Most liked posts in thread: Dakar 2016

Steve · Jan 7, 2016

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REIgIrhBtaA"]Stage 5 Summary - Car/Bike - (Jujuy / Uyuni) - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Jan 8, 2016

It says "Peterhansel overturned Sebastien Loebâ€™s eight-minute lead" but that's a bit of a spin on the truth as Loeb lost it. Loeb was leading the stage more than a third of the way through, then had problems and lost a lot of time. Interesting race now though since Loeb's issues gave everyone else about 8min.

Peugeot still hold the top three spots overall but Peterhansel moved ahead of Loeb, though by only 27sec.

Peter perfect on the long road (maxrally.com)

8th January 2016

Stephane Peterhansel overturned Sebastien Loebâ€™s eight-minute lead to move to the top of the Dakar leaderboard tonight.

On the eventâ€™s longest competitive section at 542 kilometres, the 11-time winner was on sensational form to lead for all but one split on the loop to and from Uyuni in Bolivia.

Loeb suffered a miserable day. Fourth fastest was his worst stage time since the main event began. His time of 5h09m22s was 8m15s down on Peugeot team-mate Peterhansel.

He said: â€œI first had a puncture, then I had to do the almost 80 kilometres with the accelerator blocked at full power, so I had to control it with a switch; it was really complicated to drive like that. Finally, I got another puncture and we had to change a second wheel. It was a complicated day. Hopefully, it will be better over the next days. For us, it was important to increase the lead as much as possible. Finally we lost the first place, but there is still a long way to go. The problem will be solved and it will be betterâ€.

Loeb remains well and truly in touch with the front of the field, however; after more than 18 hours of driving, the Alsatian is just 27 seconds behind his fellow Frenchman.

Carlos Sainz was second fastest in the stage in another incredibly close finish between the 2008 DKRs. The Spaniard's #303 car was only 17 seconds behind Peterhansel at the finish. Sainz is now just over five minutes down on Loeb.

Nasser Al-Attiyah remains first non-Peugeot. The Qatari admitted he was pushing as hard as he dared to cling to the coattails of the three flying Lions ahead. There was some consolation for last yearâ€™s winner, when he edged Loeb for third quickest on today's section, stopping the clock 56 seconds faster.
Click to expand...

Steve · Jan 8, 2016

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skFBV-Sok2A"]Stage 6 Summary - Car/Bike - (Uyuni / Uyuni) - YouTube[/ame]

Angib · Jan 9, 2016

Dakar Headline: Loeb loses lead though punctures and other problems - Not printed: Peterhansel finds box of tacks

The 2WD .vs. 4WD argument is interesting. The pro-2WD argument seems to be:
- rally raid cars give their front tyres enough to do with just steering and adding traction to that isn't helpful;
- 2WD is lighter, so (a) faster and (b) doesn't need as much traction;
- 2WD has fewer bits to go wrong.

It looks to me like the Peugeot also have deeper tread tyres with more open block pattern and, if they're lighter, maybe they can run a more advantageous tyre tread.

Robby Gordon* has shown over several years that 2WD can be faster in certain conditions, but I think Peugeot are showing it can also be faster in all conditions.

I mostly conclude that you need to be cleverer and/or more knowledgeable than me to understand all the pros and cons.

* The USA's best international sporting ambassador?

Steve · Jan 9, 2016

I don't know whether De Villiers knows what he's talking about but he seemed to imply a few days ago that the buggies have more power. I wonder whether there are regs that allow more power for 2wd cars.

â€œI can do the pace of Nasser and the MINIs, but not the Peugeots.â€

De Villiers found himself behind Sainzâ€™s 2008 in todayâ€™s stage and tried to keep pace with the Spaniard â€“ a former Volkswagen team-mate.

â€œThere was absolutely no chance!â€ he said. â€œIf they stay reliable, theyâ€™re going to be very difficult to beat. For us to compete, we need a bit less altitude. As weâ€™re so high up here, with less power from the engines, theyâ€™re putting all their power down without wheelspinning. When we get lower down, I think they will wheelspin more, so although weâ€™ve got less power that will give us a chance to compete because weâ€™ll be able to use all the power that weâ€™ve got. Thatâ€™s what wâ€™ve got to hope for.â€
Click to expand...

Angib · Jan 9, 2016

I read it that De Villiers is saying that at high altitudes all engines have less power, so 2WD isn't at a traction disadvantage, and that he's hoping that at lower altitudes, the increased power (for everyone) will cause problems for the 2WD buggies.

Steve · Jan 9, 2016

Now all three of the leaders have a stage win. Peugeot still has a 1-2-3 going but at least Al-Attiyah kept Peterhansel off the podium today.

Sainz shines on stormy Saturday (maxrally.com)

9th January 2016

Third placed Carlos Sainz has won todayâ€™s seventh stage of the Dakar, inching his way closer to team-mates Stephane Peterhansel and Sebastien Loeb ahead of him.

Second quickest through the 469-kilometre stage from Uyuni to Salta, Loeb returned to the front of the field and looks ahead to tomorrowâ€™s rest day with a 2m22s advantage from Peterhansel.

Another Peugeot one-two-three was spoiled by Nasser Al-Attiyah. The Mini driver, third fastest today, steadfastly refuses to give up on his hopes of a third Dakar win â€“ although his chances are fast fading as the first week draws to a close. Last yearâ€™s winner is 17m36s behind leader Loeb.

Once again the weather conditions played their part in proceedings with violent thunderstorms hitting the Bolivian roads just outside Salta. Such was the severity of the storm, the stage was abandoned for the bike racers.

With nine-time World Rally Champion Loeb out front, there was more good news for WRC fans with Mini driver Mikko Hirvonenâ€™s elevation to fifth. Only Peterhansel of the top five hasnâ€™t competed regularly in world rallying.

That WRC pedigree continues down the leaderboard, with Yazeed Al-Rajhi eighth and Britainâ€™s Harry Hunt just outside the top 10 in a credible 13th on his Dakar debut.
Click to expand...

Standings after Stage 7:

Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Column 4 Column 5

Pos. No. Driver Car Time/Gap

1 314 Sebastien Loeb Peugeot 21h46m28s

Daniel Elena

2 302 Stephane Peterhansel Peugeot 2m22s

Jean-Paul Cottret

3 303 Carlos Sainz Peugeot 4m50s

Lucas Cruz

4 300 Nasser Al-Attiyah Mini 17m36s

Matthieu Baumel

5 315 Mikko Hirvonen Mini 32m53s

Michel Perin

6 301 Giniel de Villiers Toyota 33m41s

Dirk von Zitzewitz

7 319 Leeroy Poulter Toyota 40m19s

Robert Howie

8 305 Yazeed Al-Rajhi Toyota 42m51s

Timo Gottschalk

9 307 Vladimir Vasilyev Toyota 53m46s

Konstantin Zhiltsov

10 317 Emiliano Spataro Renault 1h15m45s

Benjamin Lozada

Steve · Jan 10, 2016

"Rest" day today.

Rest day? What rest day?

Surviving until today is, for many, the first objective, but it's a rest day in name only. Sure, private competitors won't be racing, but many of them will spend hours working on their vehicles. Official teams have technical crews on standby to restore their vehicles to perfect working order.

Although some will have more mechanical work to do than others, it's the big favourites with so much at stake who'll have to go the extra mile in preparing the next few stages. Life isn't always easier in an official teamâ€¦
Click to expand...

Steve · Jan 10, 2016

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toCyywXQb_Q"]Stage 7 Summary - Car/Bike - (Uyuni / Salta) - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Jan 10, 2016

Analysis: How Peugeot has been able to dominate the Dakar (motorsport.com)

Coming into the 2016 Dakar Rally, few considered Peugeot and its relatively unproven 2008DKR16 the favourite to win - so how has the French manufacturer defied expectations? Luis Ramirez investigates.

At the halfway point of the event, Peugeot sits in a comfortable position, having won every stage so far apart from the prologue and comfortably locking out the top three overall.

Its only major technical problem thus far has been a turbo failure for Cyril Despres, but its remaining drivers - Sebastien Loeb, Stephane Peterhansel and Carlos Sainz - are split by only five minutes, ready to battle it out as the competitors head back to Rosario from Salta.

X-Raid Mini driver Nasser Al-Attiyah is 17 minutes back in fourth place, and the Qatari was adamant before the start of the event that Peugeot wouldn't be able to go the distance.

Al-Attiyah's X-Raid teammate Orlando Terranova was, however, less convinced. "I said you couldn't be as categorical as Nasser was; that we had to wait and see," said the Argentine.

"They [Peugeot] have proven to be very strong, they have shown better handling and better acceleration."

For Al-Attiyah, it comes down to work on the engine: "They have a better top speed than us, so it's very difficult to keep up on these roads."

Nani Roma, meanwhile, reckons the high altitude of the event so far has been the decisive factor: "The altitude has stopped us. Our engine is not as strong."

The Mini drivers may have started as favourites, but an atmosphere of pessimism now pervades the X-Raid squad, which will now be hoping the increased navigational challenges of the second week catch out their rivals.

What has Peugeot improved?

After the failure of 2015, when Peterhansel was the only Peugeot driver to make the finish in 11th overall, the French brand gave its 2008DKR a thorough overhaul.

Maintaining the fundamental two-wheel-drive buggy concept, the team simply improved what they already had, aiming to become more efficient.

"We knew we had balance problems and work to do with the turbocharger, but the concept we used is correct," said Peugeot team boss Bruno Famin.

Peugeot redistributed the weight of the 2008DKR16, creating a well-balanced car that would have the lightness and behaviour of a World Rally car.

In addition, the engine cover and front air intake were redesigned in the search for greater aerodynamic balance, while the Peugeot engineers did an effective job of squeezing 350bhp from the car's twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine, an increase of 10bhp on last year's car.

This means the 2008DKR16 has 30bhp more than the X-Raid-built Mini All4 Racing, and moreover, the French engine's response is much more efficient, reckons Al-Attiyah.

Chicherit: No one can stop Peugeot

There's still a way to go yet, but X-Raid driver Guerlain Chicherit, whose zebra-liveried buggy failed to make it to the rest day, reckons there's no stopping Peugeot now.

For him, the Mini ALL4 Racing has been overtaken, and X-Raid needs to take another step forward if they are going to come back fighting in 2017.

"While we are developing a buggy, we cannot be compared with Peugeot," Chicherit told Motorsport.com. "They have a good budget and no one can reach them, no one can be as fast as them.

"Their drivers are not only great, but the car has been the best in all conditions so far; they are extremely fast. I think they can win this Dakar."
Click to expand...

mrntd · Jan 11, 2016

I there any dirt race Loeb can't dominate in?

I bet when he gives blood it looks like red tinted mud.

minirab · Jan 11, 2016

Is there a post-race teardown of the winner's car to see if it is legal to the

regs. whatever they are. I'm asking after hearing Gordon's statement of

the French cars motors?

Crashton · Jan 11, 2016

Gordon is a poor loser, that's his style.

Steve · Jan 11, 2016

Gordon fell foul of the engine regs a few years ago but I can't remember whether it was because they have regular checks or they checked him because someone made an accusation. They said his tire pressure regulation system was also being used in some way to increase air intake to his engine (so there must be a reg for that at least, maybe a restrictor?). They excluded him from the results and he ran the rest of the rally anyway, under protest.

He then won the next stage (or one of the remaining stages?) by something like 15min and then immediately pulled over to show a news crew with camera that the inflation system hose was plugged.

Anyway, after being accused of having too much power due to breaking engine related rules I can imagine being somewhat willing to throw a similar accusation once in a while. After Gordon was excluded, the rumor/accusation mill (probably fed by Gordon) said it was because he was challenging Peterhansel, a French driver, and the officials were controlled by the FIA...in France. Now he's talking about the leading French team...

Axis Of Oversteer: Robby Gordon tells the French to kiss his ass

Steve · Jan 11, 2016

Yikes!

Loeb got stuck in the dunes today and lost a few minutes. That only dropped him out of contention for the stage victory. Then, near the end of the stage (30km), this happened! Multiple rolls, apparently.

Hard to imagine how he somehow managed to finish the stage and only a bit over an hour behind the winner, Al-Attiyah.

Steve · Jan 11, 2016

2016 Dakar (Stage 8): Price and Al-Attiyah are Mondayâ€™s heroes (best-of-rallylive.com)

11/01/2016 8:17 pm

Toby Price (KTM/Michelin) and StÃ©phane Peterhansel (Peugeot/Michelin) have moved to the top of the Bike and Car leaderboards respectively. SÃ©bastien Loeb (Peugeot) rolled at the end of todayâ€™s stage after earlier getting stuck in sand. Nasser Al-Attiyah notched up Mini ALL4 Racing/Michelinâ€™s first stage win of this yearâ€™s Dakar.

The 2016 Dakarâ€™s eighth stage between Salta and Belen was divided into two parts and placed the emphasis on climbing over sand dunes and navigation. In the minds of some, the real event got started todayâ€¦

After Sundayâ€™s rest, the return to competitive action proved tough for some. Their numbers included the overnight Bikes leader Paulo Goncalves (Honda/Michelin). The Portuguese rider conceded more than five minutes to his Australian rival Toby Price (KTM/Michelin) who has taken over at the top of the order by a margin of 2m5s. The Red-Bull KTM Factory star notably made his mark over the dunes at the start of the stageâ€™s second section.

Until then, the day had been dominated by Argentinaâ€™s Kevin Benavides (Honda) who ended up fifth, behind Quintanilla (Husqvarna) and Svitko (KTM). The latter still has a footing on the podium, but Antoine Meo (8th, KTM) â€“ who was first on the road today â€“ had some trouble getting through the dunes. It was a tough stage, too, for Alain Duclos (15th, Sherco, +22m21s).

Meanwhile, it was a dramatic day on four wheels as Peterhansel (Peugeot/Michelin) lost six minutes due to a puncture early on. Fastest over the stageâ€™s first section was Nasser Al-Attiyah (Mini/Michelin) who was clearly intent on taking the battle to Peugeotâ€™s trio. Loeb was second, ahead of Hirvonen (Mini) and Sainz.

Loeb then dropped more than six minutes over the dunes, while Al-Attiyah continued to push hard. The Qatari was eventually rewarded with his first stage win of the event, 12 and 31 seconds clear of Sainz and Peterhansel respectively.

With 30km remaining, a roll for Loeb put an end to the Dakar rookieâ€™s otherwise perfect run. Following that error, Peterhansel now leads Sainz by 2m9s, while third-placed Al-Attiyah is 14m43s adrift.

A good day for Cyril Despres saw Peugeotâ€™s fourth man post the fourth-best time, 2m2s clear of Hirvonen ((Mini, +6m42s) who is now just shy of the podium in the overall standings.

South Africaâ€™s Leeroy Poulter rounds out tonightâ€™s provisional top five, ahead of fellow Toyota runners Yazeed Al-Rajhi (6th) and Giniel de Villiers (7th) who are blanketed by 30 seconds.
Click to expand...

Standings after Stage 8:

Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Column 4 Column 5

Pos. No. Driver Car Time/Gap

1 302 Stephane Peterhansel Peugeot 26h01m44s

Jean-Paul Cottret

2 303 Carlos Sainz Peugeot 2m09s

Lucas Cruz

3 300 Nasser Al-Attiyah Mini 14m43s

Matthieu Baumel

4 315 Mikko Hirvonen Mini 36m42s

Michel Perin

5 319 Leeroy Poulter Toyota 49m32s

Robert Howie

6 305 Yazeed Al-Rajhi Toyota 54m19s

Timo Gottschalk

7 301 Giniel de Villiers Toyota 54m49s

Dirk von Zitzewitz

8 314 Sebastien Loeb Peugeot 1h05m16s

Daniel Elena

9 307 Vladimir Vasilyev Toyota 1h08m48s

Konstantin Zhiltsov

10 304 Nani Roma Mini 1h28m21s

Alex Haro

Steve · Jan 12, 2016

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg-VLUxJa5E"]Stage 8 Summary - Car/Bike - (Salta / Belen) - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Jan 12, 2016

Expect this to be dropped.

Inquiry Concerning Stephane Peterhansel

The Mini team filed a complaint yesterday, against StÃ©phane Peterhansel, the current leader of the general standings, due to refuelling conducted in an unauthorised zone (180 km from the end of the special). As a result, the race officials have opened an inquiry to check whether this refuelling was illegal or not.

Peugeot Sport team director Bruno Famin confirmed the filing of the complaint, whilst pointing out that, â€œthis refuelling was legal because it was on the road-book. I don't understand the complaint and we're waiting to find out more about itâ€.

Should the complaint be deemed valid, StÃ©phane Peterhansel, who has been summoned to see the race officials this evening, could receive a 6-hour penalty or even be disqualified.
Click to expand...

Steve · Jan 12, 2016

Yup, there are plenty of reasons (historical examples) supporting the jaded way people view decisions made by FIA officials when French competitors are involved.

Also, for whatever it's worth, X-Raid have decided the officials were wrong and are appealing their decision. Yay, controversy, that's what makes motorsport exciting...

I guess I don't blame them, though. I don't know what actually happened but if the rules really were broken I'd probably appeal as well.

Steve · Jan 12, 2016

El Matador leads!

Sainz hits the front (maxrally.com)

12th January 2016

The 396km stage, part one of the eventâ€™s second marathon test, was shortened due to the heat, with temperatures peaking at 47 degrees on the loop from Belen to Belen.

Stephane Peterhansel led out of Bivouac this morning, but dropped 11 minutes with two punctures. He slips to second place, seven minutes behind Sainz.

For the Spaniard, the reversal in fortune is incredible. This time last week he was 15 minutes off the lead, now heâ€™s seven out front.

â€œIt was a very difficult stage,â€ said Sainz. â€œThere was a lot of off-road action on soft ground, with a lot of vegetation. We had to stop twice because we got stuck in the sand. We had three slow punctures but we didnâ€™t have to stop to change the tyres. Iâ€™m pleased to be in the lead but it will be very difficult to open the road tomorrow on the Fiambala stage.â€

Former leader Sebastien Loeb suffered another shocker today, getting stuck four times, he turned mechanic for the second day in succession, when he had to change a broken driveshaft. He lost another hour.

Behind the top two 2008 DKRs, are Mini men Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mikko Hirvonen.
Click to expand...

Standings after Stage 9:

Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Column 4 Column 5

Pos. No. Driver Car Time/Gap

1 303 Carlos Sainz Peugeot 28h39m24s

Lucas Cruz

2 302 Stephane Peterhansel Peugeot 7m03s

Jean-Paul Cottret

3 300 Nasser Al-Attiyah Mini 14m38s

Matthieu Baumel

4 315 Mikko Hirvonen Mini 34m50s

Michel Perin

5 301 Giniel de Villiers Toyota 53m18s

Dirk von Zitzewitz

6 305 Yazeed Al-Rajhi Toyota 1h01m48s

Timo Gottschalk

7 319 Leeroy Poulter Toyota 1h03m25s

Robert Howie

8 306 Erik van Loon Mini 1h28m05s

Wouter Rosegaar

9 304 Nani Roma Mini 1h42m55s

Alex Haro

10 321 Cyril Despres Peugeot 1h51m30s

David Castera

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Column 1	Column 2	Column 3	Column 4	Column 5
Pos.	No.	Driver	Car	Time/Gap
1	314	Sebastien Loeb	Peugeot	21h46m28s
		Daniel Elena
2	302	Stephane Peterhansel	Peugeot	2m22s
		Jean-Paul Cottret
3	303	Carlos Sainz	Peugeot	4m50s
		Lucas Cruz
4	300	Nasser Al-Attiyah	Mini	17m36s
		Matthieu Baumel
5	315	Mikko Hirvonen	Mini	32m53s
		Michel Perin
6	301	Giniel de Villiers	Toyota	33m41s
		Dirk von Zitzewitz
7	319	Leeroy Poulter	Toyota	40m19s
		Robert Howie
8	305	Yazeed Al-Rajhi	Toyota	42m51s
		Timo Gottschalk
9	307	Vladimir Vasilyev	Toyota	53m46s
		Konstantin Zhiltsov
10	317	Emiliano Spataro	Renault	1h15m45s
		Benjamin Lozada

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