Dakar 2009 - Stage 7: Cars, Interviews

Carlos Sainz (Esp – Volkswagen) - 301

“The day went well, even if the stage was very hard. There was the mud, and the zones with lots of water, meaning sometimes we had to deal with a bit of wheel-spin. After that it was just as tough, really hard. But everything is going well for the team”.

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Robby Gordon (USA – Hummer) - 309

“For us, it was a pretty good special. There was a little bit of mud at the end. I have to say for the first section we were right in the fight for the lead, but the last section where there was mud, since we have a two-wheel drive I was very conservative and cautious. We gave up probably 5 or 6 minutes to Sainz just in the last 70 kilometers. My Hummer is still hanging in there. We lost 35 minutes yesterday when we got lost, and that might make the difference at the end of the day between winning the rally or not. I’m happy to be half way there. We’ve come here for the win and we won’t stop until the finishing line, we’re pushing as hard as we can, but you’ve got to be smart: a lot of cars are starting to drop out of the rally. It’s still possible. The Volkswagens often break down during the last week”.

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Nani Roma (Esp – Mitsubishi) - 304

“It was a good day. The car worked well. Still, there was a slight problem with the windscreen wipers. I finished without being able to see much. I don’t know what happened to Stéphane Peterhansel either. Perhaps he got a flat tire. Anyway, in this race every day something remarkable happens. We still have a long way to go before the finish. For the moment, we’re only near Valparaiso. At Mitsubishi, we have a huge team who work really hard. They’ve made a super car, but it’s a brand new car, so we have to fight and work hard, day after day, and not let the Volkswagens run away with it. The car is getting better and better, and I’m a professional. Mitsubishi pay me for this type of competition. So I’m going to battle and if VW want to win the rally, then it’s going to be tough, because I’m not going to let up, not one bit. I’ve worked a lot for this race”.