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[DAKAR] Things getting tough in the desert
Volkswagen rank second, third and fourth on day six
8 January 2009
Volkswagen finished the sixth leg of the Dakar Rally in second, third and fourth place, and is also ranked second, third and fourth in the overall rankings for the time being. The Volkswagen duo Giniel de Villiers (ZA) and Dirk von Zitzewitz (D) came second, ahead of their team colleagues Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA) and Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn (E/F). Today’s leg, which was shortened to 178 kilometres, went from San Rafael to the provincial capital of Mendoza.
Nasser Al-Attiyah/Tina Thörner (Q/S, BMW X-raid), who were the first to cross the finishing line, are thought to have missed one of today’s waypoints and can therefore expect to receive a time penalty. If so, they would not only forfeit today’s win, but also their overall lead in this year’s "Dakar”, which is being staged in Argentina and Chile for the first time and which covers a total of 9,500 kilometres. After the sixth of the 14 daily legs, Volkswagen would then occupy the top three positions in the desert classic, with de Villiers/von Zitzewitz ahead of Sainz/Périn and Miller/Pitchford.
The German Volkswagen duo Dieter Depping/Timo Gottschalk (D/D), who came second yesterday, were less lucky on the penultimate day before the upcoming rest day in Valparaiso, Chile. After incurring a technical fault, they were forced to wait for a Volkswagen race truck to catch them up and offer them assistance.
Today’s leg originally included a special stage of 395 kilometres, but this was reduced to 178 kilometres due to a flooded ford.
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