Vasilyev wins 2017 Africa Eco Race with the MINI ALL4 Racing

· Twelve stages across Africa take the field to the finish in Dakar 
· Vasilyev wins the desert rally in superior style.

 X-raid congratulates Vladimir Vasilyev and Konstantin Zhiltsov on their win in the ninth Africa Eco Race from Monaco to Dakar. With their MINI ALL4 Racing, the two Russians won the rally with a lead of more than two hours over Miroslav Zapletal in second position. In his debut appearance in the Africa Eco Race, Vasilyev won a total of four of the 12 stages.

 Particularly in the first week, Vasilyev and Zhiltsov opened a huge gap on their competitors by dominating and winning the first three special stages. Later, they succeeded in adding another stage win in Mauritania to their tally. Also helpful: the Russian pairing and their MINI ALL4 Racing contested the rally without encountering any technical problems.

 The Africa Eco Race started on the 31st December in Monaco. New Year’s Day was used for ferrying the field to Morocco. From Nador, the event took the field across Morocco and Mauritania to Senegal and its capital Dakar. There, the participants contested the final stage on 14th January at the well-known Lac Rose.

  “We are really happy about the fact that a MINI ALL4 Racing built by us succeeded in winning the Africa Eco Race that is following the original tracks of the Dakar Rally,” said Sven Quandt, team manager and founder of the X-raid team. “We congratulate Vladimir and Konstantin on their great performance. They drove a clever rally what allowed them to obtain such a big lead over the rest of the field.”

 Overall ranking with all the 12 stages contested:

1st V. Vasilyev (RUS) / K. Zhiltsov (RUS) MINI ALL4 Racing – 36h 33m 40s
2nd M. Zapletal (CSZ) / M. Sykora (CSZ) Hummer – 38h 44m 10s
3rd D. Housieaux (FRA) / C. Crespo (FRA) Optimus – 38h 52m 37s

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CRN Competition cumpre objetivo e leva pilotos até Buenos Aires

Pilotos tiveram um desempenho notável e repetiram feito de 2011 

Os dois pilotos portugueses inscritos pela CRN Competition no Dakar 2017 onde competiram aos comandos de motos Yamaha WR450F na Classe Super Prodution, conseguiram terminar aquela que é a mais exigente maratona de todo-o-terreno do Mundo. Fausto Mota e Rui Oliveira, que já tinham competido e sido bem-sucedidos em 2011, chegaram a Buenos Aires, na Argentina, depois de ultrapassadas inúmeras dificuldades encontradas nesta edição de 2017, com particular destaque para um problema de saúde que quase ia impedindo Rui Oliveira de chegar ao fim. Para trás ficou o colega e companheiro de equipa, o espanhol Oscar Romero, que foi forçado a desistir devido a problemas mecânicos registados na 8ª etapa deste rali, quando ocupava uma excelente 38º posição.

  O início da mítica maratona 

A chegada a Assunção marcou o início daquela que é uma das mais míticas maratonas internacionais de todo-o-terreno. Rui Oliveira revela que foram “muito bem recebidos” e Fausto Mota acrescenta que “aproveitaram para fazer os últimos preparativos na mota e para ter um primeiro contacto com o Paraguai”. Os pilotos CRN Competition optaram por um início de prova tranquilo para “não comprometer os resultados de uma competição que se afigurava longa e este ano, especialmente dura”. Qualquer erro poderia comprometer a sua prestação.

  Altitude não condicionou equipa 

A passagem para a Bolívia, na 4ª etapa, que marcou o início da competição em altitude, correu de feição à equipa que sentiu somente algumas diferenças no desempenho da mota. “A verdade é que a altitude não nos afetou em demasia. Temos que agradecer os conselhos de alguns amigos com experiência em altitude”, refere Fausto Mota.

  Etapas anuladas obrigaram a esforço extra 

E se as etapas em altitude não foram um problema para a equipa o mesmo não se pode dizer das etapas anuladas que obrigaram a fazer ligações de noite, com muito pó, juntamente com os camiões de apoio, o que se tornou muito perigoso. Para Rui Oliveira e Fausto Mota a anulação da sexta e nona etapas “obrigou a um esforço extra e revelaram-se muito duras, para nós que tínhamos apostado na regularidade” Muitos quilómetros, em ligações feitas de noite, juntamente com os camiões de apoio e com muito pó, revelaram-se perigosos e prejudicaram o nosso desempenho desportivo, já que assumíamos a aposta na regularidade como um dos principais objetivos”. Ainda na Bolívia, em La Paz, a equipa gozou o dia de descanso no qual “aproveitámos para fazer uma revisão às motas”, como refere Rui Oliveira, que implicou “verificar a qualidade do motor das motas, se seria ou não necessário trocar os mesmos, mas chegámos à conclusão que estavam em perfeitas condições”, acrescenta Fausto Mota.

  A garra e a determinação que se lhes reconhece 

A saúde atraiçoou Rui Oliveira que cumpriu as últimas etapas já demonstrando sinais evidentes de doença. Indisposto e sem forças o piloto cumpriu os últimos quilómetros desta dura competição. “Foi muito difícil, sofri bastante, perdi as forças e tinha vómitos. Foram dias muito complicados mas nunca perdi a garra e força de vontade de terminar a competição. Agradeço à médica da X-Raid que me ajudou a recuperar”. A esta equipa que apostou na regularidade valeu-lhe a excelente estrutura e o trabalho para um objetivo comum. “Além disso somos amigos e estávamos focados na mesma missão, o que ajudou bastante”, tal como refere Rui Oliveira.

  Um sonho realizado 

A CRN Competition conseguiu terminar o Dakar, num ano especialmente duro e marcado por muitas desistências. São muitos a quem devo agradecer, refere Rui Oliveira, “em especial à minha família que teve de suportar um ano de ausência, o que nem sempre foi fácil. Agradeço também aos meus patrocinadores, ao meu treinador e ao Pedro (Bravuras), meu companheiro de todas as viagens e de muitos e longos treinos realizados ao longo do ano”. Fausto Mota, reforça os agradecimentos à família e patrocinadores, bem como “a todos os amigos que me apoiaram e ao Pedro Oliveira pela dedicação ao projeto”.

E o futuro.... 

Ambos referem que agora se vão dedicar à vida profissional e deixar o tempo decidir, mas deixam a promessa para que contemos “com algo desafiador”.

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Dakar 2017: IVECO de novo no pódio do rali mais duro do mundo

O Rali Dakar chegou ontem ao fim, com a realização da 12ª Etapa. Cumprindo uma curtíssima Especial de 64 km à volta de Río Cuarto, os participantes conduziram os seus veículos até à linha de chegada para concluir o rally-raid mais difícil do mundo.

 Líder do Team PETRONAS De Rooy IVECO e vencedor das edições de 2012 e 2016 do Dakar com a IVECO, Gerard de Rooy colocou o seu Powerstar no 3º lugar do pódio, depois de uma semana cheia de adversidades e em constante luta com os seus mais directos adversários.

 Apesar de ter estado no comando da prova, o holandês debateu-se com diversos furos no decorrer das etapas, fruto dos quais o veterano piloto cairia diversos lugares na classificação, ficando atrás de diversos outros veículos, o que lhe dificultou bastante a condução. Com muita poeira na sua frente e muito poucas oportunidades para ultrapassar, De Rooy viu as suas hipóteses de recuperar a liderança cada vez mais limitadas. Aproveitando a potência e eficácia do seu Powerstar, fundamentais na sua tentativa, o piloto holandês conseguiu rubricar mais um lugar no pódio, terminando no 3º posto, a 41m19s do vencedor do Dakar deste ano, Eduard Nikolaev.

 Nas últimas etapas, os IVECO Trakker de Ton van Genugten e Wuf van Ginkel andaram sempre juntos e conseguiram subir alguns lugares na classificação, mesmo depois de terem perdido mais de seis horas com os seus camiões atolados na lama. Ao volante do camião #507, Ton van Genugten concluiu a prova na 16ª posição, com quase mais seis horas de diferença para o líder, ficando Van Ginkel logo atrás do seu colega de equipa, a mais de oito horas.

 Aos comandos de outro IVECO Powerstar, Federico Villagra terminou o Rali Dakar de 2017 logo atrás de De Rooy, ou seja, no 4º posto. O argentino não conseguiu repetir o 3º lugar alcançado no ano passado e ficou também por realizar o seu objectivo de vencer uma Etapa. No entanto, nesta que foi a sua segunda participação com a IVECO, Villagra mostrou bem todo o seu potencial.

 Classificação Geral – Dakar 2017

 1. Eduard Nikolaev (Kamaz) 27h58m24s
2. Dmitry Sotnikov (Kamaz) +18m58s
3. Gerard de Rooy (IVECO) +41m19s
4. Federico Villagra (IVECO) +1h00m04s
 5. Airat Mardeev (Kamaz) +2h26m50s
-----------
 15. Ton van Genugten (IVECO) +6h58m03s 16. Wuf van Ginkel (IVECO) +8h19m48s

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Pedro Bianchi Prata festeja nono Dakar terminado

Piloto português cumpriu com êxito a sua missão na equipa Honda 

Pedro Bianchi Prata já o demonstrou por inúmeras vezes ao longo da sua longa e produtiva carreira desportiva que não é piloto nem pessoa de baixar os braços. A poucos dias do Dakar 2017 arrancar tinha praticamente esgotado todos os esforços para mais uma participação na grande maratona sul-americana, quando lhe surgiu um convite irrecusável. Um convite e um desafio fantástico que permitiu ao atual campeão da europa de bajas cumprir com êxito a sua nona presença na prova em outras tantas participações.

 Claro que aos comandos de uma Honda CRF 450 Rally, uma moto fantástica que Pedro Bianchi Prata estreou praticamente no inicio do rali, se poderia desejar que o Pedro lutasse por um bom resultado, mas não era essa a sua missão. Teve oportunidade de andar bem, mas também teve de o fazer de uma forma extremamente cuidadosa quando era sua missão entregar os seus pneus no melhor estado possível a Joan Barreda no final da primeira metade da etapa maratona. Também teve de se “aguentar” com os pneus completamente desgastados que lhe foram entregues pelo piloto espanhol para a jornada do dia seguinte quando as pistas ficaram extremamente escorregadias das chuvas intensas que caíram.

 Parou para rebocar o americano Ricky Brabec e transportou 30 quilos de material para serem utilizados na etapa maratona, quando lhe coube ainda dar assistência a todas as motos da Honda HRC. Muitas histórias irá por certo trazer para Portugal, mas seguramente o que ficará no currículo é que participou com sucesso no Dakar 2017, pela nona vez.

  “Chegámos a Buenos Aires depois de uma ligação dura de 700 quilómetros. Muita gente à espera da caravana do Dakar mesmo que a competição já tenha terminado. É isto o Dakar. Na especial que se realizou no inicio da etapa tive de esperar quase uma hora pelos pilotos da equipa (a partida foi dada pela ordem inversa) mas esse é o meu trabalho. Cumpri a minha função e está feito mais um Dakar. Nove Dakar começados, nove Dakar acabados. Muito obrigado a todos os que me apoiaram”.

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TOYOTA’S ROMA, DE VILLIERS AND RAUTENBACH CONFIRM FOURTH, FIFTH AND NINTH IN DAKAR RALLY

Overdrive Racing and Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa reached the ceremonial finish of the 2017 Dakar Rally with six of their original eight Toyota Hiluxes well positioned in the overall classification.

 After one of the most dramatic Dakar rallies in history, thanks to inclement weather conditions, vastly differing temperatures, high altitude and daunting navigation, the Spanish crew of Joan Roma and navigator Alex Haro headed the team home in an Overdrive Racing car running with support from Monster Energy, Power Electronics and Air Europa.

 The duo were careful through the final stage to confirm a comfortable fourth overall behind the record-breaking 13-time winner Stéphane Peterhansel, nine-time WRC champion Sébastien Loeb and five-time winner Cyril Despres.

 Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa’s Giniel de Villiers and Dirk von Zitzewitz heading into the final day under a little pressure from Argentina’s Orlando Terranova. But De Villiers retained his composure to beat the Mendoza driver by 40 seconds and secure fifth place by the slender margin, in Dakar terms, of 2min 43sec.

 Zimbabwean Conrad Rautenbach and his South African co-driver Robert Howie ended their first Dakar Rally together in style with the fifth quickest time on the last special and that just emphasised the progress the former WRC driver has made in such a short time. It enabled the crew to bring the second of the Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa Hiluxes to the finish in ninth place and gave Conrad the ‘Performance of the Day’ by rally officials.

  Van Loon sixth fastest on final Dakar stage

 The Dutch crew of Erik van Loon and Wouter Rosegaar set some impressive stage times over the last few days of the Dakar in their Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux and SS12 was no exception, with Van Loon carding the sixth fastest stage of 29min 57sec to secure 14th overall.

 Alejandro Yacopini and Daniel Merlo began the last stage in their native Argentina from 19th overall. There were no major dramas to follow and Yacopini reached Buenos Aires inside the top 20. 

The Chinese crew of He Zhitao and Kai Zhao began the final special stage in 34th in the general classification after running behind their team-mates for long periods during the second week. They fulfilled the objective of finishing the event in the Boundless Yong Rally Team car run by Overdrive Racing in 34th overall.

 Additional support for Overdrive Racing came from Power Electronics and Kappa clothing.

  TODAY Drivers have hit problems on final Dakar stages before, but the special stage was only 64km in length and took place close to Río Cuarte. That left a monster of a road liaison to cope with of 786km from the stage finish to Buenos Aires via the town of Villa Maria and the city of Rosario. The ceremonial finish then took place outside the Argentina Automobile Club (ACA) in the Argentine capital.

  WHAT THEY SAID:

 JEAN-MARC FORTIN, CEO of Overdrive Racing “It was a very difficult Dakar and one that we will all remember for a long time. I would like to say thanks to everyone in our team for their hard work in the face of very difficult weather conditions and long days and nights in extreme conditions. We showed that the Toyota Hilux was competitive from the start of the Dakar and it was a huge disappointment for the whole team that we lost Nasser (Al-Attiyah) so early after he had taken the lead. Our other drivers did a superb job and Nani and Giniel reached the finish in fourth and fifth places. Conrad showed considerable potential with his stage performances over the last few days and we are delighted to see Erik Van Loon, Alejandro Yacopini and He Zhitao at the finish in Buenos Aires.” 

GINIEL DE VILLIERS – Car 302 “Obviously we’re a little bit disappointed, but you have to give big congratulations to our rivals because they deserve their success. All in all it was a very tough Dakar with plenty of navigation, which is good. It was a pity that two stages were cancelled.” 

JOAN ROMA – Car 305 “Well, the contest is over. It seems like yesterday that we were in Asuncion before starting the adventure. I guess we have had good adventures and misadventures. I am happy, although I suppose you are never happy if you don’t win. We started every stage trying to do our best. This race is never over until the last kilometre. We knew that fighting the Peugeots was a difficult task, but that was the fun part. If Toyota continues like this and we work a little more, we can win this race. Fourth is the first place that is not on the podium. But after some of the issues we had, this is a good result.” 

2017 Dakar Rally – SS12 result (top 8 only):

1. Sébastien Loeb (FRA)/Daniel Elena (MCO) Peugeot 3008 DKR 28min 55sec
2. Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA)/Jean-Paul Cottret (FRA) Peugeot 3008 DKR 29min 14sec
3. Giniel de Villiers (ZAF)/Dirk von Zitzewitz (DEU) Toyota Gazoo Hilux 29min 25sec
4. Cyril Despres (FRA)/David Castera (FRA) Peugeot 3008 DKR 29min 48sec
5. Conrad Rautenbach (ZWE)/Robert Howie (ZAF) Toyota Gazoo Hilux 29min 55sec
6. Erik van Loon (NLD)/Wouter Rosegaar (NLD) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 29min 57sec
7. Orlando Terranova (ARG)/Andreas Schulz (DEU) John Cooper Works Rally Mini 30min 05sec
8. Joan Roma (ESP)/Alex Haro (ESP) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 30min 16sec

 2017 Dakar Rally – final standings after SS12:

1. Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA)/Jean-Paul Cottret (FRA) Peugeot 3008 DKR 28hr 49min 30sec
2. Sébastien Loeb (FRA)/Daniel Elena (MCO) Peugeot 3008 DKR 28hr 54min 43sec
3. Cyril Despres (FRA)/David Castera (FRA) Peugeot 3008 DKR 29hr 22min 58sec
4. Joan Roma (ESP)/Alex Haro (ESP) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 30hr 06min 13sec
5. Giniel de Villiers (ZAF)/Dirk von Zitzewitz (DEU) Toyota Gazoo Hilux 30hr 39min 18sec
6. Orlando Terranova (ARG)/Andreas Schulz (DEU) John Cooper Works Rally Mini 30hr 42min 01sec
7. Jakub Przygonski (POL)/Tom Colsoul (BEL) John Cooper Works Rally Mini 33hr 04min 17sec
8. Romain Dumas (FRA)/Alain Guehennec (FRA) Peugeot 3008 DKR 33hr 13min 31sec
9. Conrad Rautenbach (ZWE)/Robert Howie (ZAF) Toyota Gazoo Hilux 33hr 29min 43sec
10. Mohammed Abu Issa (QAT)/Xavier Panseri (FRA) John Cooper Works Rally Mini 33hr 43min 00sec
14. Erik van Loon (NLD)/Wouter Rosegaar (NLD) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 34hr 54min 56sec
19. Alejandro Yacopini (ARG)/Daniel Merlo (ARG) Toyota Hliux Overdrive 37hr 17min 21sec
34. He Zhitao (CHN)/Kai Zhao (CHN) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 54hr 03min 55sec

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MARCO BULACIA GUIDES HIS SOUTH RACING FORD RANGER TO A TOP 20 FINISH IN GRUELLING DAKAR RALLY

Marco Bulacia and Claudio Bustos cruised through the short final special stage of the 2017 Dakar Rally to ensure that they steered their South Racing Ford Ranger safely to the finish podium in Buenos Aires in 20th overall.

 The Bolivian and his Argentinean navigator had overcome minor issues during the course of 12 punishing days, where Mother Nature forced the cancellation of two special stages and temperatures fluctuated wildly from the mid-forties Centigrade to sub-zero at altitude.

 The Ford Ranger was reliable and competitive from the start and it was fitting that Bulacia should complete the event in the top 20, having finished 21st with South Racing in 2016. He completed the final special in 16th position to secure the top 20 finish.

 The only setback for the team was the loss of the DMAS South Racing Ford Ranger of Spaniard Xavier Pons and his Argentinean navigator Ruben Garcia on the second special stage in Argentina. Pons had been second fastest on the opening special in Paraguay before crashing heavily on the run across the Grand Chaco the following day.

  “The rally started superbly for us with Xevi (Pons) taking second position on the Prologue and, up until his accident on day two, he was running in the top three on the Dakar and in the split times,” said Scott Abraham, managing director of South Racing. “This showed the true potential of the Ford Ranger. Marco ran a very conservative and solid rally to 20th overall. 

“The weather played a key role. We lost some of the bigger stages that could have affected some of the overall positions. The navigation was also tough. Marco lost a waypoint as well and that would have put him higher in the overall classification. Saying that, I think they did a great job to get into the top 20. The mechanics worked in some of the hardest conditions we have seen on the Dakar or in any race around the world. A big thanks to them and to all our partners, who have supported us on the Dakar and throughout the year.”

 Bulacia’s latest generation South Racing Ford Ranger was prepared by Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) with collaboration from South Racing. Bulacia had additional backing from YPFB, Vialco, Hard Rock Santa Cruz, BOA and Ende for his second Dakar with South Racing.

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Dakar Rally: Monster Energy Honda Team vow to fight on

After a fortnight competing in the world’s toughest race, Monster Energy Honda Team’s campaign ends with a positive scorecard. Throughout the ten disputed stages, the team have clearly shown all the necessary requisites to triumph in the Dakar. The battle goes on.

 Joan Barreda, the Monster Energy Honda Team ace, comes away from the Dakar having clinched four stages. Not only has he proven to be the fastest and most complete all-round rider of the 144 bike category participants who set off from Paraguay, but he also displayed superior navigation skills and made fewer mistakes. Once again Barreda scooped more stage wins than anyone, taking the tally to eighteen and overtaking the previous record-holder Italian Edi Orioli, who won with Honda in 1988. A harsh one-hour penalty for different interpretations of the refuelling guidelines effectively stole the bronze Tuareg from the Spaniard’s hands. Rally’s most promising rider had to accept fifth when the curtain came down on the event in Buenos Aires.

 It was no mean feat for the squad to keep a cool, clear head after the hammer-blow in just the fourth stage. Nevertheless, the four Monster Energy Honda Team showed much resolve and were immediately back in the fray as the great challenge moved onto Bolivian soil. Besides Barreda, Paulo Gonçalves displayed great consistency over the course of the competition. The Portuguese rider on the Honda CRF450 RALLY came sixth overall, who like his team-mate, would have finished in second place without the sanction.

 Michael Metge revelled in his supporting role and constantly shadowed the team’s two main riders Joan Barreda and Paulo Gonçalves. The Frenchman offered his team-mates a sense of security which allowed them to give the maximum on the track. American Ricky Brabec will forever remember the Dakar 2017 after snatching his first Dakar stage win. Ricky was unable to finish after a crash damaged the bike. Ricky, however, has shown excellent progress and maturity as a rider of cross-country rallies.

 The Honda CRF450 RALLY gave a noteworthy display of reliability, finishing the Dakar without the slightest mechanical hitch. The machine displayed great handling, resistance, power and has proved itself to be the bike of the Dakar.

 As the HRC Chairman Yoshishige Nomura put it yesterday from the podium in Buenos Aires: the team fought to the last to try and win the rally and will continue to battle hard to raise the trophy as the Rally Dakar winner.

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2017 Dakar: Good debut for the MINI John Cooper Works Rally

· Orlando Terranova finishes sixth 

· Seven MINI make it to the finish line and six in the top 20

 It’s done – two weeks Rally Dakar across Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina, in torrential rain, mud, heat and in enormous altitude! All the three MINI John Cooper Works Rally vehicles survived their debut appearance and made it to the finish line – just as four of the five MINI All 4 Racing pairings that contested the event. And in this gruelling rally, taking both man and material to their very limits, six of the seven MINI racers that finished the event made it to the top 20. The past two weeks were extremely eventful and in the end, Orlando Terranova (ARG) and Andreas Schulz (GER) with their MINI John Cooper Works Rally coped best with the continuous ups and downs to finish sixth in the overall ranking. Right behind them, Kuba Przygonski (POL) and Tom Colsoul (BEL) came seventh. While Qatar’s Mohamed Abu Issa, supported by his French navigator Xavier Panseri, secured the really fine 10th place, in his first Dakar.

 The debut appearance of the new MINI John Cooper Works Rally was a positive one. The three rally vehicles covered the covered the gruelling route from Paraguay via Bolivia to Argentina without encountering any major technical problems. Meanwhile, the conditions and circumstances made a major impact on the result. Among these circumstances definitely was the enormous altitude in Bolivia that got – in stage four – particularly to Yazeed Al-Rajhi (KSA). Due to massive headache he had to retire from the stage.

 Furthermore, the weather prevented the pairings from making up for the lost ground. Several times, special stages had to be shortened or even cancelled. 1400 of the scheduled 4093 special-stage kilometres weren’t contested – that’s more than a third! The ninth stage in particular would have offered the MINI John Cooper Works Rally pairings the chance of pushing. At the end of the day, this Dakar Rally once again demonstrated that the advantage the buggies enjoy over the all-wheel driven cars due to the technical regulations is massive.

 For Terranova, the start into the event was particularly difficult. For him, too, the fourth stage proved to be crucial for the rest of the Dakar. Navigation problems and difficulties with the enormous altitude cost him a lot of time – but on the following days he worked his way back up step by step and made it to the top six, in the end. “It was a difficult first week,” he admitted. “We made too many mistakes, thus losing a lot of time. The second week, however, went clearly better and now I’m happy to have made it to the finish, with the car still running flawlessly. The new MINI was just great, the navigation was extremely difficult and the special stages were longer and more technical – it was a far better rally than last year’s Dakar.”

 Witnessing Przygonski finishing seventh represents a – minor – surprise. The young Pole who has been racing on motorbikes for a long time contested his only second Dakar at the wheel of a car, this year. He was among the fastest right away and early demonstrated that he was determined to secure a top-10 result. “This was a truly difficult Dakar with several tough moments and difficult navigation,” he said. “Cooperating with Tom was big fun. I am delighted with having finished seventh and I also am happy about getting faster and faster as well as better and better. The difference between last year’s Dakar and this one was huge and I just have to change several things to be able to drive even faster.” 

Meanwhile, the 10th place secured by Abu Issa was a big surprise. After all, it was – after several years on a quad – his first Dakar with a car. “This was my fourth Dakar but it differed a lot form the other three. I think that I opted for the best team. They taught me a lot and that’s what I currently am focusing on: learning. While I was the one who taught others when I was racing on the quad. For instance my mechanics regarding the setup I wanted. At X-raid, however, I am the one to learn and this is very important for me as I still am very young. I want to win the Dakar some day and that’s the way you prepare for doing so.”

 Hirvonen held a top-five position nearly throughout the rally but he and his co-driver Michel Périn struggled with the extremely demanding navigation – and stage 10 destroyed their hopes for making it to the podium. Problems with the navigation and a collision with a truck cost the Finn more than three hours. “My second Dakar definitely was more challenging and difficult than my first. And although we didn’t achieve what we ha hoped for, in the end, our pace was really good nearly throughout the event,” said the Finn who finished 13th. But then, there was this day with all these problems – but that also is a part of the game. And it may sound crazy but even this stage had its positive factors, for me. There are so many stories I can tell now. And when an event is over, you even can enjoy looking back at such moments. Altogether, I had fun and the Dakar proved to be the adventure I had hoped for. The new MINI delivered in great style and I think we would have made it to the podium.”

 Meanwhile, Stephan Schott got out of his MINI ALL4 Racing with a big smile on his face. Together with his Portuguese co-driver Paulo Fiúza he finished 15th, thus securing his best Dakar result ever. “I feel fantastic,” beamed Schott. “It was a nice Dakar although some of the tracks in Bolivia weren’t nice to drive on. A big thank you to my navigator who did a great job.”

The Brazilian pairing Sylvio de Barros and Rafael Capoani, who had been signed at short notice as replacement for Bryce Menzies who couldn’t contest the Dakar due to health problems, also were happy with their achievements. “It was a great experience. And although we once lost our way massively, I hadn’t believed that this could happen to us. The MINI is bullet proof – we hit trees and rocks and rolled – and the car survived it all and here we are, having finished the rally.”

Al-Rajhi and his German navigator Timo Gottschalk made a good start into the Dakar but the enormous altitude in stage four made and end to their dreams about a podium. “This year’s Dakar was fun but I’m no friend of racing in high altitudes,” the driver from Saudi-Arabia revealed. “We race at a competitive speed but I felt really bad in the heights and even more so as I had had a cold on the previous days. It’s a real pity as I would have loved to secure a better result. I hope that we – if at all – don’t get to such high altitudes right away but step by step. The MINI is an extremely rugged car. Many other teams encountered technical problems but we didn’t. In our team, the mistakes mainly were made by the drivers.” 

The extreme weather made navigating even more difficult. Enormous heat in Paraguay and Argentina as well as torrential rain, mud and coldness in Bolivia took the team to its very limits. But the mechanics succeeded in keeping the concentration level high and did a perfect job when it came to preparing the eight MINI vehicles for the next day evening by evening.

  “It was a gruelling Dakar – and this does not only apply to the sport,” said Team Manager Sven Quandt. “This year, the conditions were extremely difficult for everybody. The heat in the early stages with temperatures of more than 40° C, then the Bolivian heights with an altitude of up to 4000 metres above sea level – and in addition, all the rain and the cold. This was physically and mentally extremly demanding. Nonetheless, our mechanics did a fantastic job and displayed a lot of staying power. If you are lying below a car in the rain, with mud everywhere and the water running down your collar… that’s anything but funny. Our MINI racers once again demonstrated their reliability, this year. But unfortunately, the regulation factors with their impact we can’t change prevented us from securing better results. For instance, the diesel powered all-wheel driven cars are clearly penalised by the regulations. All the fast, bumpy sections we had to contest this year were extremely demanding for our MINI and we had no chance against the buggies. Therefore, we will focus even more on the two-wheel drive, in the future.”

 Dakar 2017 Result SS12:

1. S. Loeb (FRA) / D. Elena (MNC) Peugeot – 28m 55s
2. S. Peterhansel (FRA) / J.-P. Cottret Peugeot – 29m 14s
3. De Villiers (RSA) / D. Von Zitzewitz (GER) Toyota - 29m 25s
4. C. Despres (FRA) / D. Castera (FRA) Peugeot – 29m 48s
5. C. Rautenbach (ZWE) / Howie Robert (RSA) Toyota – 29m 55s
... 7. O. Terranova (ARG) / A. Schulz (GER) MINI John Cooper Works Rally – 30m 05s
... 9. M. Hirvonen (FIN) / M. Périn (FRA) MINI John Cooper Works Rally – 20m 28s
... 12. J. Przygonski (POL) / T. Colsoul (BEL) MINI ALL4 Racing – 31m 03s
... 14. M. Abu Issa (QAT) / X. Panseri (FRA) MINI ALL4 Racing – 31m 54s
... 17. Y. Al-Rajhi (KSA) / T. Gottschalk (GER) MINI John Cooper Works Rally – 33m 32s
... 19. S. Barros (BRA) / R. Capoani (BRA) MINI ALL4 Racing – 33m 54s
... 23. S. Schott (GER) / P. Fiúza (POR) MINI ALL4 Racing – 35m 18s

 Dakar 2017 Overall standing after SS12:

1. S. Peterhansel (FRA) / J.-P. Cottret Peugeot – 28h 49m 30s
2. S. Loeb (FRA) / D. Elena (MNC) Peugeot – 28h 54m 43s
3. C. Despres (FRA) / D. Castera (FRA) Peugeot – 29h 22m 58s
4. N. Roma (ESP) / A. Haro (ESP) Toyota – 30h 06m 13s
5. De Villiers (RSA) / D. Von Zitzewitz (GER) Toyota - 30h 39m 18s
6. O. Terranova (ARG) / A. Schulz (GER) MINI John Cooper Works Rally – 30h 42m 01s
7. J. Przygonski (POL) / T. Colsoul (BEL) MINI ALL4 Racing – 33h 04m 17s
... 10. M. Abu Issa (QAT) / X. Panseri (FRA) MINI ALL4 Racing – 33h 43m 00s
... 13. M. Hirvonen (FIN) / M. Périn (FRA) MINI John Cooper Works Rally – 34h 45m 30s
... 15. S. Schott (GER) / P. Fiúza (POR) MINI ALL4 Racing – 36h 14m 02s
... 18. S. Barros (BRA) / R. Capoani (BRA) MINI ALL4 Racing – 37h 03m 17s
... 27. Y. Al-Rajhi (KSA) / T. Gottschalk (GER) MINI John Cooper Works Rally – 43h 54m 04s

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Décimo Top 10 de Hélder Rodrigues no Dakar

Hélder Rodrigues completou hoje a sua participação no Dakar 2017. Terminou na 9º posição da classificação geral, depois de um início menos inspirado. Para Helder Rodrigues esta foi a sua décima primeira participação consecutiva na maior maratona do mundo em todo-o-terreno e todas elas o piloto português completou entre os mais rápidos, sendo que por dez vezes ficou no Top 10.

  "Foi um Dakar difícil e estou feliz por ter conseguido terminar e dentro do top 10. Tive dificuldades em imprimir um bom ritmo. Lutei ao longo da prova para recuperar o tempo perdido na fase inicial da corrida, mas quando se parte de trás é necessário correr ainda mais riscos, em particular por causa do pó. Por outro lado, estou contente por não ter cometido erros de navegação. Não era este o resultado que ambicionávamos, mas estou muito satisfeito pela forma como as nossas motos se portaram duram todo o rali. Faço parte deste projeto desde o seu início e foi opimo ver as WR450F Rally ganhar etapas e lutar pelas primeiras posições. O Adrian está de parabéns pela excelente corrida que realizou", salientou o piloto à chegada a Buenos Aires. “Quero agradecer a toda a minha equipa pelo trabalho duro que tiveram durante estas duas últimas semanas. Sem eles, nós não tínhamos conseguido chegar aqui”.

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Landmark 1-2-3 glory for the PEUGEOT 3008DKR on 2017 Dakar Rally

The brand new PEUGEOT 3008DKRs of Peterhansel/Cottret, Loeb/Elena and Despres/Castera completed the 2017 Dakar Rally’s 9, 000-kilometre run through Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina on the top three steps of the final podium in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Today’s landmark one-two-three result takes PEUGEOT’s score on the famous cross-country rally to six outright victories and is ideally timed to coincide with the launch of the new Peugeot 3008 SUV’s career across the world.

  RED, WHITE AND BLUE 

Thirty years after its initial Dakar Rally success in 1987, Peugeot provided another demonstration of its know-how with an assertive one-two-three finish on this year’s event in South America. Peterhansel/Cottret, the most successful crew in the event’s history, flew the French tricolour high and proud as they steered their PEUGEOT 3008DKR over this year’s challenging route which included high-altitude running, tougher navigation and appalling weather. The 2017 rally turned out to be a close, drama-packed affair with numerous leader changes and exceptionally small gaps at the order’s sharp end from start to finish.

  A NEW RECORD FOR STÉPHANE ‘MONSIEUR DAKAR’ PETERHANSEL 

They say 13 is unlucky for some, but Stéphane Peterhansel is unlikely to subscribe to that theory now that he has beaten his own record and taken his personal tally of Dakar Rally wins to 13 in total (six on two wheels, seven on four wheels). Stéphane Peterhansel and Jean-Paul Cottret produced a near-perfect run this time round to clock up their seventh success together, allowing the latter to register a new record for co-driver victories.

  FAST-LEARNING WORLD CHAMPIONS 

Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena demonstrated impressive progress on only their second Dakar Rally outing. In addition to emerging as the fastest crew of the fortnight, they combined shrewd pace management with strong navigational skills. Their chances of victory took a blow on Day 4, however, when an engine issue cost them 26 minutes, proving cruelly decisive in the final reckoning. The Franco-Monegasque pair ended up second overall for the second year running and posted the highest number of fastest stage times (five from 10).

  FIRST PODIUM HONOURS ON FOUR WHEELS 

After coming seventh overall in 2016, Cyril Despres and David Castera shared the Dakar Rally’s podium celebrations for the first time on four wheels after previously securing five and three bike victories respectively. The crew of the N°307 PEUGEOT 3008DKR also recorded their first fastest time in the car category and even appeared at the top of the provisional leader board on the evening of Day 4 after one of the 2017 event’s most selective stages, hinting that there’s still plenty more to come from the French pair.

  UNFORTUNATE EARLY EXIT 

After providing further evidence of their speed, Sainz/Cruz were in the process of easing into the provisional lead when they were unfortunately eliminated. Damage sustained by the N°304 car in a series of rolls on Stage 4 proved too much for the mechanics to repair within the authorised time and the Spaniards were forced to hand in their timecard at the bivouac in Tupiza.

  A WORTHY SUCCESSOR 

The PEUGEOT 3008DKR successfully took over the baton from last year’s winning car – the PEUGEOT 2008DKR – to make an immediate mark on the world’s toughest cross-country rally. The two-wheel drive car warded of its all-wheel drive opposition to reveal the value of the technical configuration chosen by Team Peugeot Total. In spite of unfavourable changes to the regulations (bigger air restrictor), work on the car’s engine and suspension in recent months paid big dividends. At the same time, the switch to a body shape derived from that of the Peugeot 3008 SUV permitted an aerodynamic package which favoured high top speeds.

  A SOLID GOLD DAKAR RECORD 

Team Peugeot Total’s one-two-three finish on the 2017 event isthe latest in a long list of Dakar Rally successes for the brand. It is PEUGEOT’s sixth overall victory and its second podium lockout from seven participations.

  2017 DAKAR RALLY STATISTICS 

COUNTRIES VISITED: Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina.
TOTAL DISTANCE COVERED: 8, 823km (12 legs), including 4093km divided into 10 stages.
STAGE VICTORIES: nine for the PEUGEOT 3008DKR out of 10 stages contested. Loeb/Elena: 5 (Stages 2, 5, 8, 11 and 12) / Peterhansel/Cottret: 3 (Stages 3, 7 and 11) / Despres/Castera: 1 (Stage 4).
STAGE ONE-TWOS and ONE-TWO-THREES: six one-twos (Stages 3, 7, 8, 10, 11 and 12), including three onetwo-threes (Stages 3, 8 and 10).
LEADERS: Loeb/Elena (after Legs 2, 3 et 8), Despres/Castera (after Leg 4), Peterhansel/Cottret (after Legs 5, 7, 10, 11 and 12).
TOP SPEED: 203kph (Stage 2).
MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE: 45°C (Leg 2).

 CLASSIFICATION – LEG 12:

1.LOEB Sébastien (FRA) / ELENA Daniel (MON), PEUGEOT 3008DKR, 28m55s
2.PETERHANSEL Stéphane (FRA) / COTTRET J-P. (FRA), PEUGEOT 3008DKR , +00m19s
3.DE VILLIERS Giniel (ZAF) / VON ZITZEWITZ Dirk (ZAF), Toyota Hilux, +00m30s
4.DESPRES Cyril (FRA) / David CASTERA (FRA), PEUGEOT 3008DKR, + 00m53s
5.RAUTENBACH Conrad (ZWE) / HOWIE Robert (ZWE), Toyota, + 1m00s

 DAKAR 2017 FINAL OVERALL POSITIONS - AFTER LEG 12:

1.PETERHANSEL Stéphane (FRA) / COTTRET J-P. (FRA), PEUGEOT 3008DKR , 28h 49m30s
2.LOEB Sébastien (FRA) / ELENA Daniel (MON), PEUGEOT 3008DKR, +05 m13s
3.DESPRES Cyril (FRA) / David CASTERA (FRA), PEUGEOT 3008DKR, +33m28s
4.ROMA Nani (ESP) / HARO Bravo (ESP), Toyota Hilux, +1h16m43s
5.DE VILLIERS Giniel (ZAF) / VON ZITZEWITZ Dirk (ZAF), Toyota Hilux, +1h49m48s 

“QUOTE, UNQUOTE…”

 Bruno Famin, Peugeot Sport Director, Team Manager Peugeot Total “After such an emphatic win today, it’s obviously been a positive event for us. We got three cars onto the podium and that’s an accomplishment PEUGEOT and everyone at Peugeot Sport can be proud of. The 3008DKR won the Dakar at first attempt, so there’s every reason to be pleased with the jobs performed by everyone in the team, from the mechanics to the crews. We functioned as a single unit and team spirit prevailed, not only on the rally but also during the design, preparation and servicing of the cars. The drivers and co-drivers never hesitated to help each other out, to an even greater extent than last year. Everybody feared this year’s Dakar – justifiably in my opinion. This tension led the members of the team to work even more closely together and the reward is a fantastic overall team result. As far as the car is concerned, the biggest step forward was its reliability. We didn’t have any mechanical issues, with the exception of a small problem which, it can be said, deprived Loeb an Elena of the win. All our work upstream of the event paid off in the form of enhanced performance. I know it can bring added stress but, for me, the thought of issuing team orders was inconceivable. As a result, everyone was able to savour the intensity of the fight to the end, including with the crews themselves!”

 Stéphane Peterhansel (PEUGEOT 3008DKR #300) Overall: 1st / Leg 12: 2nd “This is a superb win for PEUGEOT and I was delighted to have such an exceptional car. I was also glad that Bruno Famin didn’t issue any team orders. It was an open fight all the way to the finish. We faced stiff competition, not only from our own team-mates, with three other strong drivers in the squad, but also from the other teams. It didn’t take long for an initial hierarchy to emerge, though, and soon there were just four, then two drivers challenging for the victory. My duel with Sébastien was intense and also quite stressful. At the same time, we had tremendous fun driving. It was never easy because Sébastien is a proven champion and extremely fast, and he has plenty of experience of managing from in front, so it was never straightforward for us, as can be seen by the small gap that separated us at the finish.” 

Sébastien Loeb (PEUGEOT 3008DKR #309) Overall: 2nd / Leg 12: 1st “It was a good event for us and, even though we ended up second, we were involved in the thick of the fight for first place from start to finish. After the small engine problem we suffered early on, we never stopped pushing. It was very exciting because we were flat out all the time, especially on the anti-penultimate and penultimate stages. It was a tremendous rally. It’s a shame our scrap ended when I punctured yesterday. Overall, we had great fun and we ended up second on what turned out to be a highly complex event, while PEUGEOT ended up first, second and third. That’s an extraordinary team result!” 

Cyril Despres (PEUGEOT 3008DKR #307) Overall: 3rd / Leg 12: 4th “For us, finishing on the Dakar podium for the first time on four wheels feels like the start of a new chapter in our careers. Everyone in the team worked so hard all year-long and I am on the podium after only my third attempt at the Dakar in a car. That’s due in part to the great car I had. It ran perfectly and the drivers who finished ahead of us were none other than Stéphane Peterhansel and Sébastien Loeb, so there’s nothing to be ashamed of there! I need to keep working to be even faster on all the different types of terrain if I want to climb one or two places on the podium. David and I intend to put in whatever work is necessary to achieve that!” 

Carlos Sainz (PEUGEOT 3008DKR #304) Retired after Leg 4 “I am delighted for PEUGEOT, and congratulations to Stéphane and Jean-Paul on claiming another victory. On a personal level, I am obviously very disappointed to have retired. We had been running at a good pace from the start and the PEUGEOT 3008DKR marked a step forward compared with last year’s car. I regret not having been able to make more of its potential.”

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Patrão fecha “Top 20” no Dakar 2017

Piloto de Seia cumpriu a sua 5.ª participação na maior prova de todo-o-terreno do mundo com mais um resultado entre a elite mundial. 

Terminou hoje a 29.ª edição do Rali Dakar, prova que se disputou desde o passado dia 2 de janeiro na América do Sul, atravessando países como Paraguai, Bolívia e Argentina. A caravana chegou hoje a Buenos Aires, depois de uma edição que se tornou u grande desafio para os participantes.

 Mário Patrão participou pela quinta vez no Rali Dakar, tendo conseguido o 20.º lugar final numa edição em que se apresentava à partida ainda em fase de recuperação de uma lesão que o levou a intervenção cirúrgica.

 Este ano inserido na equipa oficial da KTM, Patrão foi um dos elementos cruciais no apoio da marca à vitória, hoje conquistada pelo britânico Sam Sunderland.

 O piloto de Seia, pluricampeão nacional de todo-o-terreno e vencedor da categoria Maratona no Dakar 2016, com um brilhante 13.º lugar final à geral, foi este ano também o 10.º classificado da categoria Super-Produção.

 Mário Patrão: “Por aqui o trabalho está feito. Objetivo cumprido! Vim para o Dakar 2017 com um objetivo, tive a possibilidade de integrar a melhor equipa do mundo e de estar ao lado de pessoas tão experientes e fantásticas como são todos os membros da KTM Red Bull Factory Racing. Um enorme prazer! Saio desta prova com o 20.° lugar final e com mais um desafio de superação e persistência realizado. Quero dar os parabéns ao Sam Sunderland pela grande vitória! Portugal inscreve uma vez mais quatro pilotos no ‘Top 20’, três dos quais nos dez primeiros classificados. Estamos todos de parabéns!”

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Estreia auspiciosa para Joaquim Rodrigues no Dakar 2017

Piloto português de Barcelos foi o estreante revelação na edição deste ano da maior prova de ralis todo-o-terreno do mundo. 

Joaquim Rodrigues terminou em grande a sua primeira participação no Rali Dakar, tendo conseguido com grande êxito a conquista do 10.º lugar final na classificação acumulada da prova. O piloto português chegou recentemente aos ralis, tendo esta prova sido a sua terceira experiência na modalidade.

 Hoje, na derradeira etapa do Dakar 2017, entre Ró Cuarto e Buenos Aires, Rodrigues foi o 20.º mais rápido a percorrer os 64 quilómetros cronometrados, gastando mais 5min13s que o tempo do vencedor do dia. Na classificação geral, o piloto da equipa indiana Hero MotoSports Rally Team conquistou o 10.º lugar a 2h19min17s do vencedor da competição, Sam Sunderland.

 Com uma prestação regular e atacante, Joaquim Rodrigues deixou marcas claras de ser um elemento a ter em conta em edições futuras da prova.

 Joaquim Rodrigues: “Fantástico! Uma experiência única. Quero voltar! Conquistámos o 10.º lugar final, se há meia dúzia de meses me questionassem se me via a fazer um Dakar, era uma ideia que estava nos meus planos, como nos e muitos pilotos, mas agora não só se concretizou como também os resultados desta participação são muito positivos. Tenho uma equipa fantástica, a Hero MotoSports Team Rally bem como a Speedbrain estão de parabéns!”

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Sexto lugar final para Paulo Gonçalves no Dakar 2017

Piloto português mostra-se satisfeito com o trabalho da equipa oficial Honda, garantindo estar em condições máximas de lutar pela vitória. 

A derradeira etapa do Dakar 2017 levou hoje a caravana até Buenos Aires onde tem lugar o habitual pódio de chegada e a condecoração dos finalistas da maior prova de rali todo-o-terreno do mundo. Paulo Gonçalves termina a competição no sexto lugar final, impedido de lutar pela vitória graças a uma penalização de uma hora que viria a rouba todas as aspirações do piloto luso.

 Hoje o pelotão enfrentou uma curta “especial” cronometrada de apenas 64 quilómetros de extensão, tendo Gonçalves registado o 5.º melhor tempo da tirada a 1min25s do vencedor do dia, o francês Adrien Van Beveren. Na classificação geral, o piloto oficial da Honda fixa o 6.º lugar final a 53min59s do vencedor pela primeira vez desta competição, o britânico Sam Sunderland.

Paulo Gonçalves cumpriu as 10 de doze etapas a contrarrelógio, recorde-se que duas delas foram anuladas, com um total de 32h58min51s, tendo no seu tempo o acréscimo de uma hora de penalização por um abastecimento de combustível em zona alegadamente não regulamentada. Sem a “multa” o piloto português teria sido o segundo classificado final, igualando assim o resultado conquistado por o próprio na edição de 2015 da mítica prova de todo-o-terreno mundial. Paulo Gonçalves foi um do principais protagonistas da edição de 2017 do Rali Dakar, tendo terminado cinco das dez etapas disputadas dentro do pódio, quatro delas no segundo lugar. O piloto de Esposende chegou mesmo a ter a vitória na penúltima etapa da prova, mas a bonificação de tempo ao seu colega de equipa Joan Barreda Bort atirou o português para mais um segundo lugar.

 Paulo Gonçalves: “O Dakar está terminado! Estamos muito satisfeitos com o trabalho que a equipa HRC fez ao longo deste ano que passou. A única coisa que não bateu certo neste Dakar foi o resultado final, não era este que merecíamos. Temos de olhar para o que aconteceu, mas estamos certos que descobrimos como ganhar esta prova. Teríamos terminado em primeiro e segundo se não tivesse sido a penalização. Resta-nos esperar pelo próximo ano para voltar a atacar a vitória! Gostaria de agradecer a toda a equipa HRC, a todos os meus patrocinadores e a todos os meus apoiantes por todo o apoio.”

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Dakar 2017: 11ª Etapa com três camiões IVECO no top 10

O Rali Dakar está a chegar ao fim. A caravana de camiões que sobreviveram às duras condições ao longo das primeiras 11 Etapas, chegou ao bivouac montado em Río Cuarto, na província de Córdoba, após 290 km de competição em dunas e pistas tipo WRC, e depois de cumpridos os quase 500 km de ligação desde a partida em San Juan.

 Depois da complicações nas primeiras etapas devido a furos no seu Powerstar #500, Gerard de Rooy colocou o seu IVECO entre os cinco primeiros a cortar a linha de meta da 11ª Etapa, mas não conseguiu diminuir a distância para os comandantes da prova devido ao muito pó que esteve presente numa boa parte da jornada. O líder do Team PETRONAS De Rooy IVECO terminou o dia no 5º lugar, com mais 14m41s do que o vencedor da Etapa, Eduard Nikolaev.

 Como declarou o próprio De Rooy à chegada, “durante os últimos 100 km conduzi atrás uma enorme nuvem de pó e tinha de contar com as árvores nas bermas. Era impossível ultrapassar, pois o risco de destruir completamente o camião era enorme.” 

Ao volante do seu Iveco Trakker #507, Ton van Genugten acabou a Etapa muito perto do seu companheiro de equipa De Rooy, com menos de três minutos de diferença. Com este resultado, o holandês foi o 6º mais rápido, a apenas 17m4m do vencedor, o que evidencia bem o seu grande desempenho ao longo das especiais do Dakar.

 Por sua vez, Wuf van Ginkel arrancou para a 11ª Etapa com apenas um minuto diferença para Van Genugten e cortou a meta na 8ª posição, com mais cinco minutos do que o seu colega de equipa e mais 22m43s do que o vencedor. Graças ao resultado, os três camiões do Team PETRONAS De Rooy IVECO colocaram-se entre os 10 primeiros da Etapa.

 Já Federico Villagra esteve mesmo muito perto de vencer a Etapa, tendo perdido a liderança para Eduard Nikolaev perto do fim o dia, cortando a meta com uma diferença de somente 52s para o russo. Assim, o piloto argentino e o seu Iveco Powerstar #502 ocupam agora o 4º posto da Geral.

 O Dakar 2017 chega ao seu destinho hoje, Sábado, em Bueno Aires, onde, depois de cumpridos os 900 km da Etapa, os vencedores serão coroados na habitual rampa junto à meta. Mas antes desta cerimónia, os concorrentes terão de cumprir um circuito de 64 km em Rio Cuarto que irá proclamar os vencedores desta 39ª edição da prova.

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Moral victory for Monster Energy Honda Team in the Dakar Rally 2017

The final stage in Río Cuarto has brought the Dakar Rally challenge to a close. Monster Energy Honda Team commanded throughout, winning half the stages disputed. Both Joan Barreda – winner of four stages – and Paulo Gonçalves finished among the top riders overall.

 The short special stage in Río Cuarto, which wraps up the Dakarian odyssey, did little to change the overnight leaderboard positions. Joan Barreda was the quickest of the Monster Energy Honda Team with a third-place finish on the podium in Buenos Aires. Paulo Gonçalves finished the dusty seventy-kilometre stage in fifth, with Michael Metge ninth.

 The overall standings barely reflect the real story, where the Honda CRF450 RALLY was triumphant in half of the stages and dominated over the entire fortnight. Joan Barreda and Paulo Gonçalves’s overall positions were heavily compromised by a one-hour penalty apiece, for an entry in the rulebook that invited different interpretations. Without the sanction, the overall result would have reflected the squad’s clear domination on the track. Monster Energy Honda Team comes away from the event the clear moral victor.

 The provisional final rally rankings leave Joan Barreda in fifth position, some 43’08” behind the winner Sam Sunderland to whom the team wish to congratulate. Paulo Gonçalves, posted sixth overall some 52’29” adrift of the first Briton to have won the competition. Michael Metge rounded out the team result with a fourteenth position.

 The team wishes to highlight the fine work done by Honda South America Rally Team, whose Argentinean rider Franco Caimi took eighth overall position. In a similar fashion to the result of Team HRC’s Kevin Benavides last year, Caimi picked up the prize for Rookie of the Year.

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Dakar 2017 / SS11: Terranova gains time

· Best special-stage result for Terranova: third position 

· Tomorrow the 2017 Dakar will be finished

 In the penultimate stage, from San Juan to Rio Cuarto, Orlando Terranova (ARG) and Andreas Schulz (GER) finished third, thus closing in on Giniel de Villiers – fifth in the overall standings – by several seconds. Meanwhile, Yazeed Al-Rajhi (KSA) and Timo Gottschalk (GER) set the fifth-fastest time, today. And their team-mates, Mikko Hirvonen (FIN) / Michel Périn (FRA) who struggled with many problems yesterday, crossed the finish line in 11th position, followed by MINI ALL4 Racing pairings Mohamed Abu Issa (QAT) / Xavier Panseri (FRA) and Kuba Przygonski (POL) / Tom Colsoul (BEL) who came 12th and 13th respectively.

  “We tried to push right from the start,” revealed Terranova. “But the first part of the special stage was very bumpy and sandy. Furthermore, the Peugeots and Toyotas also pushed to the max. And in the second part we also couldn’t go flat out as we were driving in the dust of the motorbikes and quads. We nonetheless succeeded in closing in on Giniel – but only by a few seconds and that wasn’t enough.”

  “In the first part of the special stage everything actually went fine. We had a puncture and in addition we unfortunately lost our bonnet. It disengaged in the dune section and ended up below the car,” said Al-Rajhi. “In the neutralisation we snatched an Argentinean flag and covered our radiator with it to prevent it from getting choked.”

  “At least our day wasn’t as bad as yesterday,” Hirvonen said laughing. “We had a damaged tyre in the early stage. This section was really bumpy and featured soft sand. It was a constant up and down for the entire 120 kilometres. The second part was really nice. The first kilometres were contested on a tight and winding road and we were really fast, here. Afterwards we unfortunately closed in on several opponents and couldn’t keep on gaining time.” 

“This was a really good day” beamed Abu Issa in the bivouac After all, he worked his way up in the overall standings by two positions and holds 10th, now.  “The first 120 kilometres featured only sand and our suspension did a great job, today. After the first part we even held 10th position. The second part represented a WRC-like challenge and that was something – I have to admit it – I was somewhat afraid of. But it went really well for me. This is the special stage that saved the Dakar for me.”

 Przygonski also could breathe a sigh of relief, following yesterday’s difficult stage. “We had some problems in the early stages but later we could make up for a part of the lost ground,” said the Pole. “This special stage really was big fun for us.” 

By finishing 16th, Sylvio de Barros and Rafael Capoani (both BRA) also secured a good result. Stephan Schott (GER) and Paulo Fiúza (POR) finished 21st and worked their way up to the very fine 15th position in the overall standings. Meanwhile, Boris Garafulic (CHI) and Filipe Palmeiro (POR) had problems with their vehicle. The team offered them to get towed through the stage by a race truck what would have allowed them to contest the final stage, tomorrow. But Garafulic, who until then was positioned on a great 7th place in the overall rankings, opted against this possibility and retired from the race action.

 Tomorrow, the field will have to contest the final stage of the 2017 Dakar. In the morning, they will have to cope with a short 64-kilometre special stage around Rio Cuarto. Later, the entire field will cover 700 kilometres to Buenos Aires where they all will be celebrated on the finish podium.

 Dakar 2017 Result SS11:

1. S. Loeb (FRA) / D. Elena (MCO) - Peugeot - 3h 21m 15s
2. S. Peterhansel (FRA) / J.-P. Cottret (FRA) - Peugeot - 3h 21m 33s
3. O. Terranova (ARG) / A. Schulz (GER) - MINI John Cooper Works Rally – 3h 27m 52s
4. G. de Villiers (RSA) / D. von Zitzewitz (GER) - Toyota - 3h 28m 16s
5. Y. Al-Rajhi (KSA) / T. Gottschalk (GER) - MINI John Cooper Works Rally - 3h 28m 40s
... 11. M. Hirvonen (FIN) / M. Périn (FRA) - MINI John Cooper Works Rally – 3h 39m 46s
12. M. Abu Issa (QAT) / X. Panseri (FRA) - MINI ALL4 Racing – 3h 40m 09s
13. J. Przygonski (POL) / T. Colsoul (BEL) - MINI ALL4 Racing – 3h 40m 51s
 ... 16. S. de Barros (BRA) / R. Capoani (BRA) - MINI ALL4 Racing - 3h 52m 32s
 ... 21. S. Schott (GER) / P. Fiúza (POR) - MINI ALL4 Racing – 4h 12m 38s

 Dakar 2017 Overall standing after SS11:

1. S. Peterhansel (FRA) / J.-P. Cottret (FRA) - Peugeot - 28h 20m 16s
2. S. Loeb (FRA) / D. Elena (MCO) - Peugeot - 28h 25m 48s
3. C. Despres (FRA) / D. Castera (FRA) - Peugeot -28h 53m 10s
4. N. Roma (ESP) / A. Haro (ESP) - Toyota -29h 35m 57s
5. G. de Villiers (RSA) / D. von Zitzewitz (GER) - Toyota -30h 09m 23s
6. O. Terranova (ARG) / A. Schulz (GER) - MINI John Cooper Works Rally - 30h 11m 56s
7. J. Przygonski (POL) / T. Colsoul (BEL) - MINI ALL4 Racing - 32h 33m 14s
... 10. M. Abu Issa (QAT) / X. Panseri (FRA) - MINI ALL4 Racing - 33h 11m 06s
... 13. M. Hirvonen (FIN) / M. Périn (FRA) - MINI John Cooper Works Rally - 34h 15m 02s
... 15. S. Schott (GER) / P. Fiúza (POR) - MINI ALL4 Racing - 31h 26m 06s
... 18. S. de Barros (BRA) / R. Capoani (BRA) - MINI ALL4 Racing - 36h 29m 23s
... 26. Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk - MINI John Cooper Works Rally - 43h 20m 32s

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A duel at the sharp end for the PEUGEOT 3008DKR pacesetters

Today’s thrilling stage saw Team Peugeot Total’s Peterhansel/Cottret and Loeb/Elena engage in a breath-taking clash which saw them complete the leg’s 292 competitive kilometres split by just 18 seconds. With only one day remaining, Peterhansel/Cottret are in a strong position to win the 2017 Dakar Rally thanks to an overnight cushion of 5m32s over Loeb/Elena.

 • There was always a strong possibility that Leg 11 of the 2017 Dakar Rally would prove decisive ahead of Saturday’s short competitive burst, and the expected battle lived up every bit to its promise. The two Team Peugeot Total crews involved in the final run-in for this year’s victory gave it everything they had at the wheel of their respective PEUGEOT 3008DKRs. Loeb/Elena began by making up almost half of their overnight deficit, but their bid was seriously dented when they were forced to stop and change a wheel after picking up a puncture through the first corner of the second part of the stage.

 • In addition to securing Team Peugeot Total’s fifth one-two finish of the 2017 Dakar Rally (including three one-two-three finishes), second place for Peterhansel/Cottret on today’s test – just 18 seconds short of Loeb/Elena – has put them in an enviable position at the top of tonight’s leaderboard, 5m32s clear of their Franco-Monegasque team-mates.

 • With little to play for, Despres/Castera produced a perfectly paced, risk-free run. Their cautious drive in the N°307 PEUGEOT 3008DKR allowed them to defend their third place in the provisional overall standings.

 TYPE OF TERRAIN: dunes for the first 50 kilometres, followed by WRC-style tracks.
CONDITIONS: xxx
TEMPERATURE : between 20°C and 36°C
AVERAGE SPEED: 95kph
TOP SPEED: 193kph

 CLASSIFICATION – LEG 11:

1. LOEB Sébastien (FRA) / ELENA Daniel (MON), PEUGEOT 3008DKR, 3h21m15s
2. PETERHANSEL Stéphane (FRA) / COTTRET J-P. (FRA), PEUGEOT 3008DKR, +0m18s
3. TERRANOVA Orlando (ARG) / SCHULZ Andreas, Mini, +6m37s
4. DE VILLIERS Giniel (ZAF) / VON ZITZEWITZ Dirk (ZAF), Toyota Hilux, +7m1s
5. AL RAHJI Yazeed (SAU) / GOTTSCHALK Timo (GER), Mini, +7m25s
7. DESPRES Cyril (FRA) / David CASTERA (FRA), PEUGEOT 3008DKR, +7m32s 

PROVISIONAL STANDINGS AFTER LEG 11:

1. PETERHANSEL Stéphane (FRA) /COTTRET J-P. (FRA), PEUGEOT 3008DKR, 28h20m16s
2. LOEB Sébastien (FRA) / ELENA Daniel (MON), PEUGEOT 3008DKR, +5m32s
3. DESPRES Cyril (FRA) / David CASTERA (FRA), PEUGEOT 3008DKR, +32m54s
4. DE VILLIERS Giniel (ZAF) / VON ZITZEWITZ Dirk (ZAF), Toyota Hilux, +1h49m37s
5. TERRANOVA Orlando (ARG) / SCHULZ Andreas, Mini, +1h51m40s

 “QUOTE, UNQUOTE…”

 Bruno Famin “Today was the last real stage of the 2017 Dakar Rally and there was always a chance that a lot could happen. It turned out to be a breath-taking day and the first positive is that our three cars all reached the finish. Sébastien and Stéphane engaged in a superb duel which essentially ended when Sébastien picked up a puncture. He was at maximum attack and it looked at one point like he might succeed in making up his overnight gap of 5m50s. That didn’t happen, but the main thing for the team is that our three cars are still sitting first, second and third overall. Cyril settled into a pace that suited his position. With little at stake for him, the important thing was to make sure he reached the finish.” 

 Sébastien Loeb (PEUGEOT 3008DKR #309) Leg 11: 1st / Overall: 2nd “Our day started well. We were aware that the terrain was favourable to us and we pushed hard in order to try to close the gap to Stéphane. We lost our advantage when we punctured through the first corner of the second part of the stage. It was so frustrating! We kept pushing and completed the stage in Stéphane’s dust. The aim after that was to avoid taking any risks and make sure we got the car to the finish.” 

 Stéphane Peterhansel (PEUGEOT 3008DKR #300) Leg 11: 2nd / Overall: 1st “Our fight with Sébastien today was extremely close. We lost some of our lead during the first part of the stage but Sébastien’s puncture at the beginning of the second section allowed us to make up most of the ground we had lost. The last stage of the rally tomorrow is quite short. We will work on our strategy this evening. Anything can still happen but I feel confident because our 3008DKR has run like clockwork so far.” 

 Cyril Despres (PEUGEOT 3008DKR #307) Leg 11: 6th / Overall: 3rd “It turned out to be a quiet day for us. We started out this morning with a big cushion over the fourth-placed car and our aim was to keep out of trouble and nurse our car to the finish. We had a reasonably good run and the second part of the stage was interesting. I even started to see myself as a WRC driver!”

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Problema técnico atrasa Patrão no Dakar

Piloto português perdeu hoje algum tempo na penúltima “especial” do Dakar 2017 devido a uma falha mecânica, mas mantém o “Top 20”. 

Mário Patrão foi hoje o 34.º mais rápido no troço cronometrado entre San Juan e Río Cuarto, na Argentina, depois de ter sido vítima de um contratempo técnico que o fez perder mais de uma dezena de minutos até retomar a corrida. Ainda assim, o piloto de Seia continua a ascender na tabela e é agora o 17.º classificado à geral numa altura em que o Dakar caminha para o final.

 Patrão disputa amanhã a última “especial” da prova, rumo a Buenos Aires, com uma distância cronometrada na ordem dos 64 quilómetros cronometrados. O piloto português, que integra a equipa oficial KTM, aponta esforços conjuntos para a confirmação de mais uma vitória da marca austríaca na prova, com o britânico Sam Sunderland a ser o favorito à vitória final.

 Mário Patrão: “Hoje o dia tinha tudo para correr bem mas um problema técnico acabou por me fazer perder algum tempo a retomar a corrida. Ainda assim consegui o 34.° melhor tempo e estou no 17.° posto da geral. Amanhã acaba o Dakar 2017, o importante agora é concentrar na vitória da KTM, vamos procurar fechar este Dakar da melhor forma possível, em festa!”

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Monster Energy Honda Team refuse to throw in the towel, sealing the team’s fifth stage win with a one-two for Barreda and Goncalves

The Monster Energy Honda Team continue to show a high level of commitment to the race and are tenaciously battling on until the end. In the penultimate stage of the Dakar 2017, Joan Barreda was the best of the one hundred bikers who made it to Río Cuarto, with Paulo Gonçalves posting the day’s second quickest time. The Honda CRF450 RALLY has now triumphed in five stages.

 The last long stage of the Rally Dakar was disputed today between San Juan and Río Cuarto, in the province of Córdoba. The 288 kilometres of special concluded with another one-two for the Monster Energy Honda Team.

 Joan Barreda, as yesterday’s stage winner, was lumbered with the task of opening the track. He headed out this morning in first place and finished the race still firmly at the head of the field. This is never an easy task as distractions can prove costly. Barreda pull off a very difficult feat in winning two consecutive stage victories. The Spaniard has now clinched the top honours in four of the stages. Portuguese team-mate Paulo Gonçalves, also thundered through the route aboard the Honda CRF450 RALLY to take second place. The course took the riders over many variations of terrain: sand and some vegetation to begin with, some mountain tracks and then some speedier sections which usually feature in the WRC. In the general standings Barreda lies in fifth and Goncalves in sixth.

 Frenchman Michael Metge, who picked up a penalty yesterday for skipping a waypoint, started from further back and was determined to make up time. Nevertheless, one of the revelations of this Dakar found his progress hampered by the dust and rooster-tails of the riders ahead. In spite of the inconveniences, Mika still managed to post a seventh spot as the race wound up in Río Cuarto. 

American rider Ricky Brabec ran into a spot of bad luck which puts an end to his Dakar aspirations. A heavy fall saw a rock damage the machine’s radiator and forced the rider out of the race just six kilometres from the finish-line. Race authorities refused to allow the rider to wait for a tow, deeming the zone too dangerous, before finally airlifting him back to the finish.

 Tomorrow the 39th edition of the Rally Dakar 2017 wraps up with a short, looping 64-kilometre special which starts and finishes from the Río Cuarto bivouac.

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SIX OVERDRIVE AND TOYOTA GAZOO RACING HILUXES FIRMLY ON COURSE FOR DAKAR RALLY FINISHES

There were no Friday the 13th gremlins and Overdrive Racing and Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa will take six of their original eight Toyota Hiluxes into the final special stage of the 2017 Dakar Rally after all the crews safely negotiated the 292km of competitive action between San Juan and Río Cuarte in Argentina.

 Joan Roma and navigator Alex Haro dropped eight minutes to team-mate De Villiers through the early kilometres, but were safe in fourth overall. The Spanish crew took no risks through the last kilometres and maintained their position.

 Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa’s Giniel de Villiers and Dirk von Zitzewitz began the day in a comfortable fifth and were fifth fastest through the first section of the special. They went on to record the fourth quickest time and hold fifth place by just 2min 03sec heading into the final day.

  Toyota rookie Rautenbach enters the overall top 10

 Zimbabwean Conrad Rautenbach and his South African co-driver Robert Howie were seventh through the first 119km and the dunes around San Juan in the second of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Hiluxes. They continued their impressive pace to the finish and the eighth quickest time enabled the Dakar first-timer to climb into ninth place in the overall standings for the first time.

 The Dutch crew of Erik van Loon and Wouter Rosegaar were pushed down to 16th overall at the start of the 11th stage after Finland’s Mikko Hirvonen recovered from his delays into San Juan and completed the stage. Van Loon enjoyed a strong run through section one in eighth place and finished the stage in an impressive seventh to move up to 14th overall.

 Alejandro Yacopini and Daniel Merlo began the day in 21st overall in their Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux. They were running 18th after the shorter opening section of the special and a strong performance lifted them into the top 20.

 The Chinese crew of He Zhitao and Kai Zhao reached San Juan in 35th overall in their Boundless Yong Racing Toyota run by Overdrive Racing and safely negotiated section one of the stage. They were 38th at WP5 and firmly on course for the finish at 23.35 CET.

 Additional support for Overdrive Racing comes from Power Electronics and Kappa clothing.

  TODAY AND TOMORROW

 The day’s stage was short by Dakar standards and featured only 292km of competition and included a crossing of the dunes near San Juan in the first section of 119km, before a liaison of 367km took teams to the more traditional WRC-style flowing tracks in the Córdoba region and a second part of 173km. A third link guides teams to the bivouac in the city of Río Cuarte.

 The final stage on Saturday is only 64km in length and takes place close to the night halt, but then teams have to tackle a long road section back to the ceremonial finish in Buenos Aires. They can expect large crowds, congestion and nervous moments on the 786km link via Villa Maria, the city of Rosario and the towns of Zarate and Campana to the finish in Buenos Aires.

 2017 Dakar Rally –SS11 result (top 9 only):

1. Sébastien Loeb (FRA)/Daniel Elena (MCO) Peugeot 3008 DKR 3hr 21min 15sec
2. Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA)/Jean-Paul Cottret (FRA) Peugeot 3008 DKR 3hr 21min 33sec
3. Orlando Terranova (ARG)/Andreas Schulz (DEU) John Cooper Works Rally Mini 3hr 27min 52sec
4. Giniel de Villiers (ZAF)/Dirk von Zitzewitz (DEU) Toyota Gazoo Hilux 3hr 28min 16sec
5. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (SAU)/Timo Gottschalk (DEU) John Cooper Works Rally Mini 3hr 28min 40sec
6. Cyril Despres (FRA)/David Castera (FRA) Peugeot 3008 DKR 3hr 28min 47sec
7. Erik van Loon (NLD)/Wouter Rosegaar (NLD) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 3hr 35min 03sec
8. Conrad Rautenbach (ZWE)/Robert Howie (ZAF) Toyota Gazoo Hilux 3hr 35min 47sec
9. Joan Roma (ESP)/Alex Haro (ESP) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 3hr 36min 19sec

 2017 Dakar Rally – overall standings after SS11 (unofficial @ 23.35 CET):

1. Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA)/Jean-Paul Cottret (FRA) Peugeot 3008 DKR 28hr 20min 16sec
2. Sébastien Loeb (FRA)/Daniel Elena (MCO) Peugeot 3008 DKR 28hr 25min 48sec
3. Cyril Despres (FRA)/David Castera (FRA) Peugeot 3008 DKR 28hr 53min 10sec
4. Joan Roma (ESP)/Alex Haro (ESP) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 29hr 39min 57sec
5. Giniel de Villiers (ZAF)/Dirk von Zitzewitz (DEU) Toyota Gazoo Hilux 30hr 09min53sec
6. Orlando Terranova (ARG)/Andreas Schulz (DEU) John Cooper Works Rally Mini 30hr 11min 56sec
7. Jakub Przygonski (POL)/Tom Colsoul (BEL) John Cooper Works Rally Mini 32hr 33min 14sec
8. Romain Dumas (FRA)/Alain Guehennec (FRA) Peugeot 3008 DKR 32hr 42min 58sec
9. Conrad Rautenbach (ZWE)/Robert Howie (ZAF) Toyota Gazoo Hilux 32hr 59min 48sec
10. Mohammed Abu Issa (QAT)/Xavier Panseri (FRA) John Cooper Works Rally Mini 33hr 11min 06sec
14. Erik van Loon (NLD)/Wouter Rosegaar (NLD) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 34hr 24min 59sec
19. Alejandro Yacopini (ARG)/Daniel Merlo (ARG) Toyota Hliux Overdrive 36hr 42min 57sec
 TBA. He Zhitao (CHN)/Kai Zhao (CHN) Toyota Hilux Overdrive TBA

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BULACIA AND BUSTOS STAND ONE STAGE AWAY FROM IMPRESSIVE DAKAR FINISH IN SOUTH RACING FORD RANGER

Marco Bulacia and Claudio Bustos took no risks to conserve their South Racing Ford Ranger and are now only one short timed special stage and a long liaison section away from finishing the 2017 Dakar Rally.

 The Bolivian and his Argentinean navigator completed the two sections of the stage between San Juan and Río Cuarte in 22nd position and now hold an unofficial 20th in the overall standings, one place higher than the driver’s finishing position in 2016.

 On Thursday evening, Mikko Hirvonen arrived late into the bivouac in San Juan after his on-stage problems and managed to stay ahead of Bulacia in the overall rankings. That meant that the Bolivian started the penultimate special stage of 292km from 22nd position.

 The stage was split into two sections of 119km and 173km by a long liaison of 367km and featured a run through the dunes to the east of San Juan and then crossed into the Córdoba Province for more traditional WRC-style flowing tracks through farmland before finishing near the city of Río Cuarte. 

Bulacia’s latest generation South Racing Ford Ranger was prepared by Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) with collaboration from South Racing.

Bulacia has additional backing from YPFB, Vialco, Hard Rock Santa Cruz, BOA and Ende for his second Dakar with South Racing.

 Tomorrow (Friday), is the final day of the Dakar and one South Racing will be hoping to celebrate with Bulacia and Bustos on the finish podium outside the Argentine Automobile Club (ACA) in Buenos Aires.

 There is a short liaison to the start of a short 64km special stage before the Dakar caravan treks across Argentina for 786km via Villa Maria, Rosario and Campana to the finish in the capital.

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Joaquim Rodrigues regressa ao “Top 10”

Piloto português está a recuperar o tempo perdido na décima etapa do Dakar 2017 e retomou ao décimo lugar da classificação geral. 

Joaquim Rodrigues já está de novo no 10.º lugar da classificação geral da edição de 2017 do Rali Dakar, depois de hoje ter sido o 14.º mais rápido a percorrer a tirada cronometrada de 288 quilómetros cronometrados entre Río Cuarto e San Juan, na Argentina. O piloto da Hero MotoSports Team Rally está há poucos meses no mundo dos ralis todo-o-terreno mas já é apontado como uma das promessas candidatas à luta pela vitória em edições futuras da prova.

 Hoje, o piloto de Barcelos perdeu apenas 20min59s para o vencedor da tirada, o seu cunhado Paulo Gonçalves, da equipa Honda, e na classificação geral subiu de novo ao 10.º lugar a 2h20min53s do líder, Sam Sunderland (KTM).

 Amanhã disputa-se a derradeira etapa do Dakar 2017, entre San Juan e Buenos Aires, com uma curta “especial” cronometrada de 64 quilómetros.

 Joaquim Rodrigues: “Voltámos ao Top 10! Hoje foi mais um dia muito positivo, apesar de partir muito de trás consegui procurar ganhar tempo ao longo da "especial" e por fim ser o 14.° mais rápido num dia em que a vitória é portuguesa! Amanhã termina esta minha primeira aventura no Dakar, vamos procurar chegar a Buenos Aires sem perder posições. Um muito obrigado a todos pelo apoio, em particular à Hero MotoSports pela equipa fantástica que é!”

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Paulo Gonçalves vence penúltima etapa do Dakar 2017

Piloto português da Honda oficial tem vindo a subir na classificação geral e parte para o derradeiro dia de prova instalado na 6.ª posição. 

Paulo Gonçalves venceu hoje a penúltima etapa do Dakar 2017, a décima primeira da prova, disputada entre San Juan e Río Cuarto, na Argentina, com um total de 754 quilómetros. O piloto português natural de Esposende foi o mais rápido do dia, somando mais uma vitória em etapas para a equipa oficial Honda.

 A “especial” cronometrada de hoje contou com mais 288 quilómetros cronometrados com uma longa neutralização a dividir ambas as partes do troço do dia. Gonçalves fez uma etapa ao ataque, liderando praticamente ao longo de todo o dia, tendo terminado com um total de 3h18min47s, menos 1min09s que o tempo do segundo classificado do dia, o espanhol Joan Barreda Bort.

 Na classificação geral Paulo “Speedy” Gonçalves ascende ao sexto lugar, agora a 52min46s do líder britânico Sam Sunderland. Recorde-se que o piloto da Monster Energy Honda Team vê acrescido ao seu tempo total uma penalização de uma hora por abastecimento em zona não regulamentada, punição que viria a hipotecar as aspirações do piloto luso em mais uma edição da maior e mais dura prova de Todo-o-Terreno a nível mundial.

 A derradeira etapa leva a caravana até de Río Cuarto a Buenos Aires onde terá lugar o pódio de chegada e a condecoração dos finalistas da edição de 2017 do Rali Dakar. Apenas um total de 64 quilómetros cronometrados separam a atribuição das classificações finais da prova.

 Paulo Gonçalves: “Hoje saí bem, fiz uma etapa muito boa, tentei atacar, tinha pilotos que estavam próximos mas procurei defender e manter sempre a luta pela vitória. Obviamente que o objetivo não era ganhar etapas, mas sim a prova. Fiz tudo o que estava ao meu alcance e seguramente que fizemos um grande trabalho de preparação para que a Honda pudesse ter os dois pilotos no pódio final. Infelizmente a situação não se proporciona, mas temos de estar satisfeitos com o que fizemos e por perceber que o trabalho feito daria os resultados pretendidos. Falta um dia, a mota está com um comportamento perfeito, vamos procurar terminar este Dakar da melhor forma possível!”

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Albufeira Racing Team: Didier Frederico sobe ao oitavo posto

Com apenas 208 quilómetros de extensão e ligando Akjoujt a Fimlit cumpriu-se esta manhã por paragens da Mauritânia a 11ª especial da Africa Race 2017. Num dia em que a caravana se vai instalar no derradeiro 'bivouac' da competição em Saint Louis no Senegal, o piloto de Albufeira terminou a especial na 13ª posição e desta forma subiu mais um lugar na classificação geral da prova para ser o oitavo antes do derradeiro dia de prova junto ao mítico Lago Rosa em Dakar.

 Ainda com uma longa ligação pela frente, 338 quilómetros até Saint Louis, Didier Frederico fechou de forma brilhante aquela que foi a derradeira especial a sério nesta Africa Race antes da grande festa agendada para o dia de amanhã onde os pilotos terão que cumprir apenas 22 quilómetros de especial nas margens do Lago Rosa.

  "Foi um dia de novo muito positivo e chegar ao final e saber que subi mais uma posição é uma sensação excelente. O objectivo foi sempre chegar ao final da prova, mas com uma boa prestação na classificação sabe ainda melhor. Agora é cumprir a ligação e aproveitar o resto do dia para descansar antes da derradeira especial a realizar amanhã."

 Um dia mais uma vez muito positivo para o piloto da Albufeira Racing Team, formação que se estreou nesta Africa Race e mostrou de imediato o seu potencial através das prestações conseguidas tanto por Didier como por Alexandre Azinhais, este hoje novamente azarado e a sofrer com problemas técnicos logo após CP1.

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Pilotos CRN Competition a dois dias de Buenos Aires

Fausto Mota e Rui Oliveira, pilotos inscritos pela CRN Competition, aos comandos de motos Yamaha WR450F na Classe Super Prodution, cumpriram ontem a 10ª etapa do Dakar 2017 que ligou Chilecito a San Juan, e figuram respetivamente nos 52º e 53º lugares da tabela de classificação geral. 

Com a regularidade a que já nos têm habituado e agora já sem o colega de equipa, o espanhol Oscar Romero, que foi forçado a desistir devido a problemas mecânicos, Fausto Mota e Rui Oliveira que esperam um pelo outro no início das especiais para rolar em conjunto, revelaram que um pequeno percalço inicial os fez perder algum tempo na etapa de ontem, o que levou Fausto Mota a terminar a especial ocupando o 64º tempo e Rui Oliveira no 67º posto.

  “A etapa que nos trouxe a San Juan foi um dia de verdadeiro Dakar, com muita navegação. Cometi um erro logo no início e com isso perdemos bastante tempo, mas conseguimos acabar a especial. Hoje é a última etapa complicada e já só queremos chegar a Buenos Aires”, revelou Fausto Mota à chegada a San Juan.

 Hoje cumpre-se a 11ª etapa do Dakar 2017, entre San Juan e Rio Cuarto, um total de 754 quilómetros, 288 dos quais cronometrados.

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Dakar 2017: Etapa bastante difícil deixa De Rooy na 3ª posição

Gerard De Rooy teve um dia difícil, marcado por dois furos, mas conseguiu manter-se no 3º lugar na Classificação Geral.

 Pela primeira vez numa semana, o Rali Dakar conseguiu fazer disputar uma Etapa completa, com a prova a cumprir a ligação entre Chilecito e San Juan, na zona Ocidental da Argentina. Dadas as anulação parciais ou totais de Especiais nas últimas cinco Etapas, a 10ª Etapa foi a mais longa da presente edição da prova. Ontem, os pilotos de todas as categorias percorreram 449 km cronometrados até chegar ao bivouac, em San Juan.

 Não foi um dia fácil para a IVECO, embora Gerard de Rooy tenha começado bem a jornada ao volante do Powerstar #500. No Waypoint 1, o líder do Team PETRONAS De Rooy IVECO tinha menos de um minuto de diferença para o primeiro classificado dos camiões, mas os dois furos de que foi vítima fizeram-no perder muito tempo e o holandês passou para uma diferença de 23m43s. Apesar de conseguir manter-se no 3º posto, De Rooy está agora a 24m17s do comandante da prova.

 Os Trakker de Ton van Genugten (#507) e Wuf van Ginkel (#525) arrancaram atrás do seu colega de equipa e ambos sofreram bastante nesta Etapa. Durante a primeira secção, perderam meia hora e terminaram entre os 15 primeiros. Van Genugten acabou a Etapa com mais 35m02s do que o líder, Nikolaev, enquanto Van Ginkel ficou a 37m54s do comandante da prova.

 Ao volante do seu Iveco Powerstar #502, Federico Villagra perdeu mais de meia hora nesta difícil Especial, situação que acabou com as suas aspirações de subir na classificação. O argentino continua na 4ª posição, mas tem agora quase uma hora de diferença para o Kamaz que ocupa o 1º lugar da Geral.

 A prova aproxima-se agora de Buenos Aires, onde no Sábado, 14 de Janeiro, terá lugar a cerimónia final, com a entrega dos troféus aos vencedores após 9.000 km percorridos pelas estradas e caminhos da América do Sul.

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