ACVWSA Dakar '09 thread - CONGRATS Giniel on FIRST place!

[Pine]

Only a pleasure!

[Pine]

Alfie Cox and Jurgen Schroder in the SMG Porsche Buggy are currently in 74th position overall, it will still be a great accomplishment if they can finish Dakar '09, so we keep our fingers crossed!

[Pine]

Update (the cars have not yet started yet, remember Argentina is 5 hours behind SA time):

ROUTE CHANGE

Due to the torrential rain that has fallen last night in the areas of La Rioja and Cordoba making the route of today’s special stage completely impassable - at least in its first part - the organizers have decided to change the route of stage 13. The contenders will drive in liaison on the road for 364 km to get to the original CP4 where the start of the 13th special stage will take place at 11:30AM with French biker Cyril Despres (KTM), winner of yesterday’s stage, starting first. The contenders will then race a 220 km special stage, before adding up another 47 km liaison that will take them to Cordoba, the finish of this 13th stage.

[eben]

[Pine]

Dakar Rally, Leg 13, 16 January 2009

Volkswagen consolidates lead with de Villiers and Miller



Wolfsburg (16 January 2009). Volkswagen consolidated its one-two lead with Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D) and Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA) on the 13th and penultimate leg of the Dakar Rally. On the leg from La Rioja to Córdoba, which had been shortened from 753 to 631 kilometres, the advantage of the two Race Touareg vehicles running in front at the extremely tough desert rally increased yet again, despite a deliberately restrained driving style because their closest rivals, Robby Gordon/Andy Grider (USA/USA), lost 22m49s to the stage winners.

Nani Roma/Lucas Cruz (E/E) rejoiced with Mitsubishi about their first stage victory, while Volkswagen in a favourite overall position had opted for a defensive, no-risk driving style driven by team spirit. Dieter Depping/Timo Gottschalk (D/D) in the Red Bull blue Race Touareg finished the stage, which – as at the beginning of the rally – featured quick gravel sections similar to a sprint rally, in fourth place. Miller/Pitchford finished the day in seventh, and de Villiers/von Zitzewitz in eighth place.

36-year-old Giniel de Villiers is thus ranking in first place overall, 2m20s ahead of Mark Miller. Robby Gordon in third overall is lacking as much as 1h27m to the front runners. With Dieter Depping in seventh place, the third remaining Race Touareg before the final 792-kilometre leg to Buenos Aires is among the top ten of the legendary desert classic that is being staged in South America through Argentina and Chile for the first time and that will end on Sunday with the drive across the official finish ramp.

Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director)
"On the last two ‘Dakar’ legs, taking the three Race Touareg cars to the finish is of paramount importance. Our goal is not to clinch a stage win but the historic maiden victory of a diesel-powered vehicle at the legendary Dakar Rally. This is within reach now – for the final leg, this means: we will take the cars all the way to the finish. I have nothing but praise for the drivers and co-drivers’ excellent teamwork today. They perfectly followed our strategy and thus made another contribution towards achieving this big objective.”

#305 – Giniel de Villiers (ZA), 8th place leg / 1st place overall
"We approached the penultimate leg of the Dakar Rally very cautiously. The key thing was to deliver the car in good condition at the finish. That wasn’t easy because today’s stage in particular offered several opportunities to damage the car. Loose gravel demanded my full concentration because it was very slippery. On Saturday, we’ll have to complete the final stage with one hundred per cent concentration as well.”

#307 – Dieter Depping (D), 4th place leg / 7th place overall
"A very nice, very fast special stage which – yet again – very much resembled a classic sprint rally. That suited me extremely well and it was fun driving it. Today I had the part of accompanying the other two teams to the finish in the event this would have been necessary. I’ve got no problems with that whatsoever: The main thing is that at the end of this tough Dakar Rally a Volkswagen finishes as the winner. I’d do anything for that.”

#308 – Mark Miller (USA), 7th place leg / 2nd place overall
"The stage again offered lots of variety and, to be honest, we drove with reduced speed today. At this point of the rally, it’s all about taking it easy on the material, to keep from damaging anything and to see the finish every day. What’s more, we delivered good teamwork today. One thing is clear: We started the rally as a team and we’ll finish it as a team.”


Three questions for Volkswagen team physician Dr Markus Preuth

At the "Dakar” the drivers and co-drivers have to deliver top athletic performances in the cockpit. Howe did the Volkswagen factory drivers prepare themselves for this?
"In addition to special medical care, which is assured throughout the year, we conducted an altitude training programme with all the teams focused on both power and concentration. In Arosa, for example, we prepared for the ‘Dakar’ with climbing, mountain biking and hiking tours. I think this paid off in the teams’ performances, particularly on the tough legs.”

As a team doctor, how can you tell how fit the teams are during the "Dakar”?
"When the boys come in after completing the legs, sometimes after eight hours of working at the limit, they not only look fit. Based on a fluid balance we can tell whether or not the drivers and co-drivers drank enough and help to re-hydrate them. Despite truly strenuous stages – where the drivers even had to dig themselves out of the sand at times – we have not encountered any health problems whatsoever so far. Quite the opposite is true: the drivers have always handled the strains very well.”

On the medical side of the house, how do you manage to have the drivers and co-drivers recoup their energies within just a few hours – and for two weeks straight at that?
"Of course after returning from a stage the drivers and co-drivers need to get as much sleep as possible. But you can also do a lot in terms of nutrition and treatment. For example, after arriving at the bivouac the crews are immediately served pasta by our chef – to ‘refuel’ on carbohydrates. In addition, there are special re-hydration drinks. Afterwards, they receive physiotherapy during which the muscles are loosened and special treatment is applied individually at various locations. In addition to the muscles, this usually involves the tendons. We also use a joints and soft tissue technique to ensure the boys are fit again the next day.”


Standings after leg 13, La Rioja (RA) – Córdoba (RA); 220/631 km stage 13/total

Pos.; Team; Vehicle; Leg 13; Overall time
1. Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 2h48m16s (8th); 46h35m14s
2. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 2h48m01s (7th) + 2m20s
3. Robby Gordon/Andy Grider (USA/USA); Hummer; 2h56m37s (16th) + 1h27m13s
4. Ivar Tollefsen/Quin Evans (N/GB); Nissan Navara; 2h54m56s (12th) + 5h55m01s
5. Krzysztof Holowczyc/Jean-Marc Fortin (PL/B); Nissan Navara; 2h41m06s (2nd) + 6h37m32s
6. Nani Roma/Lucas Cruz Senra (E/E); Mitsubishi Racing Lancer; 2h33m48s (1st) + 7h27m08s
7. Dieter Depping/Timo Gottschalk (D/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 2h43m48s (4th) + 8h28m55s
8. Miroslav Zapletal/Tomas Ourednicek (CZ/CZ); Mitsubishi L200; 2h51m06s (9th) + 10h52m26s
9. Leonid Novitskiy/Oleg Tyupenkin (RUS/RUS); BMW X3; 2h44m21s (5th) + 13h15m11s
10. René Kuipers/Filipe Palmeiro (NL/P); BMW X3; 2h56m17s (14th) + 14h40m17s

[Pine]

Coming up today, let's keep our fingers crossed for Giniel!!

STAGE 14: Cordoba - Buenos Aires

791 km are on the menu of stage 14 including 227 against the clock. For this last special stage, the contenders will be able to enjoy a fast and flat route through acres of crops. However, in the lead of the race, prudence will - obviously - be the name of the drive because if the leaders in the general stadings do not have a lot to fear if nothing goes wrong,...

[Pine]

Some great sportmanship shown by Giniel de Villiers yesterday, he pulled over only 4 km after the start waiting for the other Touaregs to join him so that they can complete the stage in convoy, thus allowing Roma and Cruz to win the stage in the Mitsubishi.

[Pine]

News just in is that Giniel de Villiers and Dirk von Zitzewitz has indeed WON Dakar 2009 with Mark Miller and Ralph Pitchford (navigator, also from South Africa) second - that is unbelievably good news! Race not finished yet, but we've got South Africans in both first and second positions

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S ! ! !

[Pine]

South-African driver Giniel De Villiers (VW) wins his fourth stage on the rally, the 12th in his Dakar history by winning this 14th and last special stage, just 2" ahead of Russia’s Leonid Novitskiy (BMW), and 17" ahead of Poland’s Krzysztof Holowczyc (Nissan). De Villiers is now sure to have won his first Dakar and of giving Volkswagen its very first success in the rally-raid.

[Chris]

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Good show!

[Pine]

NEWSFLASH: Dakar Rally, Leg 14, 17 January 2009

Volkswagen wins final stage – one-two victory nearly secured



Wolfsburg (17 January 2009). Volkswagen defended its one-two lead on the 14th and final special stage of the 2009 Dakar Rally with Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D) and Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA). Front runner de Villiers in the Race Touareg powered by a 280-hp TDI diesel engine won the 227-kilometre special stage between Córdoba and Buenos Aires and, like his team colleague Mark Miller, who finished sixth, now only has to complete the 341-kilometre liaison stage to Buenos Aires. Only then will the historic first "Dakar” triumph of a diesel-powered vehicle have been finally secured. On Sunday, the ceremonial drive across the finish ramp will follow in Buenos Aires.

Giniel de Villiers and his German co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz completed their overall performance with a final best time on the 227-kilometre special stage – it was their third stage win and the tenth for Volkswagen at the current Dakar Rally, the first staged through South America. With a gap of 8m59s in the overall standings, Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA) as the runners-up achieved their personal best result at the Dakar Rally. Dieter Depping/Timo Gottschalk (D/D) reached the finish at the Dakar Rally in sixth place overall.

[Pine]

Just a quick correction, according to the official Dakar 09 website:

De Villiers is now sure to have won his first Dakar and of giving Volkswagen its very first success in the rally-raid.

Not quite true. Volkswagen came 1st, 2nd, 4th and 9th in the second Dakar ever held in 1980

THE VOLKSWAGEN ILTIS – WINNER OF THE 1980 PARIS-DAKAR RALLYAutoMuseum Volkswagen Exhibits the Champion Vehicle

It is a quarter of a century ago that the renowned Paris-Dakar Rally was first staged in 1979. .

Equipped with four-wheel drive and differential locks on both axles, the success of our off-road vehicle in 1980 bore impressive testimony to its maturity of design and its reliability. Indeed, it prepared the ground for Audi's quattro® and Volkswagen's Syncro all-wheel concepts.

The champion car of 1980, a Volkswagen Iltis bearing the start number 137 and piloted by Freddy Kottulinsky and co-piloted by Gerd Löffelmann, is now on display at Wolfsburg's "AutoMuseum Volkswagen”. No changes whatsoever have since been made to the state of this portly champion (its height measures 1.83 metres). Still sporting a cracked windscreen and the sand-yellowed PVC top with which it crossed the finish line in Africa, the car is the non-revamped, in-good-condition original. The quality of being "the original” applies likewise to the vehicle technology. Indeed, the engineering accomplishments that went into this vehicle were later included, virtually unchanged, in the series version. The nominal data describing the Iltis sounds so modest that the vehicle would hardly be credited with possessing the qualities of a winner. A four-cylinder engine with 1.7 litres cubic capacity, a top speed of 130 km/h, front and rear transverse leaf springs, four drum brakes - to put it mildly, the Iltis presented anything but the kind of standard one would have expected of a motor-sport vehicle of the day.

After an adventurous 23 days which put the endurance of both the drivers and the material to the toughest of tests and which saw the contestants travel through seven different countries, the four participating Volkswagen Iltis achieved the first, second, fourth and ninth rankings in the overall field.

Consequences: Stimulus for the future

Even though the Iltis only entered the Paris-Dakar Rally this one time, the success it achieved had a number of important stimulus effects.

For the VW Group, this was not merely a spectacular triumph (right off the cuff, one must not fail to add) in the most gruelling rally on the planet - a contest, incidentally, which Dr Ferdinand Piëch, at the time development management body at Audi, later a keen advocate of rally projects and these days chairman of the Board of Supervisors at Volkswagen, eagerly followed in that January of 1980. More importantly, Audi's quattro® concept, initially developed after winter testing with the Iltis in Sweden and used in the modified drive mechanics featured in the off-roader, actually revolutionised the sport of motor rally. The influence this concept had is still evident today. The VW Group launched the era of four-wheel drive in motor rallies and thus established a standard which applies to this day. With the Syncro concept which followed in the early 80s, Volkswagen was one of the pioneers of four-wheel drive technology in mass-production lower-priced vehicles such as the Golf and the Passat. Nowadays, Volkswagen is once more setting benchmarks in four-wheel drive concepts with its cutting-edge 4MOTION system.

Aside from the technical and sporting successes it produced, the "Dakar” project was a fine model of successful PR work. For one thing, it resulted in a twenty-minute promotion film about the legendary rally for our partners and customers. And a team of TV journalists accompanying the project also produced a 45-minute piece for television which portrayed Volkswagen's twin triumph. The car in which they covered the race was an entirely series-standard Volkswagen Iltis, fully equipped with camera outfittings, which survived the total distance of 10,000 km without a single defect.

Results of the 2nd Paris-Dakar Rally (1 - 23 January 1980)

Pos./ Start no. - Crew - Vehicle - Reg. no. - Time

1. 137 Freddy Kottulinsky/Gerd Löffelmann (S/D) Volkswagen Iltis IN-NN 69 48:24.36 hrs

2. 136 Patrick Zaniroli/Philippe Colesse (F/F) Volkswagen Iltis IN-NC 81 +12.03 mins

4. 138 Jean Ragnotti/Georges Vails (F/F) Volkswagen Iltis IN-NN 95 +2:29.53 hrs

9. 139 Roland Gumpert/Alois Eder (D/D) Volkswagen Iltis IN-NT 25 +9:00.33 hrs

Overall distance: 10,000 km, consisting of prologue plus 12 special tests (4,315 km)
No. of participants: at starting line: 116 (in the automobile class), at finishing line: 51
Countries crossed: France, Algeria, Mali, Niger, Upper Volta, Mauretania, Senegal

A great 3-part documentary, with some original footage of the Iltis(es?) in action (commentary in French)

[karmakoma]

Congrats to Giniel! Well Done. To just finish the race is an achievement, to win it, makes us back at home very proud. This is as big a deal as winning a formula one title, olympic gold or Major golf tournament imho.

Just wish VW would put as much effort into their road cars and SERVICE, then perhaps they would be as good as they used to be in the AC days.

[Pine]

Dakar Rally, 14th and final leg, 17 January 2009

“Das Auto” (“The Car”) wins “The Race”: Volkswagen celebrates “Dakar’s” first diesel triumph with one-two victory

Wolfsburg (17 January 2009). Only when passing the toughest motorsport test with flying colours, only when winning ten of 13 possible stages, and only when thrilling millions of people along the rally route in the process – only then will it be deemed "Das Auto” ("The Car”). Volkswagen won the 2009 Dakar Rally in Argentina and Chile with the Race Touareg and thus made motorsport history. The exploit clinched by the South African-German duo Giniel de Villiers and Dirk von Zitzewitz in the debut event of the legendary desert classic in South America marked the first ever victory of a diesel-powered vehicle in the automobile class in the 30-year-history of the "Dakar”. Their Volkswagen team colleagues Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA) as the runners-up completed the exploit as a one-two victory.

In the extremely tough test for man and material the Volkswagen Race Touareg with its innovative 280-hp TDI engine proved to be the fastest and most reliable car, while the field of contenders – featuring 14 top cars with diesel engines – was of a higher calibre than ever. Volkswagen defeated the serial "Dakar” winners, Mitsubishi, who had not been beaten since 2001, as well as the X-raid BMW team. Besides de Villiers/von Zitzewitz and Miller/Pitchford at the top, the German duo Dieter Depping/Timo Gottschalk in another Race Touareg finished the Dakar Rally, in sixth place overall. Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn (E/F) in another one of the Red Bull blue Race Touareg vehicles, who had been leading the class of the total of 168 cars that had started to the event on eight days, retired after an accident on the twelfth leg while leading the rally.

36-year-old Giniel de Villiers from Stellenbosch had already clinched second place at the "Dakar” in the Race Touareg in 2006. In 2003, the former South African touring car champion contested his first Dakar Rally, since 2006 he has been navigated by Dirk von Zitzewitz. The 40-year-old from Karlshof, and 15-time German Enduro champion, contested his first first "Dakar” on two wheels, switched into the cockpit as a co-driver in 2002, alongside Mark Miller by the way, and formed a team with Robby Gordon (2005) for Volkswagen as well. Since 2007 Dirk von Zitzewitz has been pointing the right way to Giniel de Villiers. 46-year-old Mark Miller from Phoenix/Arizona drove his first "Dakar” in 2002 and has been a Volkswagen factory driver since 2005, with Ralph Pitchford from Pretoria in his co-driver’s seat since 2006.

"Das Auto” prevails at "Dakar” straight from the start

Straight from the rally’s start, the Race Touareg crews set best stage times. A total of ten out of 13 possible stage wins at the "Dakar” went to Volkswagen, on twelve of the 14 rally days one of the cross-country rally prototypes from Wolfsburg was leading the event. The duo Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn decided six of the stages in its favour, while de Villiers/von Zitzewitz contributed four stage wins to the Race Touareg’s tally of success. In just five fieldings in the cross-country classic the prototype has achieved 31 stage victories since 2004, Volkswagen’s "Dakar” tally since 1980 reflects 38 stage wins. At the same time, the four Volkswagen pairings contesting this event showed a very close performance: On the 14 legs – one stage was cancelled by the organiser A.S.O. – the Volkswagen drivers occupied 24 of 39 possible top-three positions in the daily standings. Each of the duos finished at least three of the special stages in the top three places.

Race Touareg adds yet another chapter to TDI Power’s success story

For the Volkswagen Group, the Race Touareg’s "Dakar” victory also marked the continuation of a TDI success story. In motorsport, forward-thinking direct injection technology has now won in any of the fields in which it is being used: In addition to the exploit of the Race Touareg at the Dakar Rally, Audi – with the R10 TDI – celebrated its third consecutive victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June 2008 and later won the title in the European Le Mans Series as well as in the American Le Mans Series, while SEAT in 2008 clinched its maiden title in the FIA World Touring Car Championship with the Léon TDI.

"Das Auto” thrills spectators along the toughest "Dakar” route

The Dakar Rally’s debut in South America has proved to be the toughest edition of the off-road classic so far as well as featuring a totally new change. Besides quick gravel stages – the first leg was completed at an average speed of 143 km/h – and long stretches of dune fields with soft sand, trial-like sections across scree, the two-time passage across the Andes with altitudes of up to 4,700 metres above mean sea level as well as sections with high camel grass were on the agenda of the "Dakar”. Unlike earlier editions, the rally’s daily variations of terrain put extreme demands on the adaptability of the teams.

Arriving at the bivouac and the locations where the legs finished provided an emotional reward to the drivers and co-drivers. Millions of thrilled spectators, 500,000 of them just during the ceremonial start in Buenos Aires on 2 January, lined the rally route and gave the total of 530 cross-country rally teams that had started to the event on motorcycles and quads as well as in cars and trucks an enthusiastic welcome every day.

Second "Dakar” exploit for Volkswagen after 1980

As early as in 1980 Volkswagen at its first – and for a long time only – entry won the Dakar Rally. Almost three decades ago, Freddy Kottulinsky and co-driver Gerhard Löffelmann won the second edition of the rally through Africa at the wheel of a Volkswagen Iltis, a nearly production-based car, followed by their French team-mates Patrick Zaniroli/Philippe Colesse – clinching a Volkswagen one-two victory back then as well. Two further Iltis vehicles finished in places four and nine. In 2003, Volkswagen returned to cross-country rally racing with breakthrough TDI technology, fielded the first generation of the Race Touareg in 2004 and won the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup titles in 2005 and 2007. The one-two victory at the 2009 Dakar Rally marks the Race Touareg’s biggest single exploit.

Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director)
"We did it: We wanted to be the first automobile manufacturer to win the Dakar Rally with diesel power. We have now managed to do this, and with a one-two victory at that. Volkswagen can truly be proud of this historic triumph. We’ve got ‘Das Auto’, we’ve got ‘The Team’ and together we have won ‘The Race’. Celebrating a one-two victory at this extremely tough rally is a major achievement. We not only beat our strongest rivals, Mitsubishi and X-raid-BMW, but prevailed against the Dakar Rally itself. It was more challenging, demanding and murderous on the material than ever. But Volkswagen was tougher, more reliable: Three of our four cars reached the finish, and not one of the Race Touareg vehicles retired due to a technical problem. I want to congratulate and thank the entire team and our successful drivers and co-drivers.”

#305 – Giniel de Villiers (ZA), 1st place leg / 1st place overall
"I’m so happy about having clinched this exploit for Volkswagen. This victory is worth more than any of the titles I won in touring car racing. The twelfth leg was the crucial day. Just before it I’d thought we’d be finishing in third place. I kept thinking about how our rival Stéphane Peterhansel lost the rally with a huge lead one day before the finish in 2003. And so we again led the rally after the twelfth leg as well. The Race Touareg was running absolutely like a charm, and at such a tough edition of the Dakar Rally at that. That was the key to success. I want to thank everyone at Volkswagen for this. Even though I’ve now ended up winning precisely the ‘Dakar’ that was not staged in Africa, which is home to me: It was definitely a genuine Dakar Rally, and the toughest edition I’ve ever contested.”

#305 – Dirk von Zitzewitz (D), co-driver
"I’m filled with incredible joy and relief. Up to the very end there was enormous pressure on us, and I only believed in our success after we’d completed the last special stage. I’ve experienced disappointments in motorsport only too often. This result with Volkswagen is simply fantastic! After completing the incredibly tough twelfth leg, I had a feeling that we could make it. If not now, when should we? And it worked out. It’s the biggest exploit in my career on both two and four wheels – it’s simply a dream.”

#308 – Mark Miller (USA), 6th place leg / 2nd place overall
"That’s a great result for Volkswagen after a difficult rally. It’s nice to have contributed to the brand’s one-two victory. This rally certainly compares well with the editions in Africa – it was extremely tough. I perceived the special stage from Fiambalá to Rioja as being the most difficult one I’ve ever contested. That was an edition of the rally I’ll definitely never forget. The Volkswagen team and the Volkswagen Race Touareg never let us down on this long drive.”

#308 – Ralph Pitchford (ZA), co-driver
"Congratulations to Volkswagen on this fantastic result – a wonderful rally, which was a lot of fun and very, very demanding for the drivers and co-drivers. This rally will be unforgettable not least because it ended with the best result for Mark and me. The car was outstanding and we took it to the finish in one piece.”

#301 – Carlos Sainz (E)
"We set the pace for a long time at the Dakar Rally and led it for a long time as well. That’s why it was a particularly bitter pill for my co-driver Michel Périn and me that we were forced to retire after an accident on the twelfth leg. One must never underestimate the Dakar Rally and prevail against it before being able to win. I congratulate my team colleagues Giniel de Villiers and Dirk von Zitzewitz on their ‘Dakar’ victory. They deserved winning this tough rally.”

#301 – Michel Périn (F), co-driver
"Congratulations to Volkswagen, to Giniel and Dirk – a fantastic result for the brand, to which we’d have liked to contribute as well. Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to do this although we had the best prospects almost up to the end of the rally. But that’s the ‘Dakar’.”

#307 – Dieter Depping (D), 13th place leg / 6th place overall
"A super success for Volkswagen, and I’m proud to be part of this team. I personally experienced the capabilities of TDI diesel power during the rally several times when I surmounted seemingly insurmountable dunes with the Race Touareg after all. For my co-driver Timo Gottschalk and me, the Dakar Rally had both ups and downs. With good stage results, as well as with good intermediate times, we showed that we can keep up with the big names in cross-country rally sport and beat them. My special thanks go to my mechanics who always gave us a perfectly prepared car despite working additional night shifts and who, like the rest of the team, really backed us in a tremendous way. I’d have liked giving them an even better result. Despite several setbacks we struggled through and, in the end, sixth place overall is a good result.”

#307 – Timo Gottschalk (D), co-driver
"The Dakar Rally has found a new home in Argentina and Chile. The special stages were tougher and more varied than ever. The continually changing terrain is one of the new challenges, which puts high demands on the driver and co-driver’s adaptability. In addition, the enthusiastic audience gave us a thrilling welcome along the daily legs. This has been a great debut of the ‘Dakar’ in South America, at which Dieter Depping and I had to deal with setbacks as well, though. But that’s part of it. The Volkswagen team performed an impressive feat and definitely deserves this one-two victory.”

Final standings after leg 14, Córdoba (RA) – Buenos Aires (RA); 227/792 km leg 14/total*

Pos.; Team; Vehicle; Leg 14; Overall time
1. Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 1h35m43s (1st); 48h10m57s
2. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 1h42m22s (6th) + 8m59s
3. Robby Gordon/Andy Grider (USA/USA); Hummer 1h54m45s(23rd) + 1h46m15s
4. Ivar Tollefsen/Quin Evans (N/GB); Nissan Navara; 1h45m16s (10th) + 6h04m34s
5. Krzysztof Holowczyc/Jean-Marc Fortin (PL/B); Nissan Navara; 1h36m00s (3rd) + 6h37m49s
6. Dieter Depping/Timo Gottschalk (D/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 2; 1h50m17s (13th) + 8h43m29s
7. Miroslav Zapletal/Tomas Ourednicek (CZ/CZ); Mitsubishi L200; 1h46m25s (12th) + 11h03m08s
8. Leonid Novitskiy/Oleg Tyupenkin (RUS/RUS); BMW X3; 1h35m45s (2nd) + 13h15m13s
9. Guerlain Chicherit/Matthieu Baumel (F/F); BMW X3; 1h36m33s (5th) + 14h49m49s
10. Nani Roma/Lucas Cruz Senra (E/E); Mitsubishi Racing Lancer; 1h36m21s (4th) + 17h27m46s

*provisional – subject to ceremonial arrival at the finish on 18 January and Scrutineering

[Pine]

Some dramatic video footage of the Sainz Touareg, shortly after the crash, and the team doctor declaring his navigator's shoulder broken. Note how close the Mitsubishi came to falling in the same river bed as well..