Dakar 2014

minirab · Jan 12, 2014

Very ooops!

Steve · Jan 12, 2014

Steve · Jan 12, 2014

Sainz won the stage in his SMG buggy, 2nd through 7th were MINIs

Leg 7: Sainz claims another stage win (best-of-rallylive.com)

12/01/2014 8:03 pm

Carlos Sainz (Buggy SMG) collected his second stage win since the start of the 2014 Dakar to beat a pack of chasing Mini ALL4 Racings led by Al-Attiyah, Roma and Peterhansel. The latter has moved up to second overall after a time penalty was handed to Orlando Terranova.

After Saturdayâ€™s rainy rest day in Salta, the bivouacâ€™s dwellers woke up to muddy conditions to get the competitionâ€™s second week off to an interesting start. Salta is also the beginning of the line of the famous Train to the Clouds (Tren de la Nubes) which takes passengers through the Andes to the Chilean border at an altitude of more than 4,200 metres. The line features 29 bridges, 21 tunnels and 13 viaducts, and the two-way journey takes 17 hours.

Todayâ€™s 763km loop though the Salta region lasted only 4h43m28s for the stageâ€™s winner Sainz whose second win of the event takes his score on the Dakar to a total of 27, placing him fourth in the record books, behind Vatanen (50), Peterhansel (30) and Ickx (29). â€œWe went well,â€ he reported. The stage was very varied: narrow and twisty in places at the beginning, but then wider towards the end.â€

High in the natural habitat of lamas and vicunas, the SMG Buggy driver succeeded in outpacing a train of no fewer than six Michelin-equipped Mini ALL4 Racings, their ranks led by Al-Attiyah (4m24s), ahead of team-mates Peterhansel, Roma, Holowczyc, Villagra and Vasilyev. In total, the dayâ€™s top 10 featured seven Minis, plus Giniel de Villiers (Toyota) and Bernhard Ten Brinke (Ford-HRX).

The leaderboard is still topped by Roma, but his closest threat is now Peterhansel who moved up a notch when Terranova took a 15-minute penalty for colliding with a biker. The Argentinean also dropped 18 minutes on the stage and has fallen back to fourth, behind South Africaâ€™s Giniel de Villiers.

Mondayâ€™s journey will take car competitors across the Andes for the first Chilean stage of the 2014 Dakar 2014. The day begins with a 510km road section which climbs to almost 5,000 metres at the Paso de Jama, while the stage itself (302km) will finish near the mining town of Calama. Sainz will leave Salta at 5:15am, and the stage is due to start at 11:50am.

Leg 7 â€“Positions:

1, Sainz/Gottschalk (Buggy SMG), 4h43m28s. 2, Al-Attiyah/Cruz (Mini/Michelin), +4m24s. 3, Peterhansel/Cottret (Mini/Michelin), +7m4s. 4, Roma/PÃ©rin (Mini/Michelin), +8m56s. 5, Holowcyzc/Zhiltsov (Mini/Michelin), +10m51s. Etc.

Provisional overall classification:

1, Roma/PÃ©rin (Mini/Michelin), 27h3m52s. 2, Peterhansel/Cottret (Mini/Michelin), +31m31s. 3, De Villiers/Von Zitzewitz (Toyota/Michelin), +48m23s. 4, Terranova/Fiuza (Mini/Michelin), +54m34s. 5, Al-Attiyah/Cruz (Mini/Michelin), +1h18m3s. Etc.
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Steve · Jan 13, 2014

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBccrjEwZPQ"]ENÃ‚Â -Ã‚Â Stage 7 - Car / Bike - Stage Summary - Salta / Salta - Uyuni - YouTube[/ame]

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.
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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.
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Steve · Jan 13, 2014

Stage 8 winner:

Steve · Jan 14, 2014

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB8x-gKZZ5w]MINI Storming Through The 2014 Dakar. - YouTube[/ame]

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!
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Steve · Jan 14, 2014

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
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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
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Nathan · Jan 15, 2014

Wondering just what Fesh-Fesh is?

Fine dust (sand) that looks like solid ground but behaves like soft mud.

This is but a small area as an example.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eULuRwW9Xmg]Dakar 2011 F Trucks Hit The Fesh Fesh - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Jan 15, 2014

Nathan · Jan 15, 2014

Nathan · Jan 15, 2014

Steve · Jan 15, 2014

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