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VW Race Touareg 2
Dakar Rally 2009 - Leg 9
Monday, 12th January: La Serena > Copiapo
- Link section: 88 km
- Special stage: 449 km
- Link section: 0 km
- Total: 537 km
Make way for the first act of a crucial trilogy. Now, the field has to face the renowned Atacama desert that is regarded as the driest desert on our planet. Those who hope for many dunes won’t be disappointed. On the other hand, they also will have to cope with a lot of gravel. This leg with its numerous terrain changes is symbolic for the 2009 Dakar Rally. The fact that the difficult passages with the long dune sections represent the closing stages of the leg forces the drivers to well conserve their energy. Here, both being polyvalent and being able to perfectly pace yourself are a must.
Volkswagen again have improved their chances of celebrating the first Dakar win. On the 537-kilometre leg 9 from La Serena to Copiapo located on the fringes of the Atacama Desert, Volkswagen’s Dakar leader Carlos Sainz extended the lead over his rivals.
Following his fifth leg win, the Spaniard Volkswagen ace now holds a 19:52-minute lead over his second-placed team-mate Mark Miller (USA). Meanwhile, South African Giniel de Villiers and his Germany co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz (also VW Touareg) successfully defended their third position.
In the German newspaper ‘Die Welt’, Sainz underlines that holding the Dakar in South America was a successful move. «I knew that the Argentineans are true motor-racing enthusiasts, but these huge crowds have exceeded all expectations. Never before in my career have I witnessed a similar hype.»
Meanwhile, Dirk von Zitzewitz and Giniel de Villiers lost their second position in the overall standings, on day nine. The Volkswagen pairing lost their way and, consequently, 15 minutes. Spaniard Juan Roma remained fourth, 58:11 minutes behind the leader.
