press release
390KB
january 11, 2016 - Peugeot
Dakar - Peugeot one-two-three at Dakar halfway point
Dakar 2016
Salta (rest day): 10 January 2016
PEUGEOT one-two-three at Dakar halfway point
What a difference a year makes! This time last year, the brand new #peugeot team
arrived at the rest day halfway through the Dakar in eighth and 41 st positions. The
third #peugeot 2008DKR, driven by Carlos Sainz, had retired on leg five after hitting
a rock.
Now, just 12 months later, #peugeot occupies the provisional top three places on the
Dakar at the rest day in Salta, Argentina, thanks to Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena,
Stephane Peterhansel/Jean-Paul Cottret and Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz – with the gap to
fourth at more than 15 minutes. All four examples of the #peugeot 2008 DKR have
completed the first 5,330 kilometres, with Cyril Despres in 14th position.
Even more remarkably, a #peugeot has won every single proper stage of the #event, with
the exception of the prologue, and racked up two one-two-three and four one-two
finishes on the six competitive stages held so far. Three of those stages have been won
by nine-time World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb: the most astonishing Dakar debut
since Ari Vatanen in 1987: another former World Rally Champion driving for #peugeot.
It’s a remarkable testament to the work carried out by Peugeot’s engineers throughout
last year to evolve the #peugeot 2008DKR from its rushed beginnings to a car that is
able to compete at the very sharp end. It’s a process that has been carried out with
humility, diligence and a desire to repeat some of the glories from the past.
Peugeot is one of the most successful manufacturers on the Dakar Rally, having clinched
four successes (in 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990) since the #event was inaugurated in 1979.
But there is still a very long way to go – nearly 5,000 kilometres, in fact – and the brand
new car is not immune from technical problems, as Despres and Sainz have already
experienced.
Despres lost more than an hour with a turbo problem on stage five, while Sainz lost 14
minutes after his car’s engine stalled and would not re-start on stage two. Sebastien
Loeb has also not escaped drama: on stage six his car was affected by a stuck throttle.
Despite this though, a #peugeot has been in the lead from the first proper stage of the
event, with Loeb then Peterhansel then Loeb again taking turns at the top. And had it not
been for the electrical problem, it would have been Sainz comfortably on top by this
point. As it is, the leading trio is separated by less than five minutes.
The 2016-specification #peugeot 2008DKR is lower, wider, more powerful and easier to
drive than its predecessor, with better weight distribution: all factors that have
contributed to its extraordinary performance on the Dakar so far.As Stephane Peterhansel, the most successful driver in Dakar
history with 11 wins behind him, put it: “It’s one of the most
remarkable transformations I have ever seen. You can’t compare
this car with last year’s car. In every respect it is better. I knew
before we started this rally that it was more competitive than last
year’s car, but it’s a pleasant surprise just how competitive it is.”
Before coming to this year’s Dakar, Sebastien Loeb had little to compare it with, having
carried out only some tests in Morocco as well as one #event there with last year’s car.
But when it came to Dakar, Loeb was instantly on the pace despite his inexperience. “It’s
true that I’ve been helped by many of the stages being quite similar in character to what
I have been used to on the WRC,” he said. “But I certainly wasn’t expecting to be leading
the rally. Most of all though, I’m here to learn and I’m fortunate to be surrounded by
some very experienced people. Next week, the nature of the rally stages will be quite
different and for sure that will be more tricky for me.”
One of those people with plenty of experience is Carlos Sainz, who proved that at 53
years old he has lost none of his speed, with a series of blisteringly fast stage and sector
times over the first half of the rally. “It’s been good so far, but there is no point in
drawing any conclusions until you are at the end of the rally,” said the Spaniard, who
won the Dakar in 2010. “It’s clear that the speed is there but one of the most important
aspects of the Dakar is reliability, and we have still had some issues on the cars. There is
more work to do in this area. And the second week of the Dakar will be very tough, so we
are yet to see the hardest part.”
Like Loeb, Cyril Despres is still climbing a learning curve on the Dakar in cars, having
previously won the motorbike category five times. His progress is clear to see, until his
turbo problem on stage five, the Frenchman and his codriver David Castera had been
able to finish in the top five ona previous stage. “To have the problem was disappointing,
but it’s the sort of thing that can happen in a car that’s brand new,” said Despres. “I’ve
been very pleased with our pace, and particularly with our improvement compared to
last year. I knew that my conversion from bikes to cars was going to be a long-term
process, but I really feel it start to come together now.”
All of the crews can rightfully be proud of what they have achieved so far. But they are
equally aware that the biggest test is still to come, as team principal Bruno Famin points
out: “We can take away a very positive conclusion from this first week,” he said. “First
and foremost, all four of our cars are still in the race. Three of them are in the top three,
having claimed stage wins on every leg apart from the prologue. We’ve also had some
one-twos, and even some one-two-threes. Our first objective in showing the
competitiveness of the #peugeot 2008 DKR has been achieved. Now we move on to the
next objective: getting to the end with as many cars as possible. In order to do that, we’re
going to have to overcome some problems that could potentially set us back a lot, as
we’ve seen on the car of Cyril Despres, which lost an hour and a quarter. Furthermore,
the second half of the rally has quite a different look to it. The gaps become considerably
bigger, given the risk of getting stuck in sand or making a navigational mistake. The
advantage we have built up to now is an extremely fragile one. So we’re going to stick to
our plan, and just take every stage as it comes.”
Peterhansel Tappa 6 6
1802x1200, 560KB
Peterhansel Tappa 6 1
1803x1200, 467KB
dakar-2015-slider-pre-event_96
3200x2130, 1MB
dakar-2015-slider-pre-event_91
3200x2130, 1MB
5692c09d1f3dd
1202x800, 334KB
dakar-2015-slider-pre-event_91
3200x2130, 1MB
Related news |
||
|
|
|
may 05, 2024
|
may 04, 2024
|
april 21, 2024
|
|
Miami 05 May 2024Scuderia Ferrari has refound the qualifying form it had at the start of the season. After an encouraging first at... |
Miami 03 May 2024Time for Sprint Qualifying at the Miami Grand Prix where the air temperature is 28 degrees and the track is at 49... |
Shanghai 21 April 2024Scuderia Ferrari marked the return of the Chinese Grand Prix to the calendar with a fourth and a fifth place... |
Download all 
You might be interested in |
||
|
|
|
april 07, 2024
|
april 07, 2024
|
march 24, 2024
|
|
Suzuka 07 April 2024After the most difficult qualifying of the season so far, Scuderia Ferrari made up for it on Sunday in Japan, ... |
Suzuka 07 April 2024The sun is shining in Suzuka, air temperature is 22 degrees, the track is at 40. Start. Carlos and Charles are... |
Melbourne 24 March 2024In Albert Park the air temperature is 20 degrees with the track at 40°.Start. Carlos and Charles are on the... |
Italian 
Download all 
Share
Share via mail 
Automotive
Sport
Events
Art&Culture
Design
Fashion&Beauty
Food&Hospitality
Technology
Nautica
Racing
Excellence
Corporate
OffBeat
Green
Gift
Pop
Heritage
Entertainment
Health & Wellness