Most liked posts in thread: Dakar 2014

Steve · Jan 13, 2014

Stage 8 brief description:

Uyuni: A Vision of White / Entering Chile

The Salar de Uyuni is quite simply the biggest salt flat in the world! And the motorcyclists will be able to realise this, since they will have to go right round this gigantic stretch during the eighth stage of the rally. The route will be marked out around and across the salt flat, a marvel stretching over more than 400 kilometres, and will also pass by several islands which make this site so exceptional. The stature of the Tunupa Volcano (5,300m in altitude) will be a permanent feature on the landscape. An amazing daydream vision between heaven and earth on a white backdrop may be apparent, weather permitting!

Today the competitors will cross the Andes Cordillera, to begin the Chilean part of the rally. A special transition stage has been marked out there for the last day that cars will progress without overtaking motorcycles and quad bikes. The timed section of the day will be accessible to skilled drivers who are at ease on fast tracks in a closed environment. Drivers are advised to pay attention to their position from the outset to limit the number of overtaking manoeuvres, even though the strict standards regarding the use of the Sentinel system will be carefully monitored at the end of the day.
Click to expand...

Steve · Jan 13, 2014

Al-Attiyah strikes back (MaxRally.com)

by Anthony Peacock / 14th January 2014

Mini driver Nasser Al Attiyah, who won the Dakar Rally in 2011, claimed his first stage win on this year's event - but it may still be too little, too late with the event entering its final five days and Nani Roma in a 23-minute lead.

Roma, from Spain, is relishing the prospect of a first Dakar victory in his Mini, but he's not taking anything for granted on an event that is famed for being the most punishing on the international motorsport calendar. Underlining this was the fact that the Spaniard lost eight minutes with two punctures on the 302-kilometre stage, reducing his previous margin to an advantage that is somewhat more precarious.

At the overnight halt in Chile, Roma (whose wife also competes in the motorbike category, but was forced to retire earlier) leads overall from Stephane Peterhansel. South Africa’s Giniel de Villiers is third in his Toyota, albeit a further half-hour behind the leading duo. Orlando Terranova is fourth, while Al-Attiyah is fifth.

Al-Attiyah commented: I'm still a little bit disappointed about the one-hour penalty we got earlier. But now we will try to push and to make a really better time every day. Everybody was pushing but it looks like we've won the stage, so I'm quite happy. I've learned a lot about the car. For now it looks like we've got a good time and I hope to be on the podium, but it's still a long way.”

American Robby Gordon is enduring a rally to forget, having dropped another two hours yesterday with broken wheel studs. Up until the studs sheared, Gordon had been enjoying one of his most competitive stages yet with the Gordini, keeping pace with the leaders.

He will now concentrate on refining the Gordini in race trim for the rest of the Dakar and setting competitive times: the same objective as Red Bull driver Carlos Sainz, who has also been affected by heavy time losses.
Click to expand...

Steve · Jan 14, 2014

Stage 9 brief description:

A Steep Drop: Thrills Guaranteed

The 2014 Dakar will reach its most northern point in Iquique, where the competitors will see the ocean for the first time this year. Above all, the drivers and teams will discover the Atacama Dunes again after a first part of a special stage which will be rather tedious. Dune specialists will be in command over a distance of almost 150km. Thrills will be guaranteed at the very end of the day, on the last three kilometres of the descent to Iquique: there is more than a 30% difference in height from start to finish and it is almost not recommended to brake. The law of gravitation takes on its full meaning: the bivouac is not far away!
Click to expand...

Steve · Jan 14, 2014

Steve · Jan 14, 2014

MINI dominates stage 9 at the 2014 Dakar Rally // StÃ©phane Peterhansel leads a pack of four MINI ALL4 Racing.

Press Release.

14th January 2014.

MINI dominates stage 9 at the 2014 Dakar Rally // StÃ©phane Peterhansel leads a pack of four MINI ALL4 Racing.

Munich (DE). StÃ©phane Peterhansel (FR) in his black MINI ALL4 Racing topped the timesheets on stage 9 at the 2014 Dakar Rally. The Monster Energy X-raid Team driver dominated today's 422km-long stage from Calama to Iquique (both CL) and finished 2:17 minutes in front of his MINI teammate Nasser Al-Attiyah (QT) in the predominantly white MINI ALL4 Racing car.

Today's route led to the most northerly point of the Dakar, the city of Iquique. The drivers had to tackle the infamous Atacama desert, the driest place on earth. A real challenge for the cars and drivers likewise. Once again, the MINI ALL4 Racing car, which is based on the MINI John Cooper Works Countryman, proved its reliability and competitiveness under tough conditions.

"I'm really satisfied with today's stage," StÃ©phane Peterhansel said after crossing the line in Iquique. "The Atacama desert is one of the biggest challenges at the Dakar Rally. It was a trouble free day for us and I'm really confident for the rest of the Dakar Rally. My co-driver Jean-Paul Cottret and the whole team are doing a great job."

Today, Peterhansel led a pack of four MINI ALL4 Racing cars. Joan "Nani" Roma (ES), who is still leading the overall classification in front of Peterhansel, finished in 3rd, Orlando Terranova (AR) was in 4th place.

On Wednesday the drivers will head south from Iquique to Antofagasta. The 631km-long stage 10 will be divided into two parts. The first 231 kilometres will be held on sand and soil. The second, 215km-long part will be characterised by gravel and sand, the so-called "fesh fesh" sand, which is extremely fine. Once again, the drivers have to be really careful not to get stuck with their cars.

Dakar Rally Day 11 Quick Facts.

Date: 15th January, 2014

Start/finish: Iquique/Antofagasta (both CL) â€“ Leg 10

Official starting time (cars): 9:48 PM ART (UTC -3)

Total distance: 689 km, Special stage: 631 km, Liaison: 58 km
Click to expand...

Steve · Jan 15, 2014

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR8N8zqdl7w"]EN - Stage 9 - Car / Bike - Stage Summary - (Calama / Iquique) - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Jan 15, 2014

Stage 10: It wouldn't be the Dakar without Fesh Fesh!

The special stage, split into two sections with very different features, will begin with the descent towards the shores of the Pacific. The advance gained in the stage the day before may will be increased in the sand during the first two hundred kilometres. Even more skill will be required to tackle the sections of fesh-fesh in the second part of the stage. Once this difficult area is behind the drivers, they will all be delighted to twist and wind along the region's mine tracks, and in particular to be welcomed by the majestic arch of La Portada, a stone's throw from the bivouac in Antofagasta.

Steve · Jan 15, 2014

The Culinary Morale Booster at the Dakar (minispace.com)

January 14, 2014

The Rally Dakar is the toughest challenge there is in motorsport. The competitors must cover just short of 9,000 kilometres through Argentina, Chile and Bolivia in just two weeks. Different surfaces, narrow mountain passes and canyons, and, last but not least, the scorching heat are a constant strain on the nerves of the drivers and teams. However much preparation they have behind them, the Dakar pushes everyone to their limit. And who keeps the team's morale up? That's a simple one: the head chef in the Monster Energy X-raid Team.

Team Principal Sven Quandt's outfit includes a three-man cooking team, in order to ensure that nobody goes hungry. They even have a star chef with them: Gerd Kastenmeier from Dresden. All three are on hand to titillate the palates of the drivers and team members with a whole host of delicacies. However, sometimes all it takes to boost morale is a handful of jelly babies or a chocolate bar.

Feeding roughly 140 hungry mouths within the X-raid team requires a major shopping trip prior to the start of the Rally Dakar. Eight shopping trolleys are loaded with food, including fruit, vegetables, meat and noodles. The whole thing resembles a trolley dash of the local supermarkets. Despite this, the haul lasts all of two days before new supplies have to be organised.

However, the provisions must have been exhausted before the Dakar caravan crosses the border to Chile on Monday's stage from Salta to Calama. As is so often the case at border crossings, no foodstuffs can be taken into the country on the Pacific coast. As such, the next trolley dash comes shortly after the Chilean border.

After that, the issue of food supplies runs its usual course within the X-raid team. Everything is stowed away in enormous kitchen trucks with separate cold rooms before being transported to the end of the next stage, where the next hungry mouths await their arrival. The X-raid team can rustle up pretty much anything the heart desires on site. There is, however, one exception: Bavarian sausages. You don't find many of them in South America. They are brought specially from Germany. The team says a big thank you, and demolishes the sausages in record time.

by MINI Motorsport

All images Â© MINI
Click to expand...

Nathan · Jan 15, 2014

Steve · Jan 15, 2014

Steve · Jan 15, 2014

Peterhansel piles on the pressure as Sainz crashes out (MaxRally.com)

by Anthony Peacock / 15th January 2014

The 10th stage of the Dakar Rally, containing a challenging mixture of sand and fesh-fesh, was led from start to finish by Qatarâ€™s Nasser Al-Attiyah in an X-Raid Mini. The 631-kilometre stage ran from Iquique to Antofagasta; one of the most tricky sections of the entire event, where it was extremely easy to get stuck

That wasnâ€™t the most significant result of the day though: instead that honour went to Stephane Peterhansel, who finished second on the stage and more crucially scalped another 10 minutes from Nani Roma, whose overall lead now stands at a distinctly fragile two minutes, with three days left to go. Roma got stranded in a dune at the beginning of the stage for eight minutes, and also suffered a puncture.

Peterhansel said: â€œNasserâ€™s on fire. He caught up with us and I had trouble keeping up with him, he's going very fast. It was yet another good special overall. We've been pulling out all the stops for a few days. We're pushing the car to the limit, it slips and bounces all over the place. The Mini is one tough cookie, it just keeps going and we're having fun. We're confident because we feel at ease in the car, the machine is well-oiled... and things are looking up.â€

The biggest news was a heavy crash for Red Bull SMG Buggy driver Carlos Sainz (pictured), who suffered light injuries in the accident that eliminated his vehicle from the race. The accident actually happened on a neutralised part of the stage, around two-thirds of the way into the action. Up until then, the Spaniard had been running in the top three on the stage. The 51-year-old was taken to the medical centre for checks.

In third overall is Al-Attiyah, while Toyota driver (and former winner) Giniel de Villiers moved up to fourth.
Click to expand...

Steve · Jan 15, 2014

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcUNOSsYAoM"]EN - Stage 10 - Car / Bike - Stage Summary - (Iquique / Antofagasta) - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Jan 16, 2014

Steve · Jan 16, 2014

Stage 11: The Atacama, in all it's Splendour

In addition to the distance, here the competitors will be put to the test by all the difficulties offered by the Atacama Desert… and will have to display all the qualities required for off-road races. After the mine tracks and the many rivers to cross, they will have to distinguish themselves in the heart of the Dunes of Copiapo: the fastest motorcyclists are expected to spend seven hours behind the wheel. Needless to say that on this decisive day there will be no shortage of opportunities for competitors to make a winning comeback in the race. This will be the key stage of the 2014 edition.
Click to expand...

Steve · Jan 16, 2014

Steve · Jan 16, 2014

Steve · Jan 16, 2014

I like this post stage quote from Giniel de Villiers (now 5th, chasing Orlando Terranova).

We tried to have a nice day and we caught up with the Minis, two of them â€“ I don't know who it was â€“ in the rocky part and then just as I got close I got a puncture. Then we caught up again and we hit the sand they just pulled away. It was impossible to stay with them in the sand. Over twenty kilometres they put about two minutes on me. I caught them again in the rocky section. I think they were obviously going slowly in the rocks, but then I had another puncture and twenty kilometres from the end I had a third puncture. Every time we had a puncture the tyres were burning at the back, so we had flames and it was a big mess. It's a pity about the punctures, but otherwise the car ran well and we had no problems. I knew he knew we had three punctures, unfortunately so. Tomorrow is still a long day and we'll try until the end, but on pace we cannot catch him. He's too fast at this point in time. If you're not going for the first place, for sure, you need to find the motivation, but we are motivated and we have a good car. It's very reliable, without problems and it was a tough day out there today.
Click to expand...

Steve · Jan 16, 2014

I don't like the team orders bit but thanks to watching other racing series' I'm getting used to it, unfortunately.

Mini calls off fight for the lead (MaxRally.com)

by Anthony Peacock / 16th January 2014

Spain’s Nani Roma appears to have the Dakar Rally in the bag, after his X-Raid Mini team called time on the battle for the lead with two days to go.

Stephane Peterhansel had closed to within two minutes of his team mate after Wednesday, but the X-Raid team decided this morning not to risk a one-two-three – and consequently Peterhansel was told to stop challenging Roma. Nasser Al-Attiyah is third, in another Mini – a perfect result for the Germany-based team.

“Yesterday, the boss asked us to take no risk at all to keep the three Minis on the final podium,” said Peterhansel. “So I reduced the speed and we started this morning not with the same spirit. It was a safer spirit for the car. For sure, in these conditions first of all we don't take any pleasure in driving and it’s a big frustration.”

Roma though had a very different view of the situation. “It's a good day,” he said. “I made time on Stephane. It was really tough but I'm really happy. I started this morning flat-out to try and keep Stephane at bay – and as for the race... I don't know, maybe tomorrow... but for the moment there are no team orders.”

Peterhansel is now more than five minutes adrift of Roma, having dropped a further three minutes on the day’s stage from Antofagasta to El Salvador.

Neither of them could do anything about their team mate Orlando Terranova though (pictured), who won the stage resoundingly. Terranova is fourth, just ahead of Toyota’s Giniel de Villiers: the top non-Mini driver.
Click to expand...

Steve · Jan 17, 2014

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93i_kfCEZmI"]ENÃ‚Â -Ã‚Â Stage 11 - Car / Bike - Stage Summary - Antofagasta / El Salvador - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Jan 17, 2014

Stage 12: Dunes: The Last Ditch Attempt

The site chosen in El Salvador at high altitude towers over the usual location of the bivouac in Copiapo. This position will ensure that the Camanchaca, the morning mist which sometimes hinders the start of the stages, will be avoided. Sand will be featured on the route again, in particular with a big string of dunes to be overcome at the end of the special stage. And if there are dunes, this automatically means that vehicles will be blocked in the sand! Therefore, in the categories where competitors are neck and neck, the leaders may put themselves at risk.
Click to expand...

Forums

Most liked posts in thread: Dakar 2014

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Nathan Founder

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Useful Searches

Most liked posts in thread: Dakar 2014

Steve Administrator Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator Staff Member Articles Moderator

Nathan Founder

Steve Administrator Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator