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espite having to start Stage 6 first and opening the way for the following cars, Miller and Pitchford did well to complete the stage in third place, 8min 55sec behind winners Stephane Peterhansel and Jean-Paul Cottret in a BMW X3 and 7min 08sec behind Sainz and Cruz. Al Attiyah was fourth, 11 min 34sec behind Peterhansel.
Defending Dakar champions Giniel de Villiers of South Africa and German co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz were eighth on the stage in their Race Touareg TDi and are now up to 16th overall. After the disappointment of losing over two hours on Monday when they experienced electrical problems on their Touareg, De Villiers and Von Zitzewitz have made up six places in the past three days, but are now concentrating on helping their team-mates.
There are now only four factory Volkswagens left in the race following the retirement of Brazilians Mauricio Neves and Clecio Maestrelli, whose Touareg was too badly damaged after a multiple roll. “Clécio sustained no injuries, but Maurício complained about chest pains and was therefore taken to a hospital for a medical examination. The fact that neither of them suffered any serious injuries shows that the Race Touareg's build is very strong and sturdy,” said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen.
“It was a tough navigational challenge today, particularly during the first part of the stage,” said SA off road champion co-driver Pitchford. “We started first so we were at a disadvantage, having to lead the way and open the road for the others. We are very happy to have consolidated our third place and closed the gap to Nasser.”
Today’s stage (Stage 7) is the longest stage of this year’s Dakar and is the final test before the rest day on Saturday. The rally will head south from the Chilean coastal town of Iquique back to Antofagasta on the edge of the Pacific ocean. There will again be lots of sand dunes in the first half of the stage and the unique experience for many of negotiating huge blocks of salt at speeds as low as 10 km/h. From there it is fast and open to Antofagasta and the welcome rest day. |
