back on its wheels, but there appears to be a problem starting the engine and they are waiting for the assistance truck. We will rebuild the cars in Atar, as per our service schedule, but we must also try and find out why we had clutch problems. This has not happened before on these cars."
Frenchman Housieaux and Russian Soloviev safely into the Atar rest day
China’s Lui Bin and Thailand’s Pornsiriched delayed on stage into Atar
Frenchman Dominique Housieaux completed the stage as the first of the Tibau Team-run cars in 29th position in his Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero and now holds 22nd in the overall standings, while Russian Yaroslav Soloviev was classified 52nd overall and holds 50th.
Lui Bin/Serge Henninot
China’s Lui Bin and French co-driver Serge Henninot began the stage between Zouerat and Atar in 44th overall after gaining six places on the first Mauritanian stage. The Chinese started the stage 58th, but slipped to 111th at the first passage control and was running close to Pornsiriched at 16.30 hrs, around 259km into the 407km stage.
Mana Pornsiriched/Jean Brucy
Thailand’s Mana Pornsiriched and French co-driver Jean Brucy began the day in 49th position in the overall standings. He started the stage 51st on the road, but had slipped to 93rd by the first passage control. He was running passed the 259km point at 16.30 hrs on Friday afternoon.
Japan’s Yoshio Ikemachi began the stage between Zouerat and Atar in 28th position, but was badly delayed in the early section of the stage at 16.30 hrs.
Brazilian Klever Kolberg held 54th position in the overall rankings at the start of the day’s stage, but he too was delayed near the start of the special stage at 16.30hrs.
Russians Leonid Novitskiy and Alexey Berkut were also delayed, although Novitskiy finished the stage in 61st position.
Servar at Atar
Tomorrow (Saturday) is the traditional rest day on the Dakar Rally. Several hundred VIPs arrived at the remote tarmac airstrip in Atar to witness the action, although poor weather had closed in on Friday and strong winds were shifting dust and sand around the airport area for much of the day.
-MMSP
MIXED FORTUNES FOR TEAM REPSOL MITSUBISHI RALLIART ON LONGEST DAY OF THE 29TH DAKAR RALLY
11 January 2007
Tan Tan - Zouérat
Liaison 423kms / SS 394kms
Total 817kms
The longest day of this year’s Dakar Rally – a tiring 817km section between Tan Tan in southern Morocco and Zouérat in north-western Mauritania – offered mixed fortunes for Team Repsol Misubishi Ralliart. Team drivers Luc Alphand, Stéphane Peterhansel, Joan ’Nani’ Roma and Hiroshi Masuoka now hold fourth, fifth, seventh and ninth places in the overall standings.
Stephane Peterhansel/Jean-Paul Cottret
Peterhansel and Jean-Paul Cottret were the leading Mitsubishi crew through the first passage control in sixth position and finished the stage a mere 32 seconds behind the overall rally leader Carlos Sainz in fourth place. The French duo will now start the subsequent special into Atar, 25m 03s behind the Spaniard and in fifth position overall.
"My stage time was not so bad," said Peterhansel. "The stage was so fast. We did 157km in the first hour! We are not as fast as some of the other cars on the high-speed sections. I hope now the race has entered Mauritania we have some big dunes. Maybe this is my opportunity to take some time back. For the last two years tomorrow’s stage has been good for Mitsubishi, but we do not know where the route will go, so we must wait and see."
Luc Alphand and Gilles Picard were classified eighth through the first passage control and eventually finished the stage in seventh position. They now hold fourth in the overall standings.
Luc Alphand/Gilles Picard
"We must have spent three quarters of the stage absolutely flat out," admitted Alphand. "I really tried hard in the camel grass and I still lost two minutes to Stéphane by the first passage control. Maybe my tire pressure was slightly under the ideal setting. The last part of the stage was a sandy track, with some camel grass and small dunes. I just have to keep up my pace and try again tomorrow. The others are really pushing."
Joan ’Nani’ Roma/Lucas Cruz
Joan ’Nani’ Roma and Lucas Cruz began the stage as the leading Mitsubishi crew in fourth place and were 10th through the first passage control, but they lost over 20 minutes through the latter sections; four minutes to assist at the scene of the accident involving Guerlain Chicherit’s BMW X3CC and further vital minutes attempting to change a flat tire. Roma now holds seventh overall.
"At about 204km we stopped to help at the scene of the Chicherit accident for about four minutes," said co-driver Lucas Cruz. "Then we passed Mark Miller and Carlos Sousa, but we had to stop with a flat right tire. We tried to change the wheel, but it took a lot longer than we hoped and we lost more time than usual for a flat tire."
Hiroshi Masuoka/Pascal Maimon
Hiroshi Masuoka and Pascal Maimon lost 35 minutes before the first passage control after stopping 60km into the stage to affect emergency repairs to their Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero Evolution, which had suffered clutch problems.
"Everything was going very well," said Masuoka. "Then we had a problem with the clutch and we had to stop and change it in the stage."
"We limited the difference between us, the VWs and the Buggies in today’s stage and that was the priority," said MMSP’s Managing and Sporting Director Dominique Serieys. "’Nani’ lost some time stopping to help Guerlain and then he had a flat tire, Hiroshi was delayed, but Stéphane and Luc did a good job. The average speeds were so high today.
"For nearly 400km, it took less than three hours for the leading cars. Now we must look ahead to tomorrow and the stage into Atar. It is not the same stage as last year and passes the right side of Atar. You never know what the weather conditions will be, but it is a new day and I hope that we can get some time back to organize a nice fight for the remainder of the race into Dakar."
China’s Lui Bin climbs up to 44th overall in Dakar Rally
Thailand’s Pornsiriched back on the pace after delays into Tan Tan
Lui Bin/Serge Henninot
China’s Lui Bin and French co-driver Serge Henninot began the stage between Tan Tan and Zouerat in 50th in the overall standings and 58th on the stage. They were 68th at the first passage control, but the Chinese drove in a safe and professional manner over the closing kilometres to clinch the 56th fastest time. He now holds 44th overall and climbed six places in the rankings today.
"We are taking each day at a time," said Lui Bin. "Today was very fast and quite easy for the co-driver. It was a holiday for him before we start in the dunes tomorrow. No problems with the car today. I go back to school in the sand dunes in the morning!"
Mana Pornsiriched/Jean Brucy
Thailand’s Mana Pornsiriched and French co-driver Jean Brucy began the sixth stage from Tan Tan to Zouerat in 78th overall and 139th position on the road after losing time into the final Moroccan bivouac with a broken front axle. But the Thai driver was in superb form in his rebuilt car and was classified 53rd overall at the first passage control on the high-speed stage after starting at the rear of the field this morning. He went on to finish in 49th place.
"I passed about 40 cars today on the stage," said Pornsiriched. "Tomorrow we can expect many sand dunes. Just to arrive in Atar in a good position will be a good day for us."
"Today was merely an aperitif for the sand dunes in the morning," joked co-driver Brucy.
Japan’s Yoshio Ikemachi began the stage out of Tan Tan in 44th position. He had climbed to 39th overall at the first passage control and completed the section in 36th place in his Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero. He now lies 28th, immediately ahead of Germany’s former Dakar winner Jutta Kleinschmidt in the overall standings.
Brazilian Klever Kolberg finished the stage in 24th place and now holds 54th position in the overall rankings in his Tibau Team-run Mitsubishis.
Tomorrow (Friday), Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart will tackle the first of the very difficult Dakar special stages between Zouérat and the rest day location at Atar. The 542km special begins just four kilometres from the overnight halt and is the longest of the event so far. It finishes in Atar after a short 34km liaison section.
The day marks the first of the treacherous Mauritanian dune crossings, the incentive to reach the finish being the onset of the rest day on Saturday. The stage loops its way around Choûm before heading south-west of Atar and returning on sandy tracks between Akjoujt and Ain Attaya.
