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Added on the 16/01/2019 08:59:51 - Copyright : Auto Moto EN
Stage 7 of the world’s toughest automotive race, the Dakar Rally, promised to be the harshest of the 2019 edition – and it certainly didn’t disappoint. The Dakar truly bared its teeth with a 323 km-long test that saw MINI’s Stephane Peterhansel (France) close the gap to Toyota Gazoo Racing SA’s Nasser Al Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel by 11:58.Despite the Frenchman’s victory on Stage 7, Al Attiya/Baumel still lead the rally in the overall standings, and have a buffer of 29:16 over Peterhansel. Nani Roma (Spain), in another MINI, is in third, 37:59 behind the Toyota Hilux crews. Sebastien Loeb, who had been on a charge over the last three stages, lost significant time due to electric problems in his Peugeot today, dropping down to fourth place in the standings as a result.This allowed the MINI brigade to catch up with the Toyota Hilux mid-way through the stage, and Al Attiyah planned to follow them through the dune section in order to help with his own navigation.
A sense of tranquillity now permeates the bivouac in Arequipa as the Dakar reaches its rest day. The riders, however, after a well-deserved morning rest and massage session, are now preparing for the next stage while the mechanics have spent the morning checking over the bikes ready for this afternoon.
The Dakar Rally reached the halfway point with the dispute of the fifth stage. The second part of the marathon stage proved to be a particularly tactical affair with riders seeking to secure favourable attacking positions for the coming days. Ricky Brabec still holds the top spot in the general standings and Benavides is well-positioned to tackle the second part of the rally.
The Marathon Stage of the 2019 Dakar Rally, Stage 4, brought mixed results for Toyota Gazoo Racing SA. At the head of the field, race leaders Nasser Al Attiyah (Qatar) and French navigator Mathieu Baumel extended their lead to 08:55 by winning the 405 km-long stage. But there was heartache for Dutch driver Bernhard ten Brinke and navigator Xavier Panseri, after they lost 02:56:02 on the day.For Al Attiyah / Baumel, the day could hardly have gone better. The pair started as the second car on the road, behind the winner of Stage 3, Stephane Peterhansel (MINI). The Toyota Gazoo Racing SA crew pushed throughout the stage, steadily increasing their lead to finish 01:52 clear of the MINI crew. This means that Al Attiyah / Baumel is now nearly nine minutes clear of Peterhansel at the head of the field.
The Dakar Rally is known for the twists and turns it dishes up every year, and Stage 3 of the 2019 Event delivered its fair share. On the positive side, Toyota Gazoo Racing SA’s Nasser Al Attiyah and navigator Mathieu Baumel drove a near-perfect stage to post the second-fastest time on the day, and take over the overall lead of the rally.Al Attiyah / Baumel finished the 331 km-long stage just 03:26 behind winners MINI’s Stephane Peterhansel and navigator David Castera, who completed the dune-laden test in 03:54:31. It was a stunning performance by the Qatari master, and clearly showed the power of the Toyota Hilux in the thick Peruvian sand.“The stage today was extremely difficult,” said Al Attiyah after reaching the bivouac in the Peruvian town of Arequipa, some 460 km from the finish of the stage. “We crossed many big dunes, and in my experience, this was one of the toughest stages I’ve seen on the Dakar.”The stage certainly proved to be a tough one for Toyota Gazoo Racing SA’s Giniel de Villiers and navigator Dirk von Zitzewitz. The pair set good times early in the stage, but disaster stuck near the 172 km-mark when they hit a rock (hidden in loose sand). The impact destroyed the sump guard of the Toyota Hilux, and cracked the sump. As a result, they lost all oil pressure, and were forced to stop in order to save the engine.
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