Four-times South African champion Brian Baragwanath led a strong showing from South African riders at the end of the first leg of the Dakar Rally in South America. At the end of seven special stages, with today a rest day in Salta, in Argentina, the Team Rhide SA trio of Baragwanath, George Twigge and Ted […]
DAKAR
FORD RANGER DUO OF XAVIER PONS AND DANIEL MAS VALDES LOOK FORWARD TO SECOND HALF OF DAKAR RALLY OUT OF SALTA
: Spanish driver Xavier Pons and Chilean Daniel Mas Valdes are refreshed after the traditional rest day at the Dakar Rally and raring to start the second half of the world’s most demanding off-road event out of the city of Salta in northern Argentina on Monday morning. The Ford Ranger duo endured mixed fortunes during […]
SOUTH RACING’S MARCO BULACIA AND PETER JERIE DELIVER IMPRESSIVE FIRST WEEK PERFORMANCES IN PUNISHING DAKAR RALLY
:Bolivian driver Peter Jerie have produced a pair of solid performances for South Racing during the first week of this year’s punishing Dakar Rally. The Toyota Hilux drivers have overcome some of the worst weather conditions ever experienced on the event in South America to hold 26th and 33rd overall at the event’s traditional rest […]
REST DAY FOR RACE CREWS, BUT ACTION FOR THE SERVICE CREWS ON DAKAR 2016
For the teams taking part in Dakar 2016, Sunday January 10th offered a moment of respite – but only for the race crews, as the service crews went into overdrive. The rest day is critical in the running of each Dakar, as the human body needs to take a break after seven days of extreme […]
OVERDRIVE RACING AND TOYOTA GAZOO RACING REACH SALTA WITH FOUR TOYOTA HILUXES INSIDE DAKAR TOP 10
Overdrive Racing and Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa have four cars inside the top 10 and seven of their eight cars still in the running and challenging for honours after the first week of an enthralling Dakar Rally, held in appalling weather conditions, in South America. With six of the event’s 13 special stages still […]
Desert Wings: Méo wins stage on Dakar debut, Sainz maintains Peugeot’s hot streak
Violent storms returned to the Dakar Rally during a turbulent seventh stage that saw more lightening quick times set by the Red Bull Desert Wings. Heavy rain on the Bolivia/Argentina border did nothing to dampen the speed of Carlos Sainz as he ensured the Peugeot 2008DKR16 was the fastest car on the stage for a […]
TOYOTA GAZOO RACING SA IN TOP TEN AS DAKAR 2016 REACHES MIDPOINT
Stage 7 of Dakar 2016 brought to an end not only the race’s foray into Bolivia, but also a series of high-altitude stages that did not suit the naturally aspirated V8 petrol engines of the Toyota Hilux race vehicles. Even so, all three Toyota Gazoo Racing SA’s crews are in the top ten, as Dakar […]
Sebastien Loeb retakes Dakar lead, Carlos Sainz wins stage seven
Sebastien Loeb retook the lead of the Dakar Rally on Saturday, while his Peugeot team-mate Carlos Sainz claimed stage honours.The Uyuni – Salta stage was split into two parts, with the cars crossing the border from Bolivia to Argentina through a neutral section in the middle. At the start of the neutral section Loeb enjoyed […]
A sharp Méo draws first blood
Five-time enduro world champion Antoine Méo won a special in his maiden Dakar today. The shortened stage showed how fast the French rider has adapted to a new field of motor sports. It was an impressive win for the official KTM rider, who beat last year’s runner-up Paulo Gonçalves (Honda) and Kevin Benavides. Gonçalves expanded […]
Dakar Cars, Stage 7: Sainz sets pace, Loeb reclaims lead
Carlos Sainz recorded Peugeot’s sixth consecutive stage victory in Dakar 2016 on Saturday, while Sebastien Loeb retook the lead from Stephane Peterhansel.Shrugging off an array of mechanical issues that robbed him off the overall lead on Friday, Loeb immediately reclaimed the top spot and led the timesheets at every waypoint before the mid-stage non-timed zone. […]
Spectator killed during Stage 7 of Dakar Rally
Dakar Rally organisers have confirmed the death of a 63-year-old spectator during Saturday’s seventh stage of the 2016 event between Uyuni, Bolivia to Salta, Argentina. The accident occurred at kilometre 82 of the special stage, and involved the Mitsubishi Lancer of French driver Lionel Baud. Reports suggest that the spectator was killed instantly. A statement […]
XAVIER PONS PLAYS AN OVERTAKING GAME IN HIS FORD RANGER AND CLIMBS SEVEN MORE PLACES ON UYUNI LOOP STAGE IN BOLIVIA
: Xavier ‘Xevi’ Pons played a game of patience to perfection in his Ford Ranger and climbed a further seven places up the leader board to 33rd overall on the longest special stage of the 2016 Dakar Rally around the desolate Bolivian uplands on Friday. After a short liaison of just four kilometres from the […]
Bad luck for Loeb, Peter flawless, Price strikes a third time
The rivalry has been revived within the Peugeot team. After another demonstration by Sébastien Loeb yesterday, today triumph was in the hands of Stéphane Peterhansel. Taking advantage of the problems that befell Sébastien Loeb (a puncture and faulty electronics), the record holder for victories on the Dakar won the special and took hold of the […]
POWER PERFORMANCE BY YAZEED KEEPS TOYOTA GAZOO RACING SA IN THE DAKAR FIGHT
It was another high altitude stage on Dakar 2016, as the crews tackled the 542 km Stage 6. For Toyota Gazoo Racing SA, the extreme altitudes of Bolivia’s high planes made it challenging to compete with the turbo-charged cars in the field. Even so Yazeed al Rajhi and navigator Timo Gottschalk (#305) proved that the […]
Dakar Cars, Stage 6: Peterhansel moves into the lead with second win
Stephane Peterhansel won Friday’s sixth stage of the Dakar Rally to take the lead of the event from Peugeot teammate Sebastian Loeb.It was Peterhansel’s second win of the rally, keeping Peugeot’s perfect record of wins in proper stages so far this year. Today’s stage – kicking off in Uyuni, Bolivia and returning to the […]
No stoppping Peugeot
The 2016 Dakar Rally may have entered a new country today, but there was no change in the car race as Team Peugeot-Total continued to stamp their authority on the contest. A second consecutive 1-2-3 finish, led home by rookie Sébastien Loeb, sees three Peugeot crews parked in the podium positions of the overall rankings. […]
MAURITANIA HAS ONCE AGAIN KEPT ALL ITS PROMISSES
The regulars in the AFRICA ECO RACE were not the slightly surprised today when they arrived at the first dune section of this 444km stage from Amodjar to Akjoujt. The reason been they have already passed the very hard Mauritanian Ergs and thus the stage winner of each category is competitors who have been here […]
TOYOTA GAZOO RACING UNDER PRESSURE AT HIGH ALTITUDE
The high altitudes of Stage 5 of Dakar 2016 placed the crews of Toyota Gazoo Racing SA under extreme pressure, not only because of the performance differences between the normally aspirated V8-powered Toyota Hilux’s engines, but so beause of the strain the rapid rise to heights over 4,300 meters placed on their bodies. Even so, […]
SOME EXCEPTIONAL PEOPLE JUST HAVE IT…..
WHEN YOU HAS IT, YOU HAS IT, they say. I often find it amusing when I listen to some of the “specialists” talk about drivers. Who is best and who will beat anything on wheels. Normally there is a “old” before the name of the world champ to be that never was. Normally these wise […]
Third win for Loeb, 1-2-3 for Peugeot again
If he carries on like this, he will make them really angry… Whilst to date the victories of Sébastien Loeb were fairly logical given the profiles of the WRC type stages, today the nine times world champion and his loyal co-pilot Daniel Elena demonstrated that they had what it takes when it comes to navigation. […]
Sanz comes to aid of unconscious Renet: “It was the right thing to do”
Factory KTM rider Laia Sanz stopped to come to the aid of fellow Dakar Rally competitor Pela Renet during Wednesday’s fourth stage, after the Frenchman lost consciousness in a fall.Dakar rookie Renet suffered a heavy crash 27km away from the finish of the 429km test, and was subsequently taken to hospital in nearby Jujuy with […]
Africa Eco Race: Ullevalseter returns to winning ways in stage eight
Defending bikes champion Pal Anders Ullevalseter returned to winning ways in the eighth edition of the Africa Eco Race.The Norwegian KTM rider won stage eight – a 377 km special around Amodjar in Mauritania.He has now won all but one of the seven stages the bikes have competed in so far this edition. Britain’s […]
Peugeot dominate Dakar day four with clean sweep of podium positions
Team Peugeot-Total’s remarkable start to the 2016 Dakar Rally continued on stage four as Stéphane Peterhansel, Carlos Sainz and Sébastien Loeb scored the three fastest times of the day. 11-time Dakar winner Peterhansel collected the stage win (his 33rd win in cars and 66th including bikes), beating Spain’s Sainz by 11 seconds and fellow Frenchman […]
POULTER MOVES UP TO 4TH OVERALL ON DAKAR 2016
As the support crews and staff relocated to the Bolivian town of Tajita on January 6th, the competitors in Dakar 2016 tackled Stage 4 – a 429 km loop at altitudes peaking over 4,000 m. Not only that, but Stage 4 was also a marathon stage, which means that the crews will have to take […]
The Peugeot Show
The Peugeot armada dealt a huge blow to its rivals at the end of an amazing first half of the marathon stage. Stéphane Peterhansel won ahead of teammates Carlos Sainz and Sébastien Loeb. Nasser Al-Attiyah (Mini) finished in fourth place, preventing Cyril Despres from completing the Lion’s whitewash by 57 seconds. In the motorcycle category, […]
News Flash: Peterhansel leads Peugeot 1-2-3
Latest news from stage 4 on the Dakar is that Stephane Peterhansel is still leading in the Peugeot 2008DKR. Carlos Sainz in the second Peugeot has taken second position and Sebastian Loeb who was leading this morning is third. The latest standings at WP 9 is: Pos. N° Name Make Time Variation Penalty 1 302 […]
South Africa’s first Dakar victory for 2016
Brian Baragwanath won Stage 3 of the Dakar Rally’s quad category with just a four second lead ahead of the Chilean, Ignacio Casale. With tight competition between the two quad riders, Baragwanath managed to secure South Africa’s first Dakar victory for 2016. However, Casale is still in the lead with 2 minutes and 56 seconds, […]
All you need is Loeb as Dakar rookie wins consecutive stages
Another day, another Dakar Rally stage victory for nine-time WRC winner Sébastien Loeb as the Frenchman continues to lead. The Peugeot man and long-time co-driver Daniel Elena shrugged off the disadvantage of opening the road with an aggressive performance that increased their cushion at the head of the race. Despite violent storms complicating events at […]
The moment of truth for Peugeot?
Whilst all the observers as well as competitors agree that the Peugeot DKR 2008 have greatly developed and have improved since last year, the first marathon stage is very likely to be the first real test for the French team.More efficient and performing better, at present no major incident has thrown a spanner into […]
Africa Eco Race: British KTM rider Newland wins stage seven
Britain’s Andrew Newland became only the second rider to win a stage in this year’s edition of the Africa Eco Race.The KTM rider won a rocky stage seven to end Pal Anders Ullevalseter’s perfect start to the rally. Newland completed the 413 km challenge from Chami to Amodjar in Mauritania ahead of Frenchman Norbert Dubois […]
Dakar Stage 3: Barreda’s and Loeb’s amazing feats
On this third stage, the special was predicted to suit quick drivers and riders. Indeed, it lived up to its expectations. Sébastien Loeb gave a veritable demonstration behind the wheel of his Peugeot, just like Joan Barreda behind the handlebars of his Honda. Whilst Barreda, enjoying his 14th stage win on the Dakar with this […]
Sébastien Loeb wastes no time collecting debut Dakar stage win
With nearly 400km of competitive racing now completed at the 2016 Dakar Rally, motorsport’s toughest test of endurance is truly underway once more. Competitors were able to release the tension built up during a stop-start opening to the Dakar and it was the Red Bull Desert Wings that left the biggest impression on the day’s […]
SOLID PERFORMANCE BY TOYOTA GAZOO RACING SA AS DAKAR 2016 RESUMES
Despite the threat of more heavy rain, Stage 2 of Dakar 2016 took place between Villa Carlos Paz and Termas de Río Hondo on January 4th in mostly sunny and hot conditions. The stage was shortened by 134 km to avoid a flooded section of the route, but even so it proved to be a […]
THICK MUD COSTS XAVIER PONS VALUABLE TIME ON DAKAR SPECIAL STAGE DEBUT WITH FORD RANGER IN ARGENTINA
Ford Ranger driver Xavier ‘Xevi’ Pons overcame a minor delay in a particularly muddy and treacherous section of the shortened stage between Villa Carlos Paz and Termas de Rio Hondo to complete his first ever Dakar Rally special stage in northwest Argentina on Monday. Pons, who is driving a Ford Ranger run under a joint […]
Dakar 2016 Stage 2: Price throws down the gauntlet, Loeb causes a sensation
After a short prologue and a cancelled first stage, the Dakar genuinely kicked off between Villa Carlos Paz and Termas de Rio Hondo. On a quick stage without significant navigational difficulties, Toby Price was the first to leave his mark on the race with his second stage victory on the Dakar. Battling in the provisional […]
Breaking news: First Dakar stage victory for Leob and Peugeot
Sébastien Loeb has caused an enormous sensation on the Dakar 2016 with his first stage victory on the rally. On a route that perfectly matched his skills, the Frenchman has managed to beat his illustrious team-mate and countryman by 2’23! Although he was beaten by Sébastien Loeb, Stéphane Peterhansel can still be satisfied with today’s […]
Kobus Potgieter: For my 50th birthday, it was now or never”
When he crashed out of the Australasian Safari back in 2009 and was forced to quit riding bikes for two years, little did Kobus Potgieter know that he would eventually be at the start of the Dakar. The idea however had been in the back of the South African’s mind for quite some time. Soon […]
Appalling conditions
Rain and bad weather forced the Dakar organisers to cancel the first stage, a decision that enjoyed the wholehearted support of Wessel Bosman. The South African rider suffered like a dog under the Argentinian downpour. He made it to Villa Carlos Paz wrapped in a bin bag and frozen stiff. “I never thought I’d end […]
Organisers shortens Dakar’s stage 2
The second strage of the 2016 Dakar between Villa Carlos Paz and Thelma Rio Hondo, the longest bof the 2016 Dakar has been shortened by half by the organisers. The total distance of the stage was 510km, but competitors will now complete the stage at CP 4 to guarantee their safety. The heavy rains that […]
FRUSTRATION FOR TOYOTA GAZOO RACING SA AS DAKAR STAGE 1 IS CANCELLED
Stage 1 of the 2016 Dakar Rally turned into a non-event, when the organisers were forced to cancel the 258km-long racing section due to heavy rain in the area. According to the official information, the race director deemed it unsafe for the race helicopters to take to the skies, and without aerial support they had […]