German Car Forum

phaeton · 01-03-2007, 04:50 PM

Discussions can also be done here http://www.germancarforum.com/other-motorsports/8483-official-dakar-2007-thread.html

-constantly updated

01 January 2007
VOLKSWAGEN AT THE “DAKAR”: ROUTE AND REGULATION CHANGES

WOLFSBURG, Germany - The Volkswagen factory team starts the Dakar Rally on 6 January with four Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 prototypes and 26 officially registered service and support vehicles.
When the 187 participants in the car class, including Volkswagen factory drivers Mark Miller, Giniel de Villiers, Ari Vatanen and Carlos Sainz, set off from Lisbon on the near 8000 kilometre journey to the Senegalese capital Dakar, they must prepare themselves for several changes made to the route and regulations. The 64-page regulations for the sixteen day cross country classic do not, however, only concern the competition vehicles but also regulate the use of the 240 vehicles in the supporting armada.

Route shortened

The event organisation ASO has changed the route at short notice. Due to a warning from the French Foreign Ministry the stages between Nema – Timbuktu and Timbuktu – Nema, originally scheduled to be held on 16 and 17 January, have been cancelled for safety reasons. Instead, a 366 kilometre loop around Nema will be completed on 16 January. A single 280 kilometre liaison stage is on the following day's agenda. "It's very important to take safety issues into consideration. From the sporting point of view it's a shame, since one of the two marathon stages and a day of competition are dropped, and the rally is shorter and therefore the pressure greater as a result”, says Volkswagen co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz. The overall distance falls to 7,915 kilometres, which equates to 4,309 competitive kilometres, because of the changes.

Lac Rose in Senegal resumes ‘final stage' status

The "Lac Rose Grand Prix” was originally intended to be held as a show stage on the final day of the Dakar Rally. At short notice, the organisers have shortened the traditional stage along the shores of Lac Rose, scheduled for 21 January, to 16 kilometres and reinstated it as official stage. "A marvellous decision”, explains Giniel de Villiers, 2006 "Dakar” runner-up. "The stage at Lac Rose is the Dakar Rally's traditional finale – and it's great that it will also count towards the rally result.”

New navigation assistant

Additional ‘way points' given on extremely difficult off-road stages should help competitors with navigation in 2007. In addition to the ‘Hidden Way Points' (WPM), visible way points (WPE – Waypoint Eclipse) are assigned for the first time during the 2007 Dakar Rally. In contrast to the hidden way points, which only appear in the GPS System when a vehicle closes to within three kilometres, the direction of a Waypoint Eclipse is already displayed on the GPS screen when the Volkswagen factory drivers and their competitors close to within 200 metres of the previous way point. "A good decision”, explains Volkswagen factory co-driver and three-time "Dakar” winner Michel Périn. "As a result, competitors will be prevented from driving around in circles in the desert due to ambiguities in the road book.”

Spectator and team safety increased

The safety precautions for spectators and African locals are improved for the 2007 Dakar Rally. A wide-ranging public information campaign in the local media should better prepare the people along the near 8,000 kilometre route for the rally armada and general increase in traffic. The local Police play a more important role in monitoring and policing the traffic regulations. "We welcome the fact that the organisers have undertaken additional measures to further increase safety for the rally spectators, competitors and service armada”, explains Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen.

Severe penalties for speeders

The speed limit of 50 and, in part, 30 km/h for rally cars in built-up areas and villages exists for years – and also applies on official stages. Violations are punished with severe fines and even time penalties. Repeat offenders are threatened with exclusion from the competition. The speed limits for support vehicles outside built-up areas are further reduced in 2007: A maximum speed of 120 is valid for Service Cars; Service-Trucks are not allowed to exceed 90 km/h. The Race-Trucks entered in the truck classification are allowed to attain a maximum speed of 150 km/h. Support vehicles violating the limits are also given severe penalties: First time offenders still have to pay 500 Euro for exceeding the speed limits by between 0 and 20 km/h, a second offence is punished by the service vehicle being confiscated till the following day – and the spare parts on board can also not be used. Exclusion from the rally threatens repeat offenders. The fines collected during the Dakar Rally have been donated to charity for years.

phaeton · 01-03-2007, 04:51 PM

02 January 2007
THE VOLKSWAGEN FACTORY TEAM: EIGHT COMPETITIVE SPIRITS, ONE AIM

WOLFSBURG, Germany - Two Rally World Champions, one of the most successful Cross Country Rally co-drivers, the most successful woman in rallying and a 15-time Enduro Champion – the Volkswagen factory team is an interesting cocktail of fascinating personalities and seven nations.

The Volkswagen factory drivers Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/South Africa), Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn (Spain/France), Ari Vatanen/Fabrizia Pons (Finland/Italy) and Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (South Africa/Germany) have a common goal: They want to fight together as a team for victory for Volkswagen in the Dakar Rally, the toughest and most famous cross country rally (6 to 21 January). "We have a strong team of experienced and highly-motivated drivers” explains Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. "The team spirit is extremely strong, all eight drivers and co-drivers work well together.”

Ari Vatanen – EU delegate, family father and four-time "Dakar” winner

The former Rally World Champion Ari Vatanen bolsters the Volkswagen team since September 2006. "To be able to compete for Volkswagen in the Dakar Rally is a dream come true”, explains the 54-year old Finn. With four wins to his credit, he is one of the most successful drivers ever to appear in the marathon classic. Vatanen, who lives with his wife Rita in the Provence in France, jumps between his rally and test commitments and his duties as EU delegate. "Since I don't compete in many rallies each year, I can dovetail both responsibilities very easily”, he explains. Vatanen was one of the big stars during the 1980s in the World Rally Championship. He was forced to make an 18 month break following a severe accident in the 1985 Argentinean Rally and made his comeback by starting a new career in cross country rallying. "I feel like an artist, I can choreograph my life in motorsport as I want. I could never imagine having an office job”, explains the father of four grown sons and daughters.

Carlos Sainz – World Champion and record winner in World Rally Championship

When Ari Vatanen won the Rally World Championship in 1981, his current team mate Carlos Sainz was just starting his career. Like Vatanen, the Spaniard also celebrated many great victories in the World Rally Championship – he was Rally World Champion in 1990 and 1992. With his 25 victories "El Matador”, as his admiring fans call him, held the record for the most wins till the middle of 2006. However, Sainz, who swapped to cross country rallying in 2005, is not only a rally driver, but also a thoroughbred sportsman: He was Spanish Squash Champion in his youth, played football successfully and was also successful in circuit racing. The father of two daughters and a son remained loyal to the beautiful game – in his hometown Madrid he is still involved with the Real Madrid football club. In addition, he follows the fledging kart career of his son Carlos.

Michel Périn – precise right-hand man

With 23 wins in only 47 events – including three Dakar Rally wins – the Frenchman Michel Périn is one of the most successful co-drivers in cross country rallying. Like Carlos Sainz and Ari Vatanen, Périn also originates from the World Rally Championship where he acted as co-driver and team manager. The 49-year old rally professional's strengths: His precision and meticulous preparation brought him five titles in the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup. Périn is often the subject of amusement and deep admiration from colleagues and journalists alike as he prepares his road book in minute detail the evening before the following stage. "I was interested in geography and maps as well as motorsport as a child. As co-driver I can unite my two interests. However, I've never dreamed of driving myself”, explains Périn, whose partner Marie-Christine also worked as a rally co-driver earlier.

Fabrizia Pons – outstanding co-driver

She is inconspicuous and professional – and with five victories in the Word Rally Championship the most successful woman in modern rallying. The Italian Fabrizia Pons earned her reputation in the 1980s as co-driver for rally legend Michèle Mouton. However, since making her cross country rallying debut in 1995 the 51-year old professional co-driver has forged a successful career. She recorded two overall wins in desert rallies together with her current driver in 1995. "It's simply wonderful to be working with Ari again”, said Pons excitedly, when she once again formed a team with Vatanen in autumn 2006. The Turin based Italian has a diverse range of hobbies and interests away from the cockpit: She loves swimming and skiing, and sings soprano in a choir. But she has a soft spot for animals. "I love all animals and have three cats, a hamster and a goldfish myself", explains Pons. "If I hadn't got involved in motorsport I would have perhaps studied veterinary medicine.”

Dirk von Zitzewitz – career on two and four wheels

"I dreamt of becoming a racing driver when I was a small child", explains the 38-year old Dirk von Zitzewitz. The co-driver to South African Giniel de Villiers contests his fourth Dakar Rally in the car classification. However, Dirk von Zitzewitz started his career on two wheels: He was German Enduro Champion 15 times, and finished fifth in the motorbike classification in his first Dakar Rally. In 2002, he made his debut as co-driver – and tasted success on four wheels immediately. "As motorbike ride you learn to read the lie of the land”, believes Dirk von Zitzewitz. "And this helps me today in my job as co-driver.” Dirk von Zitzewitz also studied architecture like his team mate Fabrizia Pons. "But I quickly decided to pursue a career in professional motorsport – and never regretted it”, he says looking back. "I love cross country rallies because the challenges are so varied, you have to produce a top performance over the course of many days, react to the circumstances and also often improvise.” Dirk von Zitzewitz, who lives only a few kilometres from the Baltic Sea, spends his spare time with his wife Sabine and Labrador Hugo. "I feel at home in north Germany. It's important to me that the sea is close by.”

Mark Miller – from racer to investment manager and back

The American Mark Miller is a man of principals: In his youth he sacrificed a promising enduro career to concentrate on his studies. The successful investment manager later traced the path in reverse and withdrew step by step from the investment business over the last few years to devote his entire energy to his motorsport career as Volkswagen factory driver. Miller is just as uncompromising in his personal fitness programme and works together with a personal trainer in the USA. The success speaks volumes: On his "Dakar” debut in 2002 he won a ‘one make cup' together with former his co-driver at that time Dirk von Zitzewitz. Miller also started his career on two-wheels, and later recorded a class victory in the famous "Baja 1000” off-road rally in the USA. As Volkswagen factory driver in 2006 he finished fifth in the "Dakar” with Dirk von Zitzewitz as "Co”.

Ralph Pitchford – newcomer at Volkswagen, experienced in the desert

The South African Ralph Pitchford is a perfect example of the career opportunities available in cross country rallying: The 44-year old co-driver for Mark Miller began his career working as a mechanic for various motorbike teams and also competed in enduro races in his spare time. Later he also worked on rally cars. "A co-driver withdrew at short notice and I got my chance”, he explains. On his "Dakar” debut in 2006 he guided his driver to 15th overall. "I love cross country rallies, especially the people and the informal atmosphere.” Pitchford encounters a row of old acquaintances in the Volkswagen factory team: He has been a friend of both Mark Miller and Dirk von Zitzewitz since his days as active motorbike rider. Pitchford remained true to his two-wheel routes: In his spare time he organises enduro tours through South Africa's fascinating landscape.

Giniel de Villiers – from touring car star to cross country professional

The South African Giniel de Villiers also started his career in another discipline: The 34-year old motorsport professional contested his first touring car race in 1993. He was South African Touring Car Champion five times, before making a successful jump to cross country rallying in 2000. In 2006, he finished second in the Race Touareg – the greatest success to date for a diesel powered vehicle in the Dakar Rally. de Villiers and co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz number among the favourites in 2007. "I think I'm addicted to adrenalin", he laughs. "I can't imagine anything other than a career in motorsport for me.” de Villiers is strong ties with his home, the Stellenbosch wine region in South Africa. He describes himself as an "outdoor type”. His hobbies fit such a description: Off-road motorbikes and golf, he also competes in mountain bike races. The fascination of cross country rallying: "We get to know places that you would normally never see, and I love the desert." The "Dakar” suits him: The drivers trek through the wilderness and sleep in tents beneath the starry African night sky for two long weeks.

phaeton · 01-03-2007, 04:52 PM

03 January 2007
KRIS NISSEN: “THE DAKAR RALLY IS AN ENORMOUS CHALLENGE”

WOLFSBURG, Germany - The team under Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen starts the near 8,000 kilometre long Dakar Rally with four Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 prototypes driven by Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/South Africa), Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn (Spain/France), Ari Vatanen/Fabrizia Pons (Finland/Italy) and Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (South Africa/Germany).
In the interview, Kris Nissen explains which targets Volkswagen has, and which development steps were made to the Race Touareg 2, and the fascination of the world's longest and toughest rally that starts on 6 January in Lisbon (Portugal) and finishes in Dakar (Senegal) on 21 January.

Kris Nissen, what targets have you set your team for the 2007 Dakar Rally?
"We want to be the first to win this long and tough rally with a Diesel powered vehicle. We came close to winning last year with the Volkswagen Race Touareg 2. We have worked extremely hard since then and have improved even further.”

Four rallies in the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup, in which two wins and a second place were scored. How would you sum up these preparations?
"We tested extensively in 2006, and took in an additional four rallies as competitive preparation for the forthcoming Dakar Rally. We are well equipped for the start because we completed many thousands of kilometres in the toughest of conditions.”

Which strategy did you pursue when selecting the Volkswagen factory drivers?
"We wanted a mix of drivers and co-drivers who possess not only speed and will to win, but also maturity and experience. We achieved these targets with our squad. A driver's age is not as crucial in cross country rallying as it is on other motorsport disciplines. There are drivers who are very fast at 45 or 55 years of age. Actually, what is required during the Dakar Rally is a mixture of driving quickly, car control and reading the lie of the land.”

In which areas was the Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 further developed?
"The new four-valve Diesel engine produces a little more power and torque over a wider range and is, in general, more drivable which eases driving over difficult terrain. We also optimised the gearbox. We also made a step forwards with the suspension development together with our new partner ZF Sachs.”

What is the fascination of the "Dakar” for?
"During such a long race every cog in the works must mesh perfectly, otherwise you have no chance of winning. And even if a team has prepared meticulously there is absolutely no guarantee of success. In other motorsport disciplines it is possible to improve the car from weekend to weekend and then be successful. The moment the three-week Dakar Rally has begun there is no chance of changing anything on the car or with the organisation or logistics. That's why every team member must do a perfect job each and every day. The Dakar Rally is an enormous challenge.”

How do you rate your team?
"I believe that we are even stronger than last year. In 2006 we had handling difficulties in soft sand, which we identified and solved after implementing the necessary modifications. I think that we are at the same level as our main rival Mitsubishi, which has paved the way in cross country rallying over the last few years. However, both the X-Raid BMW and the Buggy from Jean-Louis Schlesser should not be underestimated. It'll be a tough battle and extremely exciting for every team involved.”

Has the strategy for the 2007 "Dakar” changed?
"In previous years it was possible to win by adapting the wait-and-see policy, a tactically cautious approach. However, in 2007 this is definitely not possible and every team, including those of our rivals, must attack at 100 percent from the beginning to win. I expect an even quicker pace this year, which will make great demands of car, driver and co-driver.”

What does Volkswagen's involvement in the Dakar Rally mean for the brand?"Motorsport is a very effective marketing instrument and the Dakar Rally in particular creates enormous interest around the world. There are daily reports about the ‘Dakar' on television in approximately 180 countries. This is an excellent platform from which to demonstrate Volkswagen's technical expertise.”

How great is the know-how transfer from the "Dakar” rally to production car, for example in the development of TDI-Technology?
"We worked very closely with the technicians and engineers from the Volkswagen Technical Development department during the Race Touareg development. The exchange of information is made in both directions. Both departments have shown enormous powers of innovation in the engine field.”

Yannis · 01-04-2007, 02:18 AM

Great idea to start this thread Ben.

I hope VW wins this year.

phaeton · 01-04-2007, 07:14 PM

Live "Dakar" action up close @ volkswagen-motorsport.com

8,000 tough rally kilometres across Southern Europe and Africa – and everybody can follow the Volkswagen factory team live and up close throughout the Dakar Rally: The Internet portal www.volkswagen-motorsport.com is dedicated with immediate effect to the desert classic.

The Volkswagen Motorsport website presents extensive coverage of the legendary desert rally including real-time results, the day’s latest television footage, breaking news, comments from the Volkswagen team, interesting background information and much more.

Satellite supported technology delivers results in real time

On Saturday, 6 January in Lisbon (Portugal) when the 29th edition of the famous Dakar Rally starts, the so-called "IriTrack” system is available free-of-charge to every visitor of the www.volkswagen-motorsport.com website. The satellite supported technology shows the position of each Volkswagen Race Touareg during every stage in real-time, and also gives information about the start, intermediate and total times. This allows visitors to comfortably follow events as they unfold, and see which team is in front at the finish on 21 January in Dakar (Senegal). The IriTrack-System is available, just like the complete website, in the German, English, and French languages and requires the free-of-charge Adobe Flash Player (www.adobe.com).

The best action scenes before they appear on television

"Dakar TV” in the Internet: The first motion pictures of the Dakar Rally are broadcast every day around 21:00 by www.volkswagen-motorsport.com in a daily-review and background magazine. The daily-review screens the day’s best action pictures, summarises the sporting events and highlights the leader board. The magazine looks behind the scenes of this cross country classic and captures the atmosphere in the bivouac. The three minute films are available in German and English. The Adobe Flash Player is also required to play them.

Huge Internet coverage of "Dakar”

The Volkswagen websites www.volkswagen.com and those edited for children and youths www.volkswagen-kinderleicht.de and www.volkswagen-startklar.de offer a full programme including multimedia-specials, an online-game, competitions and background articles about the world’s longest and toughest rally. Information from the event organiser ASO can be found at www.dakar.com.

phaeton · 01-05-2007, 04:56 PM

AFTER SCRUTINEERING IN LISBON: VOLKSWAGEN TEAM “READY TO GO”

WOLFSBURG, Germany - Ready to go for Dakar Rally: On Thursday in Lisbon, the Volkswagen factory team completed technical and administrative scrutineering for the desert classic with the four Race Touareg 2 prototypes and all 26 service and support vehicles registered for the rally.
The final roll-out was scheduled for the team a day earlier. Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen and the four Volkswagen factory team duos Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/RSA), Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn (E/F), Ari Vatanen/Fabrizia Pons (FIN/I) and Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (RSA/D) now look expectantly and confidently towards the near 8,000 kilometre long rally. The "Dakar” begins on Saturday, 6 January with a 117 kilometre stage south of Lisbon and ends on 21 January in Dakar, Senegal. In 2006, Volkswagen finished second with Giniel de Villiers and in doing so celebrated the best ever position for a diesel vehicle in the rally's history.

Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director)
"We are ready for the 2007 Dakar Rally. We also know that we have improved. We have optimised the logistics, the drivers and co-drivers work better together and the Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 has been logically developed. We've incorporated many of the drivers' and co-drivers' suggestions in the vehicles. If we could improve our result from last year by just one position we'd really be very satisfied.”

# 301 – Giniel de Villiers (RSA)
"I'm delighted that the rally is finally going to start. The team has worked intensively over the last few months, but we also need a good portion of luck in the next two weeks. The rally will be tough, and the competition is very strong. We'll attempt to exert as much pressure as possible on our main rival Mitsubishi. Obviously the expectations are very high after our second place in 2006 – after all, everybody in the Volkswagen team wants to se a blue car in front at the end.”

# 301 – Dirk von Zitzewitz (D) – co-driver
"We've tested intensively and competed in World Cup rallies to be well equipped for this event. I expect the pace to be very high, and the smallest mistakes will be brutally punished as a result. This is a real challenge. One of the team's strengths is that the entire team is very hungry for victory."

# 303 – Carlos Sainz (E)
"This is my second ‘Dakar'. Although I have more experience in the desert now, I'm still a rookie in this sport. After having led for the first two days in 2006, I'd like to clinch a good starting position for the first African leg after the stages in Portugal.”

# 303 – Michel Périn (F) – co-driver
"It's great to compete for such a professional and motivated team like Volkswagen. Even though there is a long list of strong competitors, my greatest rivals are myself and the desert – because it is easy for a co-driver to make mistakes. I undertook a rigorous fitness programme over the last few months. I've also worked about four hours every day on my maps to prepare myself better for the route."

#305 – Mark Miller (USA)
"My goal is to win the 2007 ‘Dakar'. Our final test in Tunisia was very encouraging, the car is quicker and the suspension, brakes and engine are better. The Race Touareg 2 is a dream to drive. However, the 2007 Dakar Rally will be difficult since every good driver also sits in a good car. I'm convinced that this year's field of starters is best in the event's history. If you are going to win a ‘Dakar' then you should choose this one. I've never been so focused on a specific target as this year."

# 305 – Ralph Pitchford (RSA) – co-driver
"I make my debut with the Volkswagen Motorsport team this year. The opposition is very strong, but the competition within the team will also be exciting particularly as Volkswagen has four good drivers. I've done an intensive amount of mental preparation for this rally to be able to master the long challenge as well as possible. I'm driving with Mark Miller for the first time; I spent a lot of time in the car with him during the test. We work well together. Mark is highly motivated. I'm looking forward to the next fortnight together in the car.”

# 308 – Ari Vatanen (FIN)
"There's an electric atmosphere. The Dakar Rally is a huge event; the technical scrutineering in Lisbon was visited by huge crowds. I'm pleased that the event is about to start after the long period of preparation. I'm expecting a fantastic atmosphere during the first two Portuguese stages. There are definitely many spectators lining the route. From the sporting point of view, it's easier to lose much more than you can win in the first two days. The real ‘Dakar' starts in Morocco.”

# 308 – Fabrizia Pons (I) – co-driver
"I can hardly wait for the start. I'm looking forward to contesting the Dakar Rally alongside Ari Vatanen for the first time. Our tactics will be to get through without problems and without tyre failures – because at the finish you should be in a good position. I feel well prepared as I've worked a great deal on maps and navigation material in the last few months.”

Public website covering Volkswagen's Dakar event: www.volkswagen-motorsport.com

phaeton · 01-06-2007, 04:18 PM

Volkswagen occupies the first five positions on the leader board after the Dakar Rally’s opening stage.

The opening day’s stage in Portugal was won by local matador Carlos Sousa with his German co-driver Andreas Schulz in a Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 entered by Lagos Team. Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz finished second for Volkswagen in a Race Touareg 2 on the 464 kilometre long stage from Lisbon to Portimao. The hoards of spectators lining the sandy stage witnessed an exciting tussle for third place: Carlos Sainz with co-driver Michel Périn and Ari Vatanen/Fabrizia Pons recorded identical times at the stage finish. Fifth place went to Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford in another Volkswagen Race Touareg 2. Only 3:56 minutes separate the first five drivers, the closest rival – Guerlain Chicherit in a BMW X3 – trails by another minute.

The successful opening day continues a trend for Volkswagen: Now, for the third year in succession a Race Touareg driver tops the leader board to start the world’s toughest desert rally on the way to Dakar. Carlos Sainz led the field last year at the beginning, and a year before Robby Gordon did just that. The Volkswagen Touareg has now recorded its 42nd stage victory and 37th day leading the field since its rally career started in 2004.

Snippets from Volkswagen bivouac

- Media bustle around Volkswagen factory drivers: The Volkswagen drivers were in the spotlight before the start of the Dakar Rally. Ari Vatanen, Carlos Sainz, Mark Miller and Giniel de Villiers and their co-drivers used the days leading to the start of the cross country classic to give interviews, and posed for photographs at technical scrutineering before signing autographs for employees from the Volkswagen factory "Autoeuropa” and met guests of the Volkswagen importers for informal chats. After the start in Lisbon the four Volkswagen duos concentrate solely on rally events.

- Lisbon retains start location status: The Dakar Rally started from Lisbon for the second time. Like the debut year, in 2007 the technical and administrative scrutineering on Thursday was also extremely well attended. The ‘Dakar’ will again start in Lisbon in 2008. Portugal’s Sport Minister Pedro Silva Pereira emphasised the interest of his country to extend the cooperation beyond 2008.

- Farewell colleagues: The Volkswagen factory team must bid farewell after the stages held on the Iberian Peninsula. The ten ‘European Group’ employees, who supported the team before the start, return to Germany in the evening. The remaining group also splits-up: While the factory drivers and their race engineers stay overnight in Portimão on the Algarve, the majority of the 78-head team set-off for Algeciras, from where the ferry for the support Armada sets sail to Africa.

Three questions to Volkswagen factory driver Carlos Sainz

This is your second Dakar Rally start, how do you feel?
"I drove a lot of tests last season and competed in three Cross Country Rally World Cup events. Especially since starting the UAE Desert Challenge, where we were able to win three stages, I feel that I’ve collected a great deal of experience on sand and in the desert. However, the ‘Dakar’ is tough and when compared to drivers like Ari Vatanen I’m a relative newcomer in this sport.”

You were able to win the opening stages in Portugal last year. Is the pressure greater now as a result?
"It's a completely different ball game this year. The stages are completely different this year, which is why we couldn’t draw on much of last year’s information. In general, however, both of the opening stages suit me because they are typical rally stages.”

Do you go to the limit on these stages?
"No, since you stand to lose much more than you can win on these short stages. It’s important for me to get through these relatively short Portuguese stages without problems. At the end of the day, the only thing that counts is the result after crossing the finish line in Dakar after two weeks of rallying. Also, it’s not possible to drive on the limit when you have to follow a road book without notes.”

Standings after stage 1, Lisbon (P) – Portimão (P); 117/464 km stage 1/total

Pos. Team Vehicle Stage 1 Total time
1. Carlos Sousa/Andreas Schulz (P/D) Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 1h20m38s (1st) 1h20m38s
2. Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (RSA/D) Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 1h23m09s (2nd) + 2m31s
3. Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn (E/F) Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 1h23m16s (3rd) + 2m38s
4. Ari Vatanen/Fabrizia Pons (FIN/I) Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 1h23m16s (4th) + 2m38s
5. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/RSA) Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 1h24m34s (5th) + 3m56s
6. Guerlain Chicherit/Matthieu Baumel (F/F) BMW X3 1h25m30s (6th) + 4m52s
7. Nani Roma/Lucas Cruz Senra (E/E) Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution 1h25m31s (7th) + 4m53s
8. Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-P. Cottret (F/F) Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution 1h25m55s (8th) + 5m17s
9. Nasser Al-Attiyah/Alain Guehennec (QT/F) BMW X3 1h26m38s (9th) + 6m00s
10. Hiroshi Masuoka/Pascal Maimon (J/F) Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution 1h27m54s (10th) + 7m16s

Coming up…

Sunday, 7 January: Stage 2, Portimão (P) – Malaga (E): 67 km stage/545 km total. The route follows a hard track through the mountains. The drivers must look after their cars on this typical World Rally Championship type stage, because the time allowed for servicing is short: A long liaison stage to Malaga is on the agenda in the afternoon, from where the competition vehicles will catch the ferry to Nador in Morocco.

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Team quotes

Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director)
"I’m delighted with the excellent team result – our package looks good. Just like in 2005 and 2006, we are at the front to begin, but nobody should forget that the rally is almost 8,000 kilometres long. It’s also important that everybody continues to work perfectly each and every day. It wasn't easy today, because the route information for the opening stage wasn't correct. The fuel consumption climbed dramatically because the tracks were much softer than expected. It was touch-and-go up to the first service point, which is why the fuel reserve in the tanks on the cars was used up.”

#301 – Giniel de Villiers (RSA), 2nd place (leg) / 2nd position overall
"This stage was surprisingly difficult. The track was very sandy and much ruttier than you’d expect in Europe. We overtook Luc Alphand relatively early. The track was lined by trees and there were loads of spectators along the route, so we didn’t take any risks and are satisfied with second place.”

#303 – Carlos Sainz (E), 3rd place (leg) / 3rd position overall
"For me, the subsoil felt much softer today than the sandy tracks did last time in Dubai! The track was narrow which is why it was a problem to overtake the motorcyclists. You had to sit tight and wait for a good opportunity to pass. My time is okay. I expect an entirely different, much harder surface on the second stage in the mountains.”

#305 – Mark Miller (USA), 5th place (leg) / 5th position overall
"That was a fantastic stage. The spectators lined the track in a ‘guard of honour’ for 40 kilometres. I didn’t take any risks on this incredible day and drove very precisely. I expect tracks with very little grip on the second stage through the mountains. I also won’t take any risks there. I’ll be perfectly satisfied to start the first stage in Africa in the top ten.”

#308 – Ari Vatanen (FIN), 4th place (leg) / 4th position overall
"I’m very satisfied to have recorded exactly the same time as Carlos Sainz. It was an excellent opening for my co-driver Fabrizia and I. As expected the Race Touareg ran like clockwork. However, because the track was much softer than expected we actually used the fuel reserve we’d been carrying.”

phaeton · 01-07-2007, 05:16 PM

After the two European legs of the Dakar Rally Volkswagen will be starting as the leading team in Africa on Monday.

Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn in their Volkswagen Race Touareg celebrated their first stage victory in the 545-kilometre special stage leading from Portimaõ to Malaga, ahead of Nani Roma and Luc Alphand (both Mitsubishi). It was the second stage victory for Volkswagen following the success claimed by Carlos Sousa/Andreas Schulz in a Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 from Team Lagos the day before, and the Race Touareg’s 43rd stage victory since 2004. The Portuguese Carlos Sousa continues to lead the rally, while Sainz improved to second place overall in this demanding special stage. Tight corners along deep abysses and difficult stretches through the mountains marked the second competition day of the 8,000-kilometre desert classic.

The runner-up in last year’s "Dakar”, Giniel de Villiers, and his co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz completed the Volkswagen trio at the top of the leader board after a no-risk drive that saw them finish the stage in sixth place. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford follow in position seven overall. A major loss of time was suffered by Ari Vatanen: the four-time "Dakar" winner from Finland made a driving mistake while running through water that cost him more than an hour and a half. Despite this mishap, Vatanen finished on his own strength.

Snippets from the Volkswagen bivouac

- Rally moves to Africa: After the two special stages in Portugal the Dakar Rally participants are now on their way to Africa. For the passage, the organisers chartered seven ferries carrying the support teams – including the 23 supporting vehicles of the Volkswagen factory team that are sent from Algeciras to Tangier. Meanwhile, on Sunday evening, the four Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 vehicles and the team’s three race-trucks are taking the night ferry from Malaga to Nador where the first African stage is scheduled to start on Monday morning.

- Journalists in the Touareg: A total of 146 journalists are observing the Dakar Rally from the start in Portugal all the way to the finish in Senegal. In addition to the 56 media representatives travelling on the aircraft of the organiser, ASO, from one bivouac to the other, 36 press cars with altogether 110 reporters have been deployed. Among others, the toughest cross-country rally includes three Volkswagen Touareg V6 TDI vehicles – each accommodating three journalists and their luggage – providing safe and comfortable transportation across the distance covering a total of 8,000 kilometres.

Three questions to Carlos Sousa (Team Lagos)

As the local hero, you did fulfil the expectations of your home audience, didn’t you?
"It’s great competing in front of such a superb backdrop and, what’s more, to be leading the Dakar Rally. For Portugal, this important rally is very significant. It’s the first time that I’m competing in this desert classic with Team Lagos and the entering team headed by Phoenix’ team boss Ernst Moser in a Volkswagen Race Touareg that is simply fantastic.”

What is the strategy you used for these special stages?
"On the first stage my German co-driver Andreas Schulz and I of course gave our best. When we were running in front with such a clear advantage a real euphoria erupted. We even needed to restrain ourselves a bit in order to keep from overdoing things on the second leg.”

What are your plans for the upcoming stages in Africa?
"We’ve got an ideal starting base: we’re running in front of the overall standings, but don’t have to start on the first stage in Morocco as the first team. With regard to navigating, the fact that we’re only the ninth car to start the stage and don’t have to open the course is probably a major advantage.”

Standings after stage 2, Portimao (P) – Malaga (E); 67/545 km stage 2/total

Pos. Team Vehicle Stage 1 Total time
1. Carlos Sousa/Andreas Schulz (P/D) Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 1h01m19s (9th) 2h21m57s
2. Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn (E/F) Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 59m26s (1st) + 45s
3. Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (RSA/D) Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 1h01m00s (6th) + 2m12s
4. Nani Roma/Lucas Cruz Senra (E/E) Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution 59m55s (2nd) + 3m29s
5. Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-P. Cottret (F/F) Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution 59m57s (4th) + 3m55s
6. Guerlain Chicherit/Matthieu Baumel (F/F) BMW X3 1h01m16s (8th) + 4m49s
7. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/RSA) Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 1h03m50s (14th) + 6m27s
8. Hiroshi Masuoka/Pascal Maimon (J/F) Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution 1h00m50s (5th) + 6m47s
9. Nasser Al-Attiyah/Alain Guehennec (QT/F) BMW X3 1h03m52s (15th) + 8m33s
10. Christian Lavieille/François Borsotto (F/F) Nissan Pick-up 1h02m32s (10th) + 9m24s
113. Ari Vatanen/Fabrizia Pons (FIN/I) Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 2h35m55s + 1h37m14s

Coming up…

Monday, 8 January: Stage 3, Nador (MR) – Er Rachidia (MR): 252 km stage/648 km total. The first African leg is also a very challenging one: Many directional changes on the rough stretches in the north of Morocco make navigation more difficult. In the evening the first overnight in the bivouac on the airfield in Er Rachidia is on the agenda.

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Team quotes

Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director)
"We’ve had a relatively good day today. The second stage victory of a Volkswagen is perfect, while Mitsubishi – as expected – made up some ground. Three Volkswagen cars continue as the front runners. Whereas during the first leg on soft sand intuitive driving was of the essence, the second leg in the mountains challenged the drivers at low speeds. While driving through a water passage that was handled by all the other drivers and vehicles without any problem, Ari made a mistake. Unfortunately this cost him over an hour and a half, but the rally is still long.”

#301 – Giniel de Villiers (RSA), 6th place (leg) / 3rd place overall
"This was a very big challenge. There were deep abysses galore as well as obscured bends. We were going at quite a nice pace and are happy with the result because it means we don’t need to open the course in Africa. Starting with the stages in Africa, Dirk, my co-driver, will really be put to the test as well.”

#303 – Carlos Sainz (E), 1st place (leg) / 2nd place overall
"I’m happy about having completed the European legs in Portugal and Spain so flawlessly. The stage in the mountains was tight and twisty. It suited me very well although I wouldn’t compare it with the special stages with which I’m familiar from the World Rally Championship – so I didn’t necessarily have any advantage.”

#305 – Mark Miller (USA), 14th place (leg) / 7th place overall
"The rally is huge fun already. The day was difficult and a special stage in the mountains certainly isn’t my forte.”

#308 – Ari Vatanen (FIN), 113th place overall
"I made a mistake today: I went into a deep water passage too quickly, which caused water to enter the engine compartment. After that, we changed the air filter, had to check several technical details and, ultimately, finished the stage on our own strength.”

phaeton · 01-08-2007, 03:49 PM

Volkswagen factory driver Carlos Sainz has taken the lead of the Dakar Rally.

The Spaniard and his French co-driver Michel Périn took second place in the Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 on the third stage in Morocco from Nador to Er Rachidia. The Race Touareg was gifted its third stage victory by the South African Giniel de Villiers and his German co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz, who led the Sainz/Périn duo by 25 seconds across the line and Stéphane Peterhansel (Mitsubishi) by 3:18 minutes to vault to second place in the overall standings. Yesterday’s leader Carlos Sousa and his German co-driver Andy Schulz round off the one-two-three lead for Volkswagen in the overall classification.

The Volkswagen duo Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford improved from seventh to fifth overall. The Finn Ari Vatanen recorded the eleventh best time with his Italian co-driver Fabrizia Pons on the 648 kilometre stage. The Race Touareg remains unbeaten in this year’s running of the desert classic with three stage victories and as many days at the head of the leader board.

Snippets from Volkswagen bivouac

- Warning radar traps: The Volkswagen factory drivers and accompanying armada of support vehicles had to pay particular attention to their speeds on the near 1,150 kilometre journey from Portimão in Portugal to the first African bivouac in Er Rachidia in Morocco, because strict speed limits are imposed for safety reasons along the liaison stages and in built up areas during the Dakar Rally. To ensure that the stipulated speeds are maintained the organisers monitor speeds by GPS signal and the local police with radar guns. The organisers are merciless if speeds are exceeded; speeders in the support armada face harsh penalties including confiscation of the service vehicle in question. Registered competitors can even be given time penalties.

- Race Touareg 2 ready for Africa: After the two European stages finish the Volkswagen technicians prepare the four Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 prototypes for the African tracks and trails. The majority of the work centres on modifying the suspension set-up and adjusting the rally cars’ ground clearance to suit conditions.

- Home stage for factory team: The region around the Er Rachidia bivouac is not unknown to the big team competing in the Dakar Rally. Volkswagen and competitors Mitsubishi and BMW regularly undertake test sessions near Erfoud, which is about an hours drive south of Er Rachidia.

- Volkswagen factory drivers well rested: The Volkswagen factory drivers start the Dakar Rally’s first African stage relaxed and well prepared. "For the first time in years I was able to spend Christmas and New Year at home”, said co-driver Ralph Pitchford happily. Fabrizia Pons, Giniel de Villiers, Dirk von Zitzewitz and Carlos Sainz also spent Christmas at home with their families. In contrast, Mark Miller and Ari Vatanen and their wives celebrated New Year together in Portugal, where there met a rally fan who promptly invited the quartet to his wedding. "We just joined in the fun”, reports Vatanen.

Three questions to co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz

How would you describe the two Portuguese stages that opened the rally?
"The tracks were very physical for us, but also much tougher for the Race Touareg 2 than we had expected. We were well shaken in the deep sand and pot-holes. I actually thought that the start would be a little gentler on us.”

What specific tasks does the co-driver have on the Dakar Rally’s European stages?
"We attempted to help the drivers more as you would in a typical rally. Although arrows marked the turns and junctions, we read the information from the road book. Particularly as the signs were often placed just over a blind crest where the driver couldn’t see them, which is why the drivers needed urgent instructions. On the other hand, from today on we carry out classic navigation and send the driver the right way down the routes in Africa.”

How did you actually prepare for the rally?
"For a co-driver I undertook a very intensive fitness programme, which included time on a cross-trainer in the fitness studio and improved my stamina by jogging. I lost nine kilos to get down to my ‘fighting weight’. On the opening stages I noticed that it was well worth the effort, since the additional physical stress and strain didn’t affect me.”

Standings after stage 3, Nador (MA) – Er Rachidia (MA); 252/648 km stage 3/total

Pos. Team Vehicle Stage 3 Total time
1. Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn (E/F) Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 2h46m37s (2nd) 5h09m19s
2. Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (RSA/D) Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 2h46m12s (1st) + 1m02s
3. Carlos Sousa/Andreas Schulz (P/D) Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 2h51m48s (6th) + 4m26s
4. Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-P. Cottret (F/F) Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution 2h49m30s (3rd) + 6m03s
5. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/RSA) Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 2h50m07s (5th) + 9m12s
6. Hiroshi Masuoka/Pascal Maimon (J/F) Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution 2h51m52s (7th) + 11m17s
7. Nani Roma/Lucas Cruz Senra (E/E) Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution 2h55m30s (8th) + 11m37s
8. Luc Alphand/Gilles Picard (F/F) Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution 2h49m54s (4th) + 11m59s
9. Guerlain Chicherit/Matthieu Baumel (F/F) BMW X3 2h55m32s (9th) + 12m59s
10. Nasser Al-Attiyah/Alain Guehennec (QT/F) BMW X3 2h58m28s (10th) + 22m39s
57. Ari Vatanen/Fabrizia Pons (FIN/I) Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 2h59m03s (11th) + 1h48m55s

Coming up…

Tuesday, 9 January: Stage 4, Er Rachidia (MR) – Ouarzazate (MR): 405 km stage /679 km total. At 405 kilometres, the second stage in Morocco is genuine test of stamina. The route is varied – in part very fast, but also extremely tight and stony in other areas.

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Team quotes

Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director)
"We are very satisfied with the first day in Africa. I’m full of praise for Michel Périn and Carlos Sainz, who, despite being first into the stage, were still second on the day and took the overall lead. Giniel and Dirk clinched the third victory in as many days for us. The team also deserves a prize: It was so efficient that it was the first team to enter the bivouac and set-up up shop.”

#301 – Giniel de Villiers (RSA), 1st place (leg) / 2nd position overall
"A fantastic stage, but it was an incredibly tough day which was rewarded in the end with the stage victory! I had to overtake loads and loads of motorbikes but chose not to take any risks. I ran for a long time in a Mitsubishi’s dust cloud. I only managed to get by when the driver out-braked himself after about 130 kilometres. The route was very twisty and stony.”

#303 – Carlos Sainz (E), 2nd place (leg) / 1st position overall
"An absolutely perfect stage, everything ran well and Michel navigated superbly. I reckon I had to overtake about 160 motorbikes. The dense dust clouds didn’t make things any easier.”

#305 – Mark Miller (USA), 5th place (leg) / 5th position overall
"Since we only started from 14th place, the dust cloud in front was very dense. We barely noticed some bumps. These conditions cost us about five minutes up to the first time check point. As I was overtaking a Nissan the driver probably didn’t see me and he inadvertently touched the left hand side of the car.”

#308 – Ari Vatanen (FIN), 11th place (leg) / 57th position overall
"Because of our starting position we obviously had to fight through masses of dust, but I have no one to blame but myself for yesterday's result. We were stuck behind a competitor for around 130 kilometres and eventually finished eleventh in the day’s reckonings.”

phaeton · 01-09-2007, 03:36 PM

Volkswagen maintains its triple lead on the fourth day of the Dakar Rally: Factory driver Carlos Sainz expanded his advantage at the top by 53 seconds to 1.55 minutes on the leg from Er Rachidia to Ouarzazate in Morocco.

The Spaniard with his French co-driver Michel Périn set the third-best time on the 679-kilometre distance – the longest leg of the rally so far. Behind Jean-Louis Schlesser (France/Buggy) the Portuguese Carlos Sousa with German co-driver Andy Schulz at his side in the Race Touareg 2 of Team Lagos, prepared and fielded by Phoenix-Sport, finished as the best-placed Volkswagen duo of the day.

Behind Sainz/Périn and in front of Sousa/Schulz, Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz in the blue factory Touareg remain in second place of the overall classification. The South African-German pairing, who won yesterday’s special stage, achieved the fifth-best time in adverse conditions: thick vegetation of up to a metre and half in height inside a chott in the beginning forced the first team out on the course to stop three times to clear the radiator of grass. Mark Miller dropped from fifth to tenth position overall: The Volkswagen factory driver from the USA with his South African co-driver Ralph Pitchford lost 40 minutes on account of a damaged differential. Ari Vatanen/Fabrizia Pons in the fourth Race Touareg fielded by the factory team finished the stage in eleventh place.

Standings after stage 4, Er Rachidia (MA) – Ouarzazate (MA); 405/679 km stage 4/overall

Pos.; Team; Vehicle; Stage 4; Total time
1. Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn (E/F); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 4h07m52s (3rd); 9h17m11s
2. Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (RSA/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 4h08m45s (5th) + 1m55s
3. Carlos Sousa/Andreas Schulz (P/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 4h07m46s (2nd) + 4m20s
4. Nani Roma/Lucas Cruz Senra (E/E); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 4h07m59s (4th) + 11m44s
5. Hiroshi Masuoka/Pascal Maimon (J/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 4h09m24s (6th) + 12m49s
6. Luc Alphand/Gilles Picard (F/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 4h12m03s (7th) + 16m10s
7. Jean-Louis Schlesser/Arnaud Debron (F/F); Schlesser Buggy; 3h59m54s (1tst) + 18m20s
8. Guerlain Chicherit/Matthieu Baumel (F/F); BMW X3; 4h13m21s (8th) + 18m28s
9. Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-P. Cottret (F/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 4h25m50s (10th) + 24m01s
10. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/RSA); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 4h40m34s (12th) + 41m54s
Ari Vatanen/Fabrizia Pons (FIN/I); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 4h29m57s (11th) + 6h50m05s

Coming up…

Wednesday, 10 January: 5th leg, Ouarzazate (MR) – Tan Tan (MR): 325 km stage/768 km total. The third Moroccan leg of the Dakar Rally includes some tight and twisty as well as some fast stretches through the Atlas mountains. This is followed by a 279-kilometre connecting leg to the bivouac in Tan Tan.

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Team quotes

Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director)
"Volkswagen continues to occupy the top three positions. Our drivers set good times today, and Carlos Sousa’s performance, as well, deserves credit. Congratulations to Jean-Louis Schlesser on winning this stage. On this fast leg through a chott and in the sand the Race Touareg was good, which is a good omen for the days ahead. But Mitsubishi, too, were consistent. Unfortunately, Mark Miller lost time today when the rear differential stopped working properly. We’re going to install a new differential in the evening and analyse the reason for this damage.”

#301 – Giniel de Villiers (RSA), 5th place (leg) / 2nd place overall
"Being the first car out we cut an aisle through the vegetation on the first 100 kilometres. Three times we had to stop to clear the radiators of the grass, which cost us five minutes. In the process we were overtaken by Carlos Sainz and Stéphane Peterhansel. When Carlos suffered a puncture we passed him. 80 kilometres before the finish we drove past Stéphane while he was standing. Looking at it this way, it’s been a good day but I’m very sad because one of my fellow countrymen was killed in a motorcycle accident.”

#303 – Carlos Sainz (E), 3rd place (leg) / 1st place overall
"We’ve maintained the lead in unfavourable conditions. In the beginning I lost time in deep ruts, and the navigation was tricky at first as well. When we had a puncture of the rear right-hand tyre we had to stop and change it. During this time we cleared the radiator of grass as well. On Wednesday I’m expecting a similarly tough day.”

#305 – Mark Miller (USA), 12th place (leg) / 10th place overall
"With Luc Alphand I fought a nice duel and passed him after 230 kilometres when he suffered a puncture. Once we missed a way point and lost a few minutes. When the all-wheel drive stopped working properly we started, with Ari’s help, to change a rear drive shaft. But then we discovered that it was probably the differential and re-installed the shaft.”

#308 – Ari Vatanen (FIN), 11th day (leg)
"In the dust it was difficult to overtake, but our day was very consistent nevertheless. Then we met Mark and helped him to repair the damage. When he had to continue driving with the damaged differential we decided to stay behind him through to the finish to be on the safe side.”

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Snippets from Volkswagen bivouac

- Cold nights: The first night in the tent in the bivouac at Er Rachidia put the Volkswagen squad to a tough test. Although in sunny weather daytime temperatures rose to 14 degrees, the thermometer dropped to 3 below zero at night. Despite special winter sleeping bags and splat mats the tents got very chilly. From Tan Tan the next day, the rally participants can expect more friendly conditions.

- Carlos Sainz as a promoter of young talent: Whenever Volkswagen factory driver Carlos Sainz is not busy contesting cross-country rallies the two-time World Rally Champion devotes his time to the racing career of his son. 12-year-old Carlos jr. will compete in karting in Spain as well as in Italy in 2007. In 2006 he finished third in the Catalonian championship, won the Madrid championship and claimed third place in Italy. "His interest in rallying is nearly nil," says a disappointed Sainz sr. "My son’s idol is Fernando Alonso..."

- Straight from the desert: Daily interviews and background info – during the Dakar Rally Eurosport and ARD’s morning news programme "Morgenmagazin”, air direct reports from the Dakar Rally’s bivouac, including, among others, interviews with members of the Volkswagen factory.

Yannis · 01-09-2007, 05:04 PM

Doing great so far. I prey they win this year.

phaeton · 01-10-2007, 03:20 PM

Spaniard Carlos Sainz clinched Volkswagen’s fourth stage victory on day five of the Dakar Rally and extended his overall lead in the progress.

Together with co-driver Michel Périn in the Race Touareg 2, the factory driver won today’s fifth stage from Ouarzazate to Tan Tan in Morocco by 30 seconds from Mitsubishi driver Stephane Peterhansel and Volkswagen team mates Giniel de Villiers and Dirk von Zitzewitz, who finished the stage 1:41 minutes behind in third position.

Three Volkswagen Race Touareg prototypes continue to lead the field with one-third of the Dakar Rally already run: Sainz/Périn, who tasted victory on the second stage, hold the overall lead from de Villiers/von Zitzewitz by 3:36 minutes. The Portuguese Carlos Sousa and his German co-driver Andy Schulz, seventh today in the Lagos Team Race Touareg, are 11:17 behind in third place.

Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/South Africa) and Ari Vatanen/Fabrizia Pons (Finland/Italy) in two other Race Touareg prototypes finished the fifth stage in positions eighth and fourteenth respectively. The teams must complete a 279 kilometre liaison stage before reaching the stage finish area this evening.

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Fourth stage victory and top-three positions overall – things are still running well for Volkswagen after five of the Rally Dakar’s fifteen competitive stages.

Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn won the fifth stage from Ouarzazate to Tan Tan in Morocco by 30 seconds from Mitsubishi driver Stéphane Peterhansel, and in doing so claimed their second stage victory and fourth of the rally for Volkswagen. The Spanish-French duo increased its overall lead by more than one-and-a-half minutes on the 768 kilometre long stage. Two Volkswagen team mates fill second and third places overall behind the double Rally World Champion: Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz, third on today's stage, remain second overall. The Portuguese-German squad of Carlos Sousa/Andreas Schulz, in the Lagos-Team Race Touareg, defended third overall. Volkswagen leads the 29th running of the desert classic since the opening stage.

Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford and Ari Vatanen/Fabrizia Pons finished the fifth stage in eighth and sixteenth respectively in two other blue Race Touareg prototypes sporting the Red-Bull design. The stony and dusty tracks winding through Moroccan Atlas Mountain Range passes pushed both man and machine to their limits: Both Ari Vatanen and Mark Miller suffered three punctures each.

Standings after stage 5, Ouarzazate (MA) – Tan Tan (MA); 325/768 km stage 5/total

Pos.; Team; Vehicle; Stage 5; Total time
1. Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn (E/F); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 3h36m39s (1st); 12h53m50s
2. Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (RSA/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 3h38m20s (3rd) + 3m36s
3. Carlos Sousa/Andreas Schulz (P/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 3h43m36s (7th) + 11m17s
4. Nani Roma/Lucas Cruz Senra (E/E); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 3h41m11s (5th) + 16m16s
5. Luc Alphand/Gilles Picard (F/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 3h40m56s (4th) + 20m27s
6. Guerlain Chicherit/Matthieu Baumel (F/F); BMW X3; 3h41m42s (6th) + 23m31s
7. Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-P. Cottret (F/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 3h37m09s (2nd) + 24m31s
8. Hiroshi Masuoka/Pascal Maimon (J/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 3h49m09s (10th) + 25m19s
9. Jean-Louis Schlesser/Arnaud Debron (F/F); Schlesser Buggy; 3h54m09s (13th) + 35m50s
10. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/RSA); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 3h44m17s (8th) + 49m32s
72. Ari Vatanen/Fabrizia Pons (FIN/I); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 4h29m57s (16th) + 7h11m10s

Coming up…

Thursday, 11 January: Stage 6, Tan Tan (MA) – Zouerat (MR): 394 km stage/817 km total. The Rally Armada leaves Morocco and crosses the border to Mauritania during the Dakar Rally’s longest stage. After completing a 414 kilometre liaison stage, a 394 kilometre long stage is on the agenda, the second half of which runs through sand dunes.

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Team quotes

Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director)
"Our drivers and co-drivers did a great job on a difficult stage in the heights of the Atlas Mountain Range, particularly as the dust made concentration more difficult. In spite of this we managed to increase our lead over Mitsubishi. Another 4,000 kilometres still lie ahead of us. It’s a pity that two of our drivers each had three tyre failures. We aren’t going to back off on the next stages and will remain concentrated and motivated.”

#301 – Giniel de Villiers (RSA), 3rd place (leg) / 2nd position overall
"We caught Jean-Louis Schlesser very quickly, but he blocked us for the best part of 100 kilometres. You really had to be very careful because the tracks were very twisty and rocky. There were a lot of cars with punctures, but we got through unscathed. I'm expecting a fast route of Thursday as well, since we still haven't encountered the typical desert stages yet.”

#303 – Carlos Sainz (E), 1st place (leg) / 1st position overall
"That was a good day: The Race Touareg ran perfectly on the stony stage, and we weren’t held up at all. To win the stage and keep the lead is obviously positive. The really tough part of the rally begins with the start of the sixth stage.”

#305 – Mark Miller (USA), 8th place (leg) / 10th position overall
"We had a day of up and downs today: At the beginning our time was very good, but then we had a couple of tyre failures within 20 kilometres of one another. So, we had to change wheels and I drove much slower. We speeded up again about 50 kilometres from the finish, only to suffer a third puncture. Since we only had three spare wheels and tyres on board I drove very cautiously to the finish.”

#308 – Ari Vatanen (FIN), 16th place (day) / 72nd position overall
"We had a tyre failure just after the start. The wheels nuts were really tight, which is why the cordless drill wasn‘t up to the job and we had to loosen them by hand. We got a couple of slow punctures later. We pumped up one of the tyres on two occasions, and the other stayed inflated till the finish. Towards the end we stopped to help a motorcyclist who had crashed and was trapped beneath his bike on the ground.”

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Snippets from Volkswagen bivouac

- Marathon for support armada: At 775 kilometres in length, the fifth day of the Dakar Rally was the second longest stage for the four Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 prototypes. The day was also extremely long for the accompanying armada, which had to spool off 664 kilometres along a tarmac road from the bivouac in Ouarzazate to Tan Tan. The team’s trucks hit the road at 2 o’clock in the morning to make sure they reached the stage finish before the rally cars, and to set-up the Volkswagen bivouac. After completing the 720 kilometre service-route from Tan Tan to Zouerat, which includes several off-road segments, the support vehicles are expected to arrive late at the bivouac on Thursday, as they can only leave the Tan Tan after the rally cars have left. The reason for this rule is the organised crossing of a minefield on the border with Mauritania.

- No relation: The South African Cornel de Villiers is one of the leading riders in the quad bike class. However, he is not related to Volkswagen factory driver Giniel de Villiers. "But I do know Cornel”, says Giniel de Villiers, whose surname originates from French ancestors that settled centuries ago in the region of South Africa where the factory driver lives today. "I told him that he must be completely crazy to do the 'Dakar' on a Quad.” Unfortunately, engine failure forced him to retire on the fifth stage.

- Spectator enclosure in bivouac at Tan Tan: The airfield in the Moroccan town of Tan Tan is the destination for several hundreds of enthusiastic Dakar Rally fans from around the world every year. The rally enthusiasts, including many fans of the Volkswagen factory team, camp around the perimeter of the airfield in camper vans. Many fans visited the Volkswagen bivouac in the afternoon, to watch the mechanics working and catch a glimpse of the drivers.”

phaeton · 01-11-2007, 03:59 PM

CARLOS SAINZ KEEPS VOLKSWAGEN AT TOP OF LEADER BOARD ON DAY SIX

WOLFSBURG, Germany - The Race Touareg continues Volkswagen’s domination at the head of the leader board after six of the Dakar Rally’s 15 stages: The Spaniard Carlos Sainz and his French co-driver Michel Périn lead the Dakar Rally now for the fourth day in succession.

On the extremely fast stage from Tan Tan in Morocco to Zouérat in Mauritania, at 817 kilometres also the longest of the rally, Sainz recorded the fourth fastest time. Under these conditions the buggies were able to exploit their weight and power advantages granted to them by the regulations– the American Robby Gordon won from the Frenchman Jean-Louis Schlesser. The third fastest time went to Giniel de Villiers in a Volkswagen Race Touareg. The South African and his German co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz clawed back 25 seconds from the overall leader and now lie second 3:11 minutes behind Sainz.

The Portuguese-German duo Carlos Sousa/Andreas Schulz still hold third position in the Lagos Team Race Touareg 2, who recorded the sixth fastest stage time. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/South Africa) from the Volkswagen factory team completed the stage 12:38 minutes behind in ninth position and, in doing so, improved their overall position by two places to eighth on the tough stage, which saw several top teams tumble down the leader board. Ari Vatanen/Fabrizia Pons (Finland/Italy) reached the finish in 56th place even though they could only drive their Race Touareg in second gear and after having stopped to help Guerlain Chicherit (France), who had had an accident, and after towing his BMW team mate Jutta Kleinschmidt (German) to the finish.

Quotes

Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director)
"We can be satisfied at the conclusion of this long and exciting day, because three Race Touaregs are leading the field. The fast sections were made for the buggies, which have more power, greater suspension travel and which also weigh less. These advantages were clearly demonstrated by Robby Gordon’s victory in today’s stage from Jean-Louis Schlesser. By finishing third and fourth on today’s stage we also showed that we can keep Mitsubishi at bay in Mauritania.”

#301 – Giniel de Villiers (RSA), 3rd place (leg) / 2nd position overall
"An incredibly fast start to the stage followed by a more technically challenging and tricky mid section and rounded off by a fast final section. I drove completely alone and didn’t catch anybody up. It was only at the end that we noticed a dust trail in the distance created by Stéphane Peterhansel. The navigation was very easy today.”

#303 – Carlos Sainz (E), 4th place (leg) / 1st position overall
"The stage ran absolutely perfectly for us, I’m really pleased. It wasn’t easy to forge a path through the camel grass, since the motorbikes had taken a completely different path that was hardly drivable for cars. The first 180 kilometres were very fast, followed by sandy section and then dunes again. I hope things can continue in this vane for Michel and I and naturally for Volkswagen as well."

#305 – Mark Miller (USA), 9th place (leg) / 8th position overall
"We followed Carlos Sousa through the dunes and camel grass sections at the beginning of the stage. It was going well, the navigation was no problem – it was great fun. We lost quite a lot of time towards the end, but in spite of this we have improved to eighth position overall.”

#308 – Ari Vatanen (FIN), 72nd place (leg)
"I felt as if I was twenty-years old again in the first 190 kilometres, particularly as things were running fantastically well. We suddenly had a problem with the gearbox and could only drive in second gear. We stopped at the scene of the accident where Guerlain Chicherit had rolled his car and looked after him for ten minutes. We continued in second gear again. We stopped 30 kilometres before the stage finish to help Jutta Kleinschmidt whose BMW had ground to a halt due to electrical problems. We towed her to the finish.”

Snippets from Volkswagen bivouac

- Junior in truck: The 22-year old Belgian François Verbist, who drives one of the three Volkswagen factory team Race-Truck’s, is the youngest Race-Truck driver on this year’s rally. For the son of Ari Vatanen’s race engineer, René Verbist, it is his third "Dakar” event in the Volkswagen factory team, after working as riding mechanic in a Race-Truck in 2005 and 2006. Verbist junior can normally be found pounding around the race track back at home: In Belgium, he has already competed in several one-make cup races and with a Porsche in the domestic GT-Championship.

- In top condition: The 78 Volkswagen team members are still in top physical condition in spite of the stresses and strains. "There hasn’t been a single illness or injury worthy of note”, stresses team Doctor Beate Zerbe. The anaesthetist is happy so far: "Everybody started the rally in good condition, our household rules concerning everything from hydration to hygiene have been followed to the letter and unnecessary risks are avoided.” The only medical problems to date: Several colds that were carried from Europe, and diarrhoea and plasters for small scrapes and scratches.

- No pain no gain: The road books are only distributed in the evening before the following day’s stage and are prepared by a pair of co-drivers working together as a team. "For example, the near 400 kilometre stage from Tan Tan to Zouerat consists of approximately 90 pages filled with route notes”, calculates Michel Périn. "On the previous two evenings I spent between six and seven hours to prepare the books exactly as I wanted them.” Critical points are marked in colour, junctions or distances in other colours.”

Three questions to Volkswagen factory driver Carlos Sainz

This is your second appearance at the Dakar Rally and after winning two stages you are leading. How do you feel?
"The rally has run very well for us until now. We are delighted to have won a second stage, but the really difficult stages are still to come.”

Have you been able to benefit from the experience you gained last year?
"Absolutely, I feel much more familiar with cross country rallying now. However, I must confess that the harder stage surfaces we encountered in Portugal and Morocco are easier for me, which is why I’m even more intrigued about the sand looming up over the next few days.”

How big is the difference between the 2006 Volkswagen Race Touareg and your new car?
"A great many improvements were made to the Race Touareg 2 last year. In my opinion the 2007 Race Touareg 2 is a completely different animal. I’m very satisfied.”

Standings after stage 6, Tan Tan (MA) – Zouerat (MR); 394/817 km stage 6/total

Pos.; Team; Vehicle; Stage 6; Total time
1. Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn (E/F); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 3h06m14s (4th); 16h00m04s
2. Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (RSA/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 3h05m49s (3rd) + 3m11s
3. Carlos Sousa/Andreas Schulz (P/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 3h09m00s (7th) + 14m03s
4. Luc Alphand/Gilles Picard (F/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 3h09m42s (8th) + 23m55s
5. Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-P. Cottret (F/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 3h06m46s (5th) + 25m03s
6. Jean-Louis Schlesser/Arnaud Debron (F/F); Schlesser Buggy; 2h59m14s (2nd) + 28m50s
7. Nani Roma/Lucas Cruz Senra (E/E); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 3h27m29s (14th) + 37m31s
8. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/RSA); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 3h11m35s (9th) + 54m53s
9. Hiroshi Masuoka/Pascal Maimon (J/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 3h45m18s (23rd) + 1h04m23s
10. Nasser Al-Attiyah/Alain Guehennec (QT/F); BMW X3; 3h07m21s (6th) + 1h23m32s
Ari Vatanen/Fabrizia Pons (FIN/I); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 4h56m16s (72nd) + 9h01m12s

Coming up…

Friday, 12 January: stage 7, Zouerat (MR) – Atar (MR): 542 km stage/580 km total. The Dakar Rally’s second longest stage is dominated by sandy sections. The rally armada crosses numerous sand dune ranges on the route from Zouerat to Atar. The drivers can expect to encounter stony tracks and sections of the feared camel grass along the 542 kilometre stage. The rally visits Atar in the evening, where the rest day coincides with the rally’s halfway point on Saturday, and to which many media representatives and VIP guests literally make a flying visit.

phaeton · 01-12-2007, 04:41 PM

Volkswagen maintains its one-two lead but a change at the top of the leader board before the rest day makes the 29th Dakar Rally even more thrilling: Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz took the lead, having clinched their second stage victory on the way from Zouérat to Atâr in Mauritania.

The South African-German duo that won the stage ahead of French Mitsubishi driver Stéphane Peterhansel and the Spanish-French Volkswagen factory team of Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn is lying 1.39 minutes in front of Sainz/Périn after seven stages in the Race Touareg. Up to the halfway point Volkswagen scored five of seven possible stage victories, with the Race Touareg 2 having maintained the lead throughout the rally since it started on 6 January.

With Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/South Africa) in the factory Race Touareg in eighth position and Carlos Sousa/Andy Schulz (Portugal/Germany) in the Race Touareg of Team Lagos in ninth, a total of four Volkswagen contenders are among the top ten of the overall classification. Both teams suffered major time losses on the seventh day of the rally. For four-time "Dakar” winner Ari Vatanen and his Italian co-driver Fabrizia Pons the rally ended prematurely because vehicle caught fire. Due to a sand storm, the seventh stage was shortened from the original length of 542 to 407 kilometres.

Standings after stage 7, Zouerat (MR) – Atar (MR); 407/580 km stage 7/overall

Pos.; Team; Vehicle; Stage 7; Total time
1. Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (RSA/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 4h00m46s (1st); 20h04m01s
2. Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn (E/F); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 4h05m36s (3rd) + 1m39s
3. Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-P. Cottret (F/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 4h03m32s (2nd) + 24m38s
4. Luc Alphand/Gilles Picard (F/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 4h13m55s (6th) + 33m53s
5. Hiroshi Masuoka/Pascal Maimon (J/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 4h11m04s (4th) + 1h11m30s
6. Jean-Louis Schlesser/Arnaud Debron (F/F); Schlesser Buggy; 4h47m16s (9th) + 1h12m09s
7. Nasser Al-Attiyah/Alain Guehennec (QT/F); BMW X3; 4h12m30s (5th) + 1h32m05s
8. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/RSA); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 4h59m43s (11th) + 1h50m39s
9. Carlos Sousa/Andreas Schulz (P/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 6h28m20s (42 nd) + 2h38m26s
10. Jose Monterde/Jean-Marie Lurquin (E/B); BMW X5; 5h29m01s (15 th) + 4h03m51s

Coming up…

Saturday, 13 January: rest day in Atar (MR).
Sunday, 14 January, Atar (MR) – Tichit (MR): 589 km stage/626 km overall. The Dakar Rally’s longest special stage is also the first part of the marathon leg. At the stage finish in Tichit merely the drivers of the four Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 cars, their co-drivers and the race truck crews registered in the truck classification are allowed to work on the rally vehicles. The eighth leg of the Dakar Rally leads across stony terrain and lots of sand. In the meantime the accompanying squad on 14 January will be travelling directly from Atar to Nema where the racing vehicles are expected to arrive Monday evening (15 January).

Team quotes

Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director)
"The difficult part of the rally only started today. This makes the fact that after another stage victory two of our cars are running in front even better. We have further expanded our advantage over the best Mitsubishi. We are fully aware of the difficulties of the special stages in Mauritania, and now we’re starting the rest day at the top of the leader board for the first time. The second week of the rally will again start with very tough stages. Only there the decision will be made. On the day of rest we’re going to prepare ourselves as best we can."

#301 – Giniel de Villiers (RSA), 1st place (leg) / 1st place overall
"I’m happy that we’ve taken the lead by claiming stage victory on such a difficult day. After ten kilometres we took the wrong way, after that, we formed a group of vehicles with Stéphane Peterhansel, Robby Gordon and Carlos Sainz. The car was running very well, even on an 80-kilometer leg across camel grass it felt like a charm.”

#303 – Carlos Sainz (E), 3rd place (leg) / 2nd place overall
"Visibility was absolutely poor in the sand storm today, nevertheless the day generally went quite well for us. We lost the lead because twice we got stuck in the dunes. In these incidents the improved sand panels and, above all, our intensive practice paid off tremendously because we got out in a relatively short time. When things threatened to get tough again a third time we stopped in time to let some air out of the tyres.”

#305 – Mark Miller (USA), 11th place (leg) / 8th place overall
"After 75 kilometres we had a fuel pressure problem. Ultimately, we had to stop and analyse the cause. Fortunately we managed to repair the defect, even though it cost us 45 minutes. After that, the TDI engine was running perfectly again. When we reached the finish we were surprised to still be in eighth position overall.”

Snippets from Volkswagen bivouac

- The longest day: At 817 kilometres, the eleventh leg of the Dakar Rally from Tan Tan to Zouerat was the longest of all, and it turned the night into day: At five a.m. the first team members got up to warm up the engines of the four Race Touareg diesel prototypes in preparation for the team members’ departure. In the evening the factory drivers arrived at the bivouac at around 5 p.m. where no technical crew was waiting for them for a change. The reason was that the accompanying squad was only allowed to start its journey after the competition vehicles. On account of the 720-kilometre service route the service vehicles did not reach the day’s destination in Mauritania until after 6 p.m.

- Guests in the bivouac: On rest day (13 January) in Dakar the Volkswagen factory team will be visited by 42 VIP guests and journalists flying to Atar to meet with the squad and Volkswagen factory drivers at the Dakar Rally’s halfway point. In the morning, two "meet the team” events with different groups of guests are on the agenda. In addition, the Volkswagen drivers are scheduled for a series of interviews and other sessions. "For us, the rest day is also a good opportunity to sort our baggage for the second half of the rally and to sleep a little longer,” said co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz.

- No rest for technical crew: The day of rest in Atar means a small break to recharge their batteries for Volkswagen’s factory drivers. The factory team’s mechanics, though, are in for a long night because at the halfway point the Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 prototypes are subjected to technical inspections and prepared for the seven stages before the finish in Dakar on 21 January. Furthermore, scheduled changes of the gearbox, differentials, brake disks and steering box are on the agenda as well as thorough inside and outside cleaning of the vehicles.

phaeton · 01-13-2007, 05:02 PM

Volkswagen is outperforming itself in the Dakar Rally with the Race Touareg: Last year’s runner-up Giniel de Villiers (South Africa) and his German co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz are leading the desert classic at the halfway point in Mauritania ahead of their team-mates Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn (Spain/France).

Five of seven possible stage victories were scored by the automobile manufacturer from Wolfsburg who, in addition, has been leading the rally since it started on 6 January. This means that on the rally’s rest day in Atar Volkswagen is presenting itself in a favourable position for the remaining stages until the finish in Dakar, Senegal, on 21 January.

Since the first day of the 2007 Dakar Rally Volkswagen has been proving the advance being made by TDI diesel power: The Portuguese-German duo Carlos Sousa/Andreas Schulz took the lead on the first of two European stages in the Race Touareg fielded by the customer squad "Lagos Team" and defended it for two days. On the third stage from Nador, Morocco, to Er Rachidia the Spanish-French factory pairing of Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn became the front runners. The Spaniard won the second and fifth stage with the 285-hp prototype, lying in front of Giniel de Villiers and Carlos Sousa up to the sixth day of the rally. Immediately before the rest day de Villiers/von Zitzewitz after a total of two stage victories took the lead at the halfway point, 1.39 minutes ahead of Sainz/Périn. Main rival and "Dakar” record winner Mitsubishi, without any stage victory this year so far, follows with Stéphane Peterhansel in third position and a 24.38-minute gap.

With Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/South Africa) in eighth place and Sousa/Schulz in ninth, two other drivers of a Race Touareg are among the top ten. Ari Vatanen/Fabrizia Pons (Finland/Italy), on the other hand, retired on the seventh stage when their car caught fire. In the second half of the rally that is being staged for the 29th time seven more difficult legs in Mauritania, Mali and Senegal are on the agenda, among them a marathon stage on 14 and 15 January, with regular service by the team being prohibited on the first evening.

Standings after stage 7, Zouerat (MR) – Atar (MR); 407/580 km stage 7/overall

Pos.; Team; Vehicle; Stage 7; Total time
1. Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (RSA/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 4h00m46s (1st); 20h04m01s
2. Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn (E/F); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 4h05m36s (3rd) + 1m39s
3. Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-P. Cottret (F/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 4h03m32s (2nd) + 24m38s
4. Luc Alphand/Gilles Picard (F/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 4h13m55s (6th) + 33m53s
5. Hiroshi Masuoka/Pascal Maimon (J/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 4h11m04s (4th) + 1h11m30s
6. Jean-Louis Schlesser/Arnaud Debron (F/F); Schlesser Buggy; 4h47m16s (9th) + 1h12m09s
7. Nasser Al-Attiyah/Alain Guehennec (QT/F); BMW X3; 4h12m30s (5th) + 1h32m05s
8. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/RSA); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 4h59m43s (11th) + 1h50m39s
9. Carlos Sousa/Andreas Schulz (P/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 6h28m20s (42 nd) + 2h38m26s
10. Jose Monterde/Jean-Marie Lurquin (E/B); BMW X5; 5h29m01s (15 th) + 4h03m51s

As the front runner in the overall classification Volkswagen factory driver Giniel de Villiers from South Africa and his German co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz have a good starting base for the second week of the 29th Dakar Rally.

Up to the rest day in Atar/Mauritania the duo in the Race Touareg 2 already achieved two stage victories. A year ago Giniel de Villiers (34), with Swedish co-driver Tina Thörner at his side at the time, claimed second place for Volkswagen and thus the best result of a diesel-powered vehicle in the long "Dakar” history. Dirk von Zitzewitz (38) as the co-driver of the American factory driver Mark Miller finished last year’s Dakar Rally in fifth position.

How would you sum up the first seven days of the 29th Dakar Rally?
Giniel de Villiers: "For us as well as for the entire Volkswagen team things have been going very well so far. Of course we’re happy about our lead at the halfway point. We had some difficult days and a few easy stages. Altogether, it’s been really tough. The last stage before the rest day in particular was a tricky one. But we’ve still got a long distance to cover on which we need to stay focused.”
Dirk von Zitzewitz: "The Dakar Rally is very demanding and strenuous again, the start in Morocco was tougher than in the years past. All Volkswagen team members are doing a great job. Running in front is a nice position to be in and good starting base for the second half of the rally.”

What was the most difficult situation you’ve had to master together so far?
Giniel de Villiers: "Without a doubt, the seventh stage from Zouerat to Atar. In the heavy dust of the sandstorm it was impossible to see the landscape which made navigating very difficult. The driving, as well, was pretty difficult in these conditions. We mastered this challenge with good teamwork.”
Dirk von Zitzewitz: "Actually there have not been any really complicated situations yet. On the seventh leg in the sandstorm I navigated to far to the left after 23 kilometres and had to make Giniel turn around. We lost more than a minute, and that could have turned into a really tough situation. But it didn’t because the relationship in the cockpit was very relaxed.”

How difficult is the route this year?
Dirk von Zitzewitz: "The route is similar to the ones in the past few years. The leg from Zouerat to Atar had less sand and more firm ground than in previous years. Without a doubt the rally is very demanding but not notably more difficult than in 2006.”

How important is teamwork for Dakar Rally?
Giniel de Villiers: "Teamwork is absolutely crucial because everything has to be functioning at total perfection over such a long period of time. This is something only a good team can accomplish – and I mean the entire Volkswagen Team by that as well as Dirk and myself. We get along splendidly, inside and outside the cockpit. That makes a lot of things easier."
Dirk von Zitzewitz: "The teamwork between the co-drivers is particularly important because we can support each other and try to get the best out of the situation for everyone. On the track, the collaboration is extremely good because the Volkswagen drivers do not see each other as rivals but are working together to achieve a common goal. And Dirk and I, as well, are working together perfectly, we are at ease and concentrated, working hand in hand. Without teamwork you cannot successfully master a Dakar Rally.”

How has the refined Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 been working out?
Giniel de Villiers: "That can be put in a few words: The car’s simply been running like a charm.”
Dirk von Zitzewitz: "The performance of the Race Touareg 2 is superb. All the developments of the engine and chassis are positive. The whole package has been clearly improved. If things continue like they started I can only say: fantastic!”

How strong is the competition this year?
Dirk von Zitzewitz: "The competition is very strong but we managed to put pressure on them. Mitsubishi has to start making up ground or else the team will have a problem. We’d been hoping to manage exactly this. A big compliment to our mechanics, engineers, management and drivers in our team for pulling together in such a great way. Our situation is simply a dream because we’re giving the competition a hard time.”
Giniel de Villiers: "There are many top-flight cars and drivers. That’s why it’s difficult to take a lot of time away from the others. The front runners are still close together. The rally has not been decided yet by a long shot, half an hour is nothing here.”

What are your expectations for the days following the rest day?
Giniel de Villiers: "The first twp stages after the rest day will probably be the decisive ones for this year’s ‘Dakar’. The special stages are very long and, what’s more, the marathon leg is on the agenda. This is where a preliminary decision could in fact occur.”
Dirk von Zitzewitz: "The next two days will be extremely hard for the drivers, the track is difficult with a demanding navigation. From Nema, things should calm down a bit again but the navigation will remain difficult all the way to the finish. Only at Lac Rose the situation should be relaxed. Before that, we won’t know the outcome.”

phaeton · 01-14-2007, 04:25 PM

On the 29th Dakar Rally’s longest special stage with a length of 589 kilometres Volkswagen further expanded its lead: The factory pairing Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (South Africa/Germany) on the eighth leg from Atar to Tichit in Mauritania set the best time of 6.35 minutes ahead of the French Mitsubishi driver Stéphane Peterhansel.

Having clinched his third stage victory, Giniel de Villiers in the Race Touareg expanded his overall advantage by 29.34 minutes to 31.13 minutes.

New runner-up on the leader board is Stéphane Peterhansel, after Carlos Sainz suffered a 1:04-hour loss due to a power steering defect, finishing the stage in seventh position. The Spaniard and his French co-driver Michel Périn dropped from second to fourth place overall behind de Villiers, Peterhansel and Luc Alphand (France/Mitsubishi). Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/South Africa) in the Race Touareg sporting the livery of partners Red Bull, Castrol as well as BP/Aral finished the stage in fifth place with a 27.22-minute gap. Despite punctures and navigation errors costing the English-speaking duo valuable time, it moved up from eighth to seventh position overall.

In the evening of this so-called marathon leg regular service by the team, which travels directly to the finish of Monday’s stage in Nema, is prohibited. In Tichit drivers and co-drivers, with support from the race truck crews, have to prepare the Race Touareg prototypes for the ninth stage that will take them over a 497-kilometre distance to Nema on Monday.

Volkswagen has been continuously leading the 29th edition of the Dakar Rally with the Race Touareg 2 since the event started on 6 January, having claimed six of the eight possible stage victories so far.

Standings after stage 8, Atar (MR) – Tichit (MR); 589/626 km stage 8/overall

Pos.; Team; Vehicle; Stage 8; Total time
1. Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (RSA/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 7h31m52s (1st); 27h35m53s
2. Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-P. Cottret (F/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 7h38m27s (2nd) + 31m13s
3. Luc Alphand/Gilles Picard (F/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 7h41m03s (3rd) + 43s04m
4. Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn (E/F); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 8h36m04s (7th) + 1h05m51s
5. Nasser Al-Attiyah/Alain Guehennec (QT/F); BMW X3; 7h44m01s (4th) + 1h44m14s
6. Jean-Louis Schlesser/Arnaud Debron (F/F); Schlesser Buggy; 8h20m42s (6 h) + 2h00m59s
7. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/RSA); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 7h59m14s (5th) + 2h18m01s
8. Hiroshi Masuoka/Pascal Maimon (J/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 9h00m55s (9th) + 2h40m33s
9. Carlos Sousa/Andreas Schulz (P/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 9h10m01s (10th) + 4h16m35s

Coming up…

Montag, 15 January, Tichit (MR) – Nema (MR): 494 km stage/497 km total. The ninth special stage of the Dakar Rally is a true classic. The route leads through the desert. On flat tracks orientation is difficult, which makes navigation an extremely difficult task. The terrain is varied: In addition to a large amount of sandy stretches, the stage contains stony tracks and camel grass hills as well.

Team quotes

Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director)
"Giniel and Dirk showed an outstanding performance yet again. With more than a six-and-a-half-minute advantage they won the special stage ahead of a Mitsubishi without our rival having encountered any problem that we’re aware of. This is a feat we weren’t able to perform on such demanding stages in the past. Carlos’ loss of time is really regrettable. We’ll only be able to find out the exact technical cause after the arrival of the race trucks whose crews will perform the repair. Mark had an average day on which he lost time due to tyre punctures and orientation errors. Nevertheless, he gained one position. In the overall classification, considering our 31-minute advantage over Mitsubishi, we continue having good prospects.”

#301 – Giniel de Villiers (RSA), 1st place (leg) / 1st place overall
"The stage was very difficult. The first line of dunes was soft although the organisers had announced them as featuring hard ground. The second line of dunes was hard whereas the organisers had been talking about soft sand. So we stopped beforehand and deflated the tyres which cost us four minutes. Today lots of stones were hidden in the sand. 60 % of the leg was stony ground. Physically, the day was very strenuous. Despite this adversity we had an altogether good drive. Compliments to Dirk who did a great job of navigating.”

#303 – Carlos Sainz (E), 7th place (leg) / 4th place overall
"The first 300 kilometres went well and we were already approaching Stéphane Peterhansel. Then fluid started leaking from the power steering system. We stopped and tried to repair the defect but had no chance. So we had no choice but to tackle this long leg with sheer muscle power applied to the steering wheel, which was extremely tough. I’m sad that we lost two places.”

#305 – Mark Miller (USA), 5th place (leg) / 7th place overall
"This was a really nice day in the desert with a special stage leading through a breath-taking landscape. After 17 kilometres, though, I had to change my first damaged tyre. Shortly thereafter we met Carlos, who’d gotten stuck in the sand but been able to get out on his own and just started to drive off again. We followed him for 140 kilometres. Then we hit a stone and had to change another tyre. Two minor navigation errors unfortunately cost us another five to ten minures.”

Snippets from Volkswagen bivouac

- Separate ways: While the participants of the rally are going from Atar to Tichit on the first part of the marathon stage Sunday evening the remainder of the squad is headed for Nema, the finish of Monday’s ninth stage – roughly 1,500 kilometres away. On Sunday the service crew travels part of the distance, stopping in Kiffa. There, the vehicle engineers and technicians can always be reached via satellite telephone in the event that the rally drivers and race truck crews need any telephonic advice or assistance. At the finish of the marathon leg, apart from the drivers and co-drivers of the Volkswagen Race Touareg prototypes and the crews of the three Volkswagen race trucks (three members each), only Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen, Assistant Team Manager Jean-Bernard Vieu and regulations specialist Michael Bernard will be represented.

- Camping: On Sunday the drivers will be sleeping in the bivouac instead of a hotel room for the first time. Ari Vatanen regrets his retirement on the seventh leg not only for sporting reasons. The Finn also has a special relationship to camping – for him, spending the night in a tent is like staying in a "thousand-star hotel”. In the French film "Camping” directed by Fabien Onteniente, which delighted cinema audiences in 2006 with a funny account of a holiday in a tent, Vatanen was one of the supporting actors. The four-time "Dakar” winner played himself. The popular French actor Claude Brasseur was another former "Dakar” winner featured in the film.

- First total loss: In November 2003 a Race Touareg made its test debut in Morocco – Chassis RT01. In more than three years Volkswagen – in 17 rallies and numerous tests – did not lose any of the twelve vehicles built – until Ari Vatanen’s car, Chassis RT16, was destroyed by fire on 12 January. All Race Touareg prototypes, factory- as well as customer-fielded cars, have been entered in a total of 48 rallies to date, with merely nine retirements having occurred. At 81.25 percent the rally prototype powered by a TDI diesel engine has achieved a remarkable rate of finishes and high level of reliability in this rough sport.

- Early return: Ari Vatanen and co-driver Fabrizia Pons flew back home via Paris on Sunday after their retirement on the seventh stage. "Unfortunately, this wasn’t my ‘Dakar’ but I hope that this rally will be a success for Volkswagen,” said Ari Vatanen. Fabrizia Pons added: "We’d like to come to Dakar for a victory celebration…”

Three questions to Eduard Weidl, Technical Director of Volkswagen Motorsport

What type of work was done on the Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 on rest day?
"According to schedule, we changed the gearboxes, differentials, drive shafts, turbochargers and numerous smaller wearing parts such as brake linings, brake discs and hose connections as well as several electrical components. Before the rally, we established an exact schedule for these service jobs and did not have to perform any additional work.”

How long did it take the team to do this work on rest day?
"A total of 24 hours, in other words from Friday afternoon to Saturday afternoon. The different types of jobs were divided among all the team members, ensuring that everyone got their necessary period of rest. On Saturday afternoon we took all the Race Touareg prototypes out for short test drives. All of them were running perfectly.”

The day of rest is followed immediately by the marathon stage. How has the team prepared for the two legs without regular service as far as the technical side is concerned?
"It was important to plan the intervals for changing component such that as few scheduled maintenance as possible needed to be done on the marathon day. Apart from refuelling, changing tyres and performing a check there’s nothing to be done – unless something unusual happens on the leg. We discussed all the tasks precisely with the vehicle engineers and discussed the detailed work with the three race truck crews as well. We have covered all functions in the race trucks two-fold in the event that one of the trucks should not arrive in Tichit on time.”

phaeton · 01-15-2007, 04:14 PM

After making an impressive start to the 29th Dakar Rally the Volkswagen team was dealt a cruel blow today: The factory duo Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (South Africa/Germany) started the ninth stage as leaders but, like their team mates Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn (Spain/France) in fourth place, were also stopped by a technical defect on the Race Touareg 2 during the ninth stage from Tichit to Nema in Mauritania.

"This double setback is a bitter disappointment, particularly as our performance was rewarded with six stage wins up to this point. Unfortunately, our dream of victory was buried in the deserts sands today”, says Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. "A cam follower in the valve train on the engine broke on Giniel de Villiers’ car. A hole was punched in the valve cover as a result, and the escaping oil ignited on the hot turbocharger. The flames were doused immediately with the onboard fire extinguisher. The car is being towed back to the bivouac by one of our Race-Trucks. Carlos Sainz, who had led the rally comfortably prior to this stage, was slowed when his engine cut-out and refused to start again, probably due to an electrical problem. He is also being towed to the bivouac.”

Volkswagen held a commanding lead in the Dakar Rally from the start on 6 January in Lisbon until today. The de Villiers/von Zitzewitz duo were more than thirty minutes ahead of their closest rival before entering the ninth stage. Sainz/Périn only lost second overall on the eighth stage after a hydraulic steering hose chaffed through, and which left Sainz without steering assistance. Volkswagen was able to win six of the nine stages run to date, two – including today’s ninth stage – won by Jean-Louis Schlesser (France/Buggy-Ford) and one by Robby Gordon (USA/Hummer).

Carlos Sousa/Andy Schulz (Portugal/Germany) in the Lagos Team Race Touareg and the factory pairing of Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/South Africa) ended the ninth stage in seventh and ninth positions respectively about half-an-hour behind the winner after sacrificing valuable time to help Sainz. In the overall classification, which is now led by Stéphane Peterhansel (France/Mitsubishi), Miller/Pitchford and Sousa/Schulz hold sixth and seventh positions.

Kris Nissen: "We’ll check the extent of the damage in the bivouac and move heaven and earth so that Giniel and Carlos can start again on Tuesday. We’ll continue to push and give our all the way to the finish in Dakar.”

phaeton · 01-16-2007, 03:06 AM

Team quotes

Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director)
"We were on the receiving end of a couple of hard blows today. However, it doesn't change the fact that I am extremely proud of the team. Everybody made a huge contribution to enable Volkswagen to lead the rally from the opening day and to get the better of Mitsubishi in direct competition – until yesterday. It’s difficult for us to accept that we are no longer leading and that it is almost impossible to win now. You can win innumerable stages during this rally and must nevertheless only lose one to be the loser at the finish. This is the difference between the Dakar Rally and other competitions such as a football season, in which a single loss does not cost the championship. Our objectives now are to enable Giniel and Carlos to continue, to score as many good stage results as possible and to claim a tidy result at finish.”

#301 – Giniel de Villiers (RSA)
"We were leading the rally when a roller tappet in the valve train broke. It punched a hole in the cylinder head cover and the escaping oil momentarily caught fire. We were able to put the flash fire out with the onboard fire extinguisher. The damage couldn’t be repaired on the stage, which is why we had to be towed-in by the Race Truck.”

#303 – Carlos Sainz (E)
"The engine died and never restarted after we’d made a hard landing in a pothole. Mark Miller stopped to help, as did Carlos Sousa. The engine refused to fire up again even after we'd replaced the electronic components and tried to bump start it. So, the Race-Truck hitched us up.”

#305 – Mark Miller (USA), 10th place (leg) / 6th position overall "We ran at an excellent pace, we overtook a Mitsubishi and a BMW and were lying third at the first time check point. When we came across Giniel, we stopped for about 30 seconds but he told us to continue. Later we followed Luc Alphand, but drove defensively – so, he had nothing to worry about. Then we made an inspired move: Carlos Sainz was shadowing us very closely. We let him past, what Alphand didn’t notice, and so he let Carlos past by mistake because he thought that it was my car. Unfortunately, Carlos ground to a halt. We pulled up alongside him and worked for around 35 minutes trying to repair the car, we changed the ECU – all to no avail.”

phaeton · 01-16-2007, 04:04 PM

Volkswagen finished the tenth stage of the 29th Dakar Rally in third and fifth positions. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/South Africa), currently sixth overall in the "Dakar” and therefore now best placed Volkswagen drivers, scored their personal best result with third positions.

On the 400 kilometre long loop through the savannah around Nema in Mauritania, the two English speaking professionals in the Race Touareg 2 were only 1:49 minutes slower than day winner Nasser Al-Attiyah from Qatar in a BMW. The Japanese driver Hiroshi Masuoka in a Mitsubishi was second.

The Volkswagen factory drivers Carlos Sainz (Spain) and Giniel de Villiers (South Africa) started a courageous fight back. Both were towed to yesterday’s stage finish by Race-Trucks, losing an enormous amount of time in the process, after both cars succumbed to engine problems – the reason for both defects was a defective cam-follower in the valve train. A remarkable team effort overnight saw both cars prepared to take the start today. Carlos Sainz and his French co-driver Michel Périn started the tenth stage punctually and incredibly posted the fifth fastest time despite running in the dust clouds of their direct competitors. In the overall standings, which are still headed by the Frenchman Stephane Peterhansel in a Mitsubishi, the duo hold tenth position.

Giniel de Villiers finished 14th on the day together with his German co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz. Because the repair work was only finished in the early hours of the morning, the duo started the stage 22 minutes late and arrived at the finish only 23m50s behind the winner. They are now twelfth overall, the Portuguese-German duo Carlos Sousa/Andreas Schulz (Lagos-Team) remain seventh.

Standings after stage 10, Nema (MR) – Nema (MR); 366/400 km stage 10/total

Pos.; Team; Vehicle; Stage 10; Total time
1. Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-P. Cottret (F/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 3h51m56s (4th); 37h35m19s
2. Luc Alphand/Gilles Picard (F/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 3h54m02s (6th) + 9m56s
3. Jean-Louis Schlesser/Arnaud Debron (F/F); Schlesser Buggy; 3h57m14s (7th) + 1h30m50s
4. Nasser Al-Attiyah/Alain Guehennec (QT/F); BMW X3; 3h49m48s (1st) + 2h00m13s
5. Hiroshi Masuoka/Pascal Maimon (J/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 3h50m16s (2nd) + 2h12m04s
6. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/RSA); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 3h51m37s (3rd) + 2h14m07s
7. Carlos Sousa/Andreas Schulz (P/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 5h01m14s (53rd) + 5h20m47s
8. Robby Gordon/Andy Grider (USA/USA); Hummer H3; 4h23m51s (23rd) + 6h52m54s
9. Stéphane Henrard/Brigitte Becue (B/B); Buggy Volkswagen; 4h13m22s (14th) + 7h40m21s
10. Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn (E/F); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 3h52m36s (5th) + 7h45m59s
12. Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (RSA/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 4h13m38s (15th) + 8h28m19s

Coming up…

Wednesday, 17 January, Nema (MR) – Ayoun El Atrous (MR): 0 km stage/280 km total. After the marathon stage to Timbuktu was cancelled due safety reasons, the competitors only complete a liaison stage to Ayoun El Atrous on Thursday, where the 275 kilometre eleventh stage to Kayes in Mali starts on 18 January.

Team quotes

Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director)
"Things have calmed down since yesterday’s situation. The team worked fantastically under difficult conditions and prepared both Giniel’s and Carlos’ cars perfectly. Only a whisker separated Mark Miller from claiming today’s stage, but the win went to Nasser Al-Attiyah and the team managed by Sven Quandt – congratulations. Tomorrow is a little like a rest day since only a liaison stage is driven. As a consequence, the team has time to prepare the cars in peace and quiet and to recharge their own batteries. We’ll continue as a close knit team towards Dakar. We aim to continue to score top results in the daily stages.”

#301 – Giniel de Villiers (RSA), 15th place (leg) / 12th position overall
"We started the stage with a 22 minute delay, but are nevertheless extremely grateful to the team that we are actually still in the rally. If you take the pure stage time a result in the top-three was possible. The day was physically very hard, and on the other hand the navigation was very easy. Unfortunately, at some point or other another competitor drove completely without reason into the side of our car. It was if we were racing on a circuit…”

#303 – Carlos Sainz (E), 5th place (leg) / 10th position overall
"My thanks to the team that prepared an excellent car for me overnight again. We drove for ages in dust today and had to overtake loads of opponents. The route was a kind of hard track winding through the middle of powder like Fech-Fech sand, lines of trees and bushes.”

#305 – Mark Miller (USA), 3rd place (leg) / 6th position overall
"I drove on the limit today and took as much as the car could give. Third position is our best result to date, but it could have been more if I hadn’t gone the wrong way in the set-up. The car had a little too much understeer. After 17 kilometres I overtook a buggy, and then later Jutta Kleinschmidt. The route was very unusual: Basically we drove through sand, but the middle of the track was very hard, which you had to follow exactly. It was a completely new experience for me. I still hope to be able to catch Mitsubishi on the next, very slow stage.”

Snippets from Volkswagen bivouac

- Best wishes in the desert: Carlos Sousa from Lagos Team, who was 41-years old on 16 January, only received best wishes. Co-driver Andreas Schulz was among the first to wish him a happy birthday. Ernst Moser from race team Phoenix Sport arrived too late. "I got up extra early to wish Carlos all the best but he was already on his way to the tenth stage”, he explains. The Team Boss and Volkswagen Motorsport team members caught up with the birthday boy in the afternoon: A birthday cake awaited the seventh overall driver after finishing the tenth stage.

- Nightshift for Volkswagen: After Carlos Sainz’s Race Touareg 2 was towed into the bivouac at 21:45 with an engine problem, and the car driven by team mate Giniel de Villiers followed at around 23:00, the Volkswagen team faced a race against time. The timing belt in Carlos Sainz’s Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 engine had jumped a tooth as a result of a defective cam-follower – the decision was made to rebuild the engine completely and replace the cylinder head. On Giniel de Villiers’ car the cylinder-head was also replaced after a defective cam-follower punched through the valve cover and the escaping oil ignited on the hot turbocharger. "The fire damage in the engine bay was much worse than originally anticipated”, says Donatus Wichelhaus, Head of Engine Development at Volkswagen Motorsport. "We had to replace all the hoses and pipes for water, brake fluid, hydraulic oil and fuel and also many electrical cables.”

- Break for the team: The stage Nema – Nema gave the Volkswagen Motorsport team the chance to relax a little after the rigorous night. Because the bivouac in Nema remains built-up until the morning of 17 January, the team could catch up on lost sleep during the tenth stage.

phaeton · 01-18-2007, 02:11 AM

The Volkswagen factory team attacks the remaining four stages of the 29th Dakar Rally with a different strategy.

The factory drivers Carlos Sainz (Spain), Giniel de Villiers (South Africa) and Mark Miller (USA) will target winning more stages with the Race Touareg to improve the results before reaching the finish on 21 January on the shores of Lac Rose close to Senegal’s capital city. Volkswagen has won six of the ten stages held to date.

The team is, however, out of the fight for overall victory, after Giniel de Villiers, who was leading by half-an-hour, and the fourth placed Carlos Sainz tumbled down the leader board on the ninth stage after suffering from technical problems. Leading Volkswagen driver in the overall standings is Mark Miller in sixth position, followed by Carlos Sousa (Portugal) in the Lagos-Team Race Touareg. Saint is tenth, de Villiers twelfth.

"We continue to look forwards and have not resigned, even though we are still bitterly disappointed to have lost the lead we had held and defended since the rally’s opening day”, says Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. "We want to further emphasise our all-round strong and positive appearance in this ‘Dakar’ by recording good results on each day. Such problems are a part of motorsport, but they do not detract in any way whatsoever from the performance produced by everybody.” Volkswagen had dominated the Dakar Rally since the start in Lisbon and had filled the top positions on more than one occasion with several cars. Volkswagen won two of the three showcase stages in Mauritania and had led the third before problems intervened. "It is exactly our strength on the longest and most difficult stages which showed that we have done our homework successfully since the previous ‘Dakar’,” says Kris Nissen.

After a pure liaison stage without an officially timed section on Wednesday, all the Race Touaregs and the entire team reached the bivouac at Ayoun El Atrous in Mauritania. "The drivers, co-drivers and cars are fit for the final spurt after this day without racing against the clock”, says Kris Nissen. The 484 kilometre stage from Ayoun El Atrous to Kayes in Mali starts on Thursday.

Standings after stage 10, Nema (MR) – Nema (MR); 366/400 km stage 10/total

Pos.; Team; Vehicle; Stage 10; Total time
1. Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-P. Cottret (F/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 3h51m56s (4th); 37h35m19s
2. Luc Alphand/Gilles Picard (F/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 3h54m02s (6th) + 9m56s
3. Jean-Louis Schlesser/Arnaud Debron (F/F); Schlesser Buggy; 3h57m14s (7th) + 1h30m50s
4. Nasser Al-Attiyah/Alain Guehennec (QT/F); BMW X3; 3h49m48s (1st) + 2h00m13s
5. Hiroshi Masuoka/Pascal Maimon (J/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 3h50m16s (2nd) + 2h12m04s
6. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/RSA); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 3h51m37s (3rd) + 2h14m07s
7. Carlos Sousa/Andreas Schulz (P/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 5h01m14s (53rd) + 5h20m47s
8. Robby Gordon/Andy Grider (USA/USA); Hummer H3; 4h23m51s (23rd) + 6h52m54s
9. Stéphane Henrard/Brigitte Becue (B/B); Buggy Volkswagen; 4h13m22s (14th) + 7h40m21s
10. Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn (E/F); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 3h52m36s (5th) + 7h45m59s
12. Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (RSA/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 4h13m38s (15th) + 8h28m19s

Coming up…

Thursday, 18 January, Ayoun El Atrous (MR) – Kayes (ML): 257 km stage/484 km total. The competitors can expect sandy tracks and gravel roads through the savannah on the 257 kilometre stage from Ayoun El Atrous in Mauritania to Kayes in Mali.

phaeton · 01-18-2007, 04:54 PM

One-two for Volkswagen on twelfth stage of the Dakar Rally: Factory driver Carlos Sainz (Spain) and co-driver Michel Périn (France) won the 484 kilometre stage from Ayoun-el-Atrous (Mauritania) to Kayes (Mali) in their Race Touareg.

They clocked up a lead of 3:53 minutes over their Volkswagen comrades Carlos Sousa/Andy Schulz (Portugal/Germany) who drive a Race Touareg for Lagos-Team. It was Volkswagen’s seventh stage win and the third for double Rally World Champion Carlos Sainz during the 29th running of the "Dakar”. Third position went to the French Mitsubishi driver and last year’s overall winner Luc Alphand.

Even though today’s twelfth stage held many pitfalls in store for the teams because of the tricky navigation and dense, tall bushes, the Volkswagen factory pairing of Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/South Africa) moved up the leader board after finishing eighth today. The duo overhauled two-time "Dakar” winner and Mitsubishi factory driver Hiroshi Masuoka from Japan in the overall standings, and are now best placed Volkswagen team in fifth position. Sousa/Schulz are still seventh, Sainz/Périn moved up one position to ninth. Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (South Africa/Germany) finished the day in twentieth position in their Race Touareg, 25:47 minutes behind the winner owing to a navigational error, but nevertheless still hold twelfth overall. Stephane Peterhansel (Mitsubishi/France) holds the overall lead.

Standings after stage 12, Ayoun-el-Atrous (MR) – Kayes (ML); 257/484 km stage 11/total

Pos.; Team; Vehicle; Stage 12; Total time
1. Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-P. Cottret (F/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 3h07m15s (6th); 40h42m34s
2. Luc Alphand/Gilles Picard (F/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 3h03m48s (3rd) + 6m29s
3. Jean-Louis Schlesser/Arnaud Debron (F/F); Schlesser Buggy; 3h10m27s (10th) + 1h34m02s
4. Nasser Al-Attiyah/Alain Guehennec (QT/F); BMW X3; 3h05m06s (4th) + 1h58m04s
5. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/RSA); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 3h09m03s (8th) + 2h15m55s
6. Hiroshi Masuoka/Pascal Maimon (J/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 3h22m21s (19th) + 2h27m10s
7. Carlos Sousa/Andreas Schulz (P/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 3h02m49s (2nd) + 5h16m21s
8. Robby Gordon/Andy Grider (USA/USA); Hummer H3; 3h17m18s (13th) + 7h02m57s
9. Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn (E/F); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 2h58m56s (1st) + 7h37m40s
10. Stéphane Henrard/Brigitte Becue (B/B); Buggy Volkswagen; 3h18m33s (17th) + 7h51m39s
12. Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (RSA/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 3h24m43s (22nd) + 8h45m47s

Coming up…

Friday, 19 January, Kayes (ML) – Tambacounda (SN): 260 km stage/458 km total. After crossing the border between Mali and the Senegal, the Dakar Rally’s third from last stage leads across stony paths before sprinting along fast laterite tracks. The rally armada erects the final bivouac in Tambacounda in the evening.

Team quotes

Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director)
"We are satisfied with the one-two from Carlos Sainz and Carlos Sousa on today’s stage. The drivers were excellent; their co-drivers mastered a difficult task supremely since the navigation was difficult in this confusing terrain. It’s great to see that the Race Touareg can record top-times on this type of route. Unfortunately, Giniel and Dirk lost time due to a navigational error. On the remaining stages we want to continue to show that the Race Touareg can post the fastest times, that our drivers are the best, and that the team continues to work efficiently and reliably even after twelve tough days and nights all the way to the finish line.”

#301 – Giniel de Villiers (RSA), 22nd place (leg) / 12th position overall
"That really wasn’t our day, particularly as we got completely lost after 200 kilometres. We followed some motorbike tracks, before arriving at a cliff. The motorbike riders got through a narrow gorge, but not us. We had to turn around. So we lost 25 minutes to the leaders.”

#303 – Carlos Sainz (E), 1st place (leg) / 9th position overall
"It wasn’t only the navigation that was demanding today. Driving on the narrow tracks between the trees was anything but easy. Sometimes the bushes covered the track so we had to plough through them, which is why the body is a little scratched. The car ran well. I’m delighted to have set the best time, which should go to the team as they worked fantastically.”

#305 – Mark Miller (USA), 8th place (leg) / 5th position overall
"The navigation made that a very difficult stage. We didn't see any tracks from the cars in front. We stopped three times to remove grass from the cooler, during which Carlos Sainz, Carlos Sousa and Stéphane Peterhansel passed us. We got lost once and had to search a little. I hit some debris hidden in the grass just before the finish. The left-hand front tyre lost air, but we reached the finish.”

Snippets from Volkswagen bivouac

- Check list: When a Car-Chief and four mechanics start work each evening to repair and service a Race Touareg they follow a precisely planned check list. "About 80 points must be checked every evening. From fluid levels to driveshafts – just like a major service”, explains Kris Nissen, Volkswagen Motorsport Director. The service schedule for every single component is recorded in a catalogue. The mileage intervals to ensure that specific components such as driveshafts or brake discs are changed in time are also included.

- Personal preferences: The Dakar Rally is known to many for its endless days and huge amounts of work. Now and then there are times when there is nothing to do, for team members, for example, who sit behind the driver and co-driver in the service vehicles on the liaison stages. "We usually take it in turns to drive and navigate”, explains physiotherapist Alexander Haus. "I usually sleep on the rear seat when it’s my turn to take a break, even if the type of track doesn’t make things so easy.” One sleeps, the other reads. "Because there aren’t any daily newspapers in the bivouac, I brought some books with me”, explains electrician Jens Suhm. "I’ve been able to get through get a lot.”

phaeton · 01-19-2007, 05:37 PM

Another stage victory for Volkswagen in the Dakar Rally: After yesterday’s exploit Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn (Spain/France) also won the 13th of 15 legs of the desert classic, a 458-kilometre section from Kayes in Mali to Tambacounda in Senegal. For Sainz, it marked as much as his fourth stage victory, for Volkswagen the eighth in the 29th Dakar Rally.

The Spanish-French driver pairing in the Race Touareg was 26 seconds quicker than the French Mitsubishi driver Stéphane Peterhansel, who leads in the overall classification.

Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/South Africa) in another Race Touareg set the day’s third-best time with a 2.18-minute gap on the quick and dusty laterite tracks, defending their place as Volkswagen’s best team in the field in fifth position overall. Two positions behind them is the Portuguese-German duo of Carlos Sousa/Andreas Schulz in a Race Touareg from Team Lagos who achieved the fourth-best time of the day.

Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (South Africa/Germany) with a 10.37-minute gap finished the special stage on Friday in tenth place. They contested the special stage as the 22nd car out and in the dust kicked up by the cars starting in front of them almost had no opportunities for overtaking. Despite this, the duo improved by one position to eleventh place overall.

Standings after leg 13, Kayes (ML) – Tambacounda (SN); 260/458 km stage 12/total

Pos.; Team; Vehicle; Leg 13; Total time
1. Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-P. Cottret (F/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 2h30m48s (2nd); 43h13m22s
2. Luc Alphand/Gilles Picard (F/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 2h35m34s (6th) + 11m15s
3. Jean-Louis Schlesser/Arnaud Debron (F/F); Schlesser Buggy; 2h35m33s (5th) + 1h38m47s
4. Nasser Al-Attiyah/Alain Guehennec (QT/F); BMW X3; 2h42m29s (10th) + 2h09m45s
5. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/RSA); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 2h32m40s (3rd) + 2h17m47s
6. Hiroshi Masuoka/Pascal Maimon (J/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 2h46m07s (15th) + 2h42m29s
7. Carlos Sousa/Andreas Schulz (P/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 2h35m25s (4th) + 5h20m58s
8. Robby Gordon/Andy Grider (USA/USA); Hummer H3; 2h41m09s (11th) + 7h13m18s
9. Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn (E/F); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 2h30m22s (1st) + 7h37m14s
10. Stéphane Henrard/Brigitte Becue (B/B); Buggy Volkswagen; 2h51m37s (21st) + 8h12m28s
11. Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (RSA/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 2h40m59s (10th) + 8h55m58s

Coming up…

Saturday, 20 January, Tambacounda (SN) – Dakar (SN): 225 km stage/576 km overall. The last long special stage of the Dakar Rally before reaching Dakar is a tricky one: The dirt roads in Senegal which are partially windy and partially very quick require perfect navigation. In the afternoon, the contenders will arrive in the Senegalese capital of Dakar where numerous friends and family members are awaiting them.

Team quotes

Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director)
"The 13th leg ended well for Volkswagen with another stage victory along with places three, four and ten. The special stage was tough, the route covered with lots of deep potholes. The drivers confirmed that the suspension works well on this type of surface. The team invests a lot of effort and ambition every day to prepare the cars in an optimum manner. Our planning, which we established before the rally, fully pays off because we’re making prudent use of our resources.”

#301 – Giniel de Villiers (RSA), 10th place (leg) / 11th place overall
"We started from 22nd place. On such a fast stage the dust kicked up by the cars in front doesn’t give you a chance to overtake. We decided not to take any risks and finished the stage at a reasonable pace. On the way we stopped for Krzysztof Holowczyc, who had seriously rolled over.”

#303 – Carlos Sainz (E), 1st place (leg) / 9th place overall
"I’m happy about the fact that we clinched another stage victory. It’s also a birthday present for Michel for the great job he’s doing. It’s been a good day although the conditions were very difficult. The navigation on the 13th leg was tricky because there were a lot of parallel tracks which could easily cause you to lose your orientation. What’s more, we were the first car to hit the track.”

#305 – Mark Miller (USA), 3rd place (leg) / 5th place overall
"Third place is okay because the situation was tight again today, running alongside the trees, and we were driving in the dust clouds of the other cars for what seemed to be an eternity. First we followed Nasser Al-Attiyah, whom we were able to overhaul, but we didn’t manage to pass Nani Roma. Then we made a navigation error at a place where some other competitors got lost as well.”

Snippets from Volkswagen bivouac

- Snorkels for diving: For the Dakar Rally’s obligatory passages through water, Volkswagen prepared snorkels for the engine that run along the right-hand A-pillar all the way up to the roof. "As far as the intake air of the engine is concerned this increases the wading ability by 50 centimetres to about 1.50 metres,” Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen explained.

- Sand cake: Michel Périn is celebrating his birthday on 19 January at the bivouac in Tambacounda. On the evening of the 13th leg the team wishes him well and gives him a cake. But Périn will not spend much time celebrating. "The roadbook for the penultimate leg comes first. After all, despite being short, the route from Tambacounda to Dakar is difficult,” said Périn, who is turning 50.

- Goodbye camping: After 13 nights in a tent the Volkswagen Motorsport team is returning to civilisation. In Tambacounda the crew will spend their last night in a tent. When the rally squad arrives in Dakar Saturday afternoon, the 78 team members can look forward to a soft hotel bed and a bath tub for the first time since their departure from Portugal.

- Premium diesel in the desert: For the first time, Aral as the Volkswagen factory team’s technology partner, supplied the team with its premium fuel, Aral ultimate Diesel, during the Dakar Rally. The refuelling of Volkswagen’s cars required a true logistical feat: A total of 220 barrels of Aral ultimate Diesel had to be transported to the trackside respective bivouacs in time. Transporting the first 30 barrels with Aral ultimate Diesel to the Portuguese capital of Lisbon with assistance from logistics partner DHL was a comparatively easy task. A lot more difficult was shipping the fuel to the African countries of Morocco and Mauritania. In Remscheid the barrels were filled with Aral ultimate Diesel and sent on their way to Africa from Hamburg and Rotterdam aboard container ships. Before reaching Morocco and Mauritania, the containers had to loaded onto smaller coastal boats, which ultimately carried the barrels to the respective harbours. A seal applied to each individual barrel guaranteed to the team that the barrel contained exactly the fuel to which the diesel engines of the Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 prototypes have been tuned.

phaeton · 01-20-2007, 08:12 PM

Triple stage victory for Volkswagen
Volkswagen managed another top performance on the 14th and penultimate stage of the Dakar Rally: For the ninth time, a Race Touareg clinched a stage victory, for the third consecutive time, and fifth altogether, Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn (Spain/France) achieved such a result.
To top it off, Volkswagen claimed a triple exploit on the 576-kilometre stage from Tambacounda to Dakar: Sainz won ahead of his team-mates Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (South Africa/Germany) and the Race Touareg from Team Lagos, piloted by Carlos Sousa/Andreas Schulz (Portugal/Germany). Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/South Africa) in another Race Touareg completed the Volkswagen foursome at the front of the field by finishing in sixth place. In addition, Volkswagen on the penultimate day of the 2007 Dakar Rally celebrated the Race Touareg’s 50th stage victory.

In the overall classification which, before the 93-kilometre final stage on Sunday, is being led by the French Mitsubishi driver Stéphane Peterhansel, Mark Miller – as the best Volkswagen driver – is ranking in fifth place. Carlos Sousa is seventh, Carlos Sainz ninth and Giniel de Villiers eleventh.

Team quotes

Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director)
"On today’s leg, the last real special stage on the way to Dakar, I instructed all drivers to go for an all-out attack. It seems to have worked out well because we occupied places one, two three and six. This shows how good the whole team is. Everyone saw that Volkswagen Motorsport has a package that is capable of winning. This is very encouraging for all of us for the upcoming races. Since the 2006 Dakar Rally we solved our tasks and are very good on any type of terrain. Enhancing this total package that is capable of clinching victories yet again is a task for the 2007 season that shouldn’t be all too difficult and represents a nice challenge.”

#301 – Giniel de Villiers (RSA), 2nd place (leg) / 11 th place overall
"At the beginning of the stage I attacked. On the first half of the route things were going really well for us and we overtook three competitors. On the twisty trails we lost about three minutes after 160 kilometres due to minor navigation errors. In addition, the motorcycle riders in front of us left a big trail of dust.”

#303 – Carlos Sainz (E), 1 st place (leg) / 9th place overall
"On this difficult stage things went well for us as our stage victory shows. We were the first car out and had no tracks in front of us. Once or twice we hesitated for a short time because of the navigation and looked for the way, but we didn’t get lost.”

#305 – Mark Miller (USA), 6th place (leg) / 5th place overall
"Up to CP1 things were going well and we really put the pressure on. After 40 kilometres we overtook Stéphane Peterhansel. Up to that point a place among the top three would have been possible. But then the navigation became difficult. We were the second car out and lost half a minute three or four times, respectively, when we had to orient ourselves. Ralph did a very good job in these difficult conditions. Our teamwork during this rally is great and we got lost on fewer occasions than many of our rivals.”

phaeton · 01-21-2007, 05:15 PM

In the 2007 Dakar Rally Volkswagen – having clinched ten of 14 possible stage victories and leading the event for eight days – was the dominant team in the field, but in the overall classification the factory team headed by Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen was not rewarded for its performance.

After 8,000 kilometres factory driver Mark Miller (USA) and his co-driver Ralph Pitchford (South Africa) in the Race Touareg 2, as the make’s best pairing, finished in fourth place overall. Prior to this, a defect on a cam follower in the valve train of the diesel engine, which had never occurred before in countless kilometres of testing and competition, had robbed the German automotive manufacturer that had been successfully defending its lead up to this point of all chances for victory.

On all the competition days and in highly varied terrain the Race Touareg powered by a 285-hp 2.5-litre TDI turbodiesel engine had been proving its strengths: From the first to the eighth stage the Volkswagen drivers were leading the 29th running of the desert classic. In the final analysis, this shows a significant improvement over the prior year when the squad finished with five days of leading the rally and five stage victories. On the ninth stage both of the best-placed Race Touareg prototypes were struck by an identical engine defect that caused them to suffer an unrecoverable set-back: Giniel de Villiers (South Africa), runner-up in last year’s ‘Dakar’, with co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz (Germany), who had been leading with a half-hour advantage up to that point, and Carlos Sainz (Spain) with co-driver Michel Périn (France), who had been running in second place up to the eighth stage.

In the following chase to make up ground the factory team and the drivers gave proof of their unbroken sporting spirit: In a fantastic showing Carlos Sainz – in his second "Dakar” the front runner from the third to the sixth day of the competition and two-time stage winner up to that point – delivered a series of three further stage victories, starting with the twelfth leg. In the end, the Spaniard finished in ninth position overall. Giniel de Villiers, who clinched four stage wins, including two of the three most difficult stages in Mauritania, and was leading the field on the seventh and eighth stages, ultimately improved from 13th to eleventh position.

The Portuguese Carlos Sousa and his German co-driver Andy Schulz proved that in a customer-run Race Touareg 2 excellent showings are possible as well. The duo from the Portugese Lagos Team, for whose fielding the German squad of Phoenix Sport headed by Team Director Ernst Moser was responsible, won the first stage, had the overall lead on the rally’s first two days and defended third place up to the sixth stage. On the seventh stage the duo got stuck in the sand but was able to free itself. In the heavy sandstorm, though, the driver and co-driver unfortunately lost sight of each other and a lot of time in the process of looking for one another. Sousa/Schulz finished the rally at the famous Lac Rose in seventh place overall.

The four-time Dakar Rally winner Ari Vatanen from Finland in the fourth Race Touareg, navigated by his Italian co-driver Fabrizia Pons, on the second stage dropped back to 113th place after a driving mistake while passing through water. On the seventh day a fire of the vehicle put a premature end to the duo’s running.

Final standings after leg 15, Dakar (SN) – Dakar (SN); 16/93 km stage 14/total

Pos.; Team; Vehicle; Leg 15; Total time
1. Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-P. Cottret (F/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 10m52s (49th); 45h53m37s
2. Luc Alphand/Gilles Picard (F/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 11m02s (52nd) + 7m26s
3. Jean-Louis Schlesser/Arnaud Debron (F/F); Schlesser-Buggy Ford; 8m25s (5th) + 1h33m57s
4. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/RSA); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 9m40s (21st) + 2h10m16s
5. Hiroshi Masuoka/Pascal Maimon (J/F); Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 9m52s (23rd) + 2h44m31s
6. Nasser Al-Attiyah/Alain Guehennec (QT/F); BMW X3; 9m35s (18th) + 3h31m59s
7. Carlos Sousa/Andreas Schulz (P/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 8m24s (4th) + 5h10m54s
8. Robby Gordon/Andy Grider (USA/USA); Hummer H3; 8m08s (3rd) + 7h04m07s
9. Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn (E/F); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 7m44s (2nd) + 7h25m45s
10. Stéphane Henrard/Brigitte Becue (B/B); Buggy Volkswagen; 9m54s (24th) + 8h28m29s
11. Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (RSA/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 7m42s (1st) + 8h44m34s

Team quotes

Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director)
"We’re looking back on a Dakar Rally which has given us a lot of great moments as well as a bitter disappointment. Volkswagen had ten outstanding days when we claimed stage victories, five good days when we finished the stages in places two and three, and one black day when an identical damage to the engine’s valve train caused both of our best-placed vehicles to lose ground with no chance for recovery and our chances for victory vanished. So we’re extending our congratulations to Stephane Peterhansel and Mitsubishi, the overall winners of the 2007 Dakar Rally. The tasks we set for ourselves after the ‘Dakar’ a year ago have been fully accomplished, in some areas we’ve clearly achieved improvements: The drivers and co-drivers, the entire team, logistics and the Race Touareg were better than in 2006. With the refined version of the Race Touareg we set the pace on all the stages and dominated the rally with a commanding lead from the very first day until suffering this dual set-back on the ninth leg. Ten of 14 possible stage victories speak for themselves. This improved performance becomes particularly evident when you look at the three most demanding legs in the sand of Mauritania, two of which we won and the third of which we were leading up to being struck by the defect. In the final analysis, this has again been an outstanding Dakar Rally, a very well organised event, with changed rules for navigation that proved to work well yet again, with precise roadbooks, a great atmosphere and thrilling sport.”

#303 – Carlos Sainz (E), 2 nd place (leg) / 9th place overall
"It was a great rally for myself and the entire team. I’m really satisfied with the development of the Race Touareg 2 between 2005 and 2007. Volkswagen has claimed ten of 14 stage victories, and in highly different conditions at that – when it comes to the strengths of this vehicle, this says it all. I feel more disappointed about the fact that in the end we had no more chance for victory for the team than for myself.”

#303 – Michel Périn (F), Carlos Sainz’s co-driver
"Even though we weren’t able to win I walk away with a good feeling because the step we took from last year to this ‘Dakar’ has been huge. Carlos and I were often the course-opening car and in spite of this I didn’t commit a single navigation error – and I’m glad about this, needless to say. Carlos has long ceased to be a ‘Dakar’ rookie, he understands the tasks at hand here perfectly. He listens to my commands very carefully even when I ask him to brake, which is unusual for a rally driver. What’s more, Carlos drives at an impressive, high speed.”

#305 – Mark Miller (USA), 21st place (leg) / 4th place overall
"The great strides made with the evolution of the Race Touareg are really remarkable. Volkswagen set the pace at all times. My new co-driver Ralph Pitchford and I had a good time, we worked together very well in the cockpit. A podium place would have been possible for us but we lost some time helping our team colleagues. That was perfect teamwork and the natural thing to do. I’m already looking forward to the 2008 ‘Dakar’, we feel well prepared.”

#305 – Ralph Pitchford (RSA), Mark Miller’s co-driver
"Driving with Mark was fantastic. We’re happy with the performance of the entire team. The engineers, car chiefs and mechanics all did a superb job. Unfortunately, Volkswagen didn’t win. As far as the rally is concerned, it was another super ‘Dakar’, which was demanding in every respect.”

#301 – Giniel de Villiers (RSA), 1st place (leg) / 11th place overall
"The first half of the rally was really great. We proved that we, the entire team and the Race Touareg are competitive in every way. Particularly on the long stages in the sand we made great strides. Last week then started with a big disappointment when we lost our lead. That was a bitter moment, although such things can always happen in racing. After that, the situation was tough for us because a few times we had to start very late and then had to overtake much slower vehicles on the route. But even on the days when things weren’t going that well for us we learned a lot for the future.”

#301 – Dirk von Zitzewitz (D), Giniel de Villiers’ co-driver
"For Giniel and myself, the 2007 ‘Dakar’ went superbly up to the second part of the marathon leg, exactly the way we’d wanted it to be. We were even leading by half an hour when the defect hit us. Still, it was a good race because we didn’t only prove to ourselves but, even more importantly, to all the others that we’re capable of winning.”

#313 – Carlos Sousa (P) – Lagos Team, 4th place (leg) / 7th place overall
"I’m very happy with our performance in my eleventh Dakar Rally. The Race Touareg is an outstanding car which makes me feel very comfortable and which allowed me to keep the pace of the front runners at all times. Our Lagos Team and the fielding squad from Phoenix Sport did a perfect job, the support from Volkswagen was great – I can only thank everyone for this. Of course the most rewarding day of the rally was the day I won the first stage in my native Portugal in front of this gigantic turnout of spectators and then took the lead for two days.”

#313 – Andy Schulz (D) – Lagos Team, Carlos Sousa’s co-driver
"During the entire rally we were absolutely competitive. It was really good fun. Working with Carlos was great. That we were looking for each other in the sandstorm in vain for such a long time after getting stuck but freeing ourselves again quickly was probably a funny thing, but for us, it was simply a misfortune. After all, we were third on the leader board at the time.”

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