VW Race Touareg 2

Dakar Rally 2009 - Leg 7

Friday, 9th January Mendoza (ARG) > Valparaiso (CHL)

• Link section: 80 km
• Special stage: 419 km
• Link section: 317 km
• Total: 816 km

The diversity of terrain and landscape – a constant of the 2009 Dakar – also makes its impact on this leg. Apart from experiencing the pure change of landscapes, the competitors also have to cope with the Andes. But before meeting the challenge represented by this mountain range, they have to deal with quite a number of dunes and a Sahara-like fesh-fesh lap (an extensive desert landscape with no tracks at all) that is called ‘Guadal’ by the locals.

When it comes to the Andes, today’s special stage will be the only one featuring sections 3,000 metres above sea level: on technically demanding tracks that offer the chance of catching – every now and then – a glimpse of the Aconcagua, the peak of the Andes (6,959 metres). Afterwards, on the link section, the entrants will cross the border to then reach the sea, at Valparaiso.

The 816-kilometre leg takes the field from the Argentinean city of Mendoza to the Chilean Pacific seaport. Following the dramas encountered in the high dunes during the closing stages of the Thursday leg, the race control shortened the seventh special stage from 419 to 243 kilometres and opted for doing without the dangerous dune sections.

Due to the technical problems and the following disqualification of Nasser Al-Attiyah and his BMW X3, Volkswagen are in a promising position for securing their maiden Dakar win.

«We delivered in great style», said Al-Attiyah. Nonetheless, he was excluded from the race as he and his Swedish co-driver, Tina Thörner, failed to pass several waypoints following their technical problems. «I’m no rule expert, I’m just a racing driver», said the Qatari. «Nonetheless, I have to admit that you have got every right to blame me for having made that mistake.»

Volkswagen keeps on dominating but again, another driver takes the lead. Following his third leg win, Sainz now holds the lead, followed by South Africa’s Giniel de Villiers and his German co-driver von Zitzewitz. The Volkswagen trio at the top of the leader board is completed by US-American Mark Miller, 15:33 minutes behind the leader. And with Dieter Depping holding ninth place, all the four works Touareg are ranked among the top ten.

Meanwhile, the Dakar debut of the new Racing Lancer of multi-time Dakar winners Mitsubishi is ill-fated. At first, a blown engine forced Japan’s two-time winner Hiroshi Masuoka (2003/2003) into early retirement. Then, Frenchman Luc Alphand had to give up during leg six as his co-driver Gilles Picard suffered from circulatory problems. On the following day, the Lancer of Stéphane Peterhansel caught fire but the flames could be extinguished. Nonetheless, the 43-year old Frenchman had to retire during the course of the leg due to the overheated engine of his Mitsubishi Lancer. Now, only one of the reigning champion’s four vehicles still can continue the gruelling event held on the South American gravel and sand: the Lancer of Nani Roma.

«At this point in time you can say that it is the toughest Dakar of all times,” explained VW Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. The Dakar seems to truly have found a new home, in Argentina and Chile. Not only due to the new and unknown challenges represented by the Argentinean Pampas, the Andes and in Chilean Atacama Desert that were assessed by all those involved as extremely demanding but also due to the overwhelming motor-racing enthusiasm of the locals, a new edition of the event on the South American continent seems anything but unlikely.

More than just a day off »