VOLKSWAGEN NARROWLY WINS DAY FOUR OF THE “DAKAR”
Posted 6th January, 2009 in Volkswagen | Leave a comment
Volkswagen clinched a thrilling duel on the fourth leg of the Dakar Rally to win its second stage victory. Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn in a Race Touareg fought it out with Nasser Al-Attiyah/Tina Thörner on today’s route from Jacobacci to Neuquén in western Argentina.
The Volkswagen duo ultimately gained the upper hand with a lead of six seconds in spite of experiencing a slow puncture on the last few kilometres of today’s special stage, which differed from the last few days’ routes due to trial-like sections, drives through dried-up riverbeds and a greater degree of off-road driving. Sainz now leads the famous desert classic for the third consecutive day and has increased his lead on the BMW X-raid driver to 3.46 minutes.
In their battle for the front position, Sainz and Al-Attiyah put more than two minutes between themselves and the third best team, which goes to show how intense the competition on today’s 488-kilometre leg was. Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz came in sixth today in their Volkswagen Race Touareg, defending their third place overall. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford achieved the fourth best time of the day on today’s special stage, which went from an altitude of over 1,300 metres to just 300 metres above sea level. This means there are still three Volkswagen drivers in the top six in the overall rankings. Dieter Depping/Timo Gottschalk came in eleventh in the fourth Race Touareg, 12.49 minutes behind Sainz/Périn, after having to make two stops for tyre changes along the way. Overall, the German pair have now improved their ranking by two places to 13th.
Coming up …
Wednesday, 7 January: Leg 5, Neuquén (RA)–San Rafael (RA). The drive from Neuquén in the north-west to San Rafael in the province of Mendoza is perhaps the most challenging test in the first rally week of the “Dakar”. The great distance to be travelled – 763 kilometres in total, of which 506 kilometres are against the clock – will call for a high degree of concentration and includes a 20-kilometre drive through sand dunes as well as off-road stretches along the “rios”. The Andes will be visible on the horizon today.
[Source: VW]
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