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WRC Argentina 2009 - Round Up

Rally Argentina 2009

SEBASTIEN LOEB



JARI MATTI LADBALA

Dakar 2009 - 1980 winners congratulate VW on Dakar victory

29 years ago, on 23 January 1980, Freddy Kottulinsky/Gerhard Löffelmann clinched the first victory for Volkswagen at the "2nd Paris-Algiers-Dakar Rally” in the Iltis, ahead of their French team-mates Patrick Zaniroli/Philippe Colesse.
Back then as well as today, Volkswagen celebrated a one-two victory: Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz won the current edition of the desert classic, which ended in Buenos Aires on Sunday after 9,500 kilometres, in front of their team colleagues Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford in the Race Touareg. On the way towards clinching the first victory of a diesel-powered vehicle Volkswagen decided ten out of 13 stages in its favour at the first "Dakar” through Argentina and Chile.

The one-two victory prompted the driver pairing that had been victorious in 1980 to congratulate Volkswagen. ”Ever since I won the rally, I’ve been watching it in the media,” said Freddy Kottulinsky, who is now living near Schleiz in Thuringia. "I wanted to express my sincerest congratulations to Volkswagen on the historic TDI victory. Even though an exploit in our day with naturally aspirated diesel engines would have been inconceivable, I had no doubt that a diesel would win one day. In passenger cars, modern diesel technology has long become the ultimate.”
Kottulinsky/Löffelmann in the Iltis: unusual conditions in 1980

"Of course I’ve actively been watching Volkswagen’s current path to victory in the media as well, and congratulate the squad,” said former co-driver Gerhard Löffelmann. Back then, he was working for AUDI AG in Technical Development; today, he is a team leader in vehicle engineering, still with the same department. After almost 30 years, the differences in conditions are tremendous. We only drove with a compass, now there are modern GPS systems, even though their use is restricted. What’s more, I didn’t even have any experience as a co-driver. My main role was that of a mechanic who had to be able to repair the car and to thus help to take it to the finish.” Löffelmann still has the roadbook. It was all in French and then team boss Roland Gumpert – the driver of a rally Iltis himself – helped to translate it every night at the bivouac.

Back in 1980, an almost entirely production-based Volkswagen Iltis sufficed to achieve the duo’s victory. The off-road vehicle was only complemented by underbody protection, modified dampers, a roll cage, different seats, additional instruments and a further fuel tank. The standard 1.7-litre engine delivered about 110 instead of 75 hp for the 10,000-kilometre rally distance from France via Algeria, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and (then) Upper Volta, all the way to Senegal. "That was enough to win,” recalled Kottulinsky. As much as he enjoyed his activities as a racing and rally driver in his day, he still has a wish, "I’d really be thrilled to drive today’s Race Touareg just for once ..."

Budapest-Bamako Rally: Budapest-Bamako: Invadors hit Monte Carlo

From Sunday to Tuesday – the participants have three days to complete the super marathon stage between Brescia in Italy and Merzouga in Morocco – because on Wednesday morning the real rally starts there! But also on their way to Southern Spain the crews had some tasks to solve. For the Tourist category it was a bit easier, they had only two official stops before Morocco. 

With the ferry cruise from Almeria (Spain) to Nador (Morocco) 2.740 kilometres had to be covered – under the given circumstances a challenge even for the most experienced teams! Although the transfer was/is only transfer, there was a little ’trick’ in the route to make their lives harder. Instead of using the wonderful seaside motorway from Genua to Nizza the competirors had to choose a passage through the Alps to solve a task. But, as organiser Andrew Szabó Gál warned in the first video, this could be a problem... 

And, of course, it was – because of the snow. “It’s possible that because of the snow the passage will be closed”, informed the caravan Gál on Saturday evening. And, to shatter the hopes of the teams, yes, it was. So they had to switch to plan B and drive in the ‘luxury’ way: on the motorway on the seaside. 

And if they were there… The motorway leads near Monaco’s fabulous capital, Monte Carlo. Among motorsport fans it is a common wish to drive on the legendary Formula 1 track at least once in a lifetime… Moreover, despite the snow and freezing weather, in Monte Carlo pleasant 16 degrees and bright sunshine welcomed the caravan. 

What started as individual ideas of the competitors, ended up as an ‘invasion’ in the luxury city. Rally vehicles parked on every corner, crews taking photos beside Ferraris, Bentleys and Rolls Royce… Even the ‘high society’ noticed that something special is going on: beside the guests of a luxury wedding even pop star ‘Jamiroqai’ greeted the Bamako competitors at a red traffic lamp from his black Ferrari. 

The concierge of the legendary Casino and also the policemen dressed in their traditional uniform proved to be understanding: they let the rally cars to be parked on the exclusive parking places in front of the Casino and ‘Hotel Paris’ and even seemed to be happy about the colourful ‘invasion’. “Oh, Budapest-Bamako, le petit Dakar! Welcome to Monaco!” They knew the rally already. 

But after Monaco, fun was over. The crews set on the motorway and headed directly towards Almeria in Southern Spain. They could have a stop in Montpellier, France, but the ‘tough’ ones opted for go directly to the port to be aboard the first ferry of the three booked for the rally.

 Unfortunately we have to report about another withdrawal. Three times winners of the Budapest-Bamako, Slovakian Juraj Ulrich and Daniela ‘Danka’ Ulrichova (Nissan) had to quit the race after Danka’s leg was injured. This meant a bitter disappointment for the couple from Bratislava and the end of their hopes to win the rally for a fourth time in a row. 

Only a few of the rally vehicles were able to board the first ferry on Monday morning. As a reward, now finally they have a normal amount of sleeping – after about 3000 kilometres on the motorway. (Marathonrally.com)

Dakar 2009: South African Nissan Navaras finish fourth, fifth and 20th on Dakar Rally

Three privately-entered Nissan Navaras, built by Nissan Motorsport in South Africa have finished fourth, fifth and 20th in the Dakar Rally Argentina-Chile, which ended in Buenos Aires on Saturday afternoon after 15 gruelling days' racing across two continents and over the Andes Mountains. 

Norwegian adventurer and mountain climber Ivar Erik Tollefsen and his English co-driver Quin Evans, regular competitors in the South African off road championship, finished a remarkable fourth overall in their Nissan Navara pickup competing under the banner of Team Overdrive of Belgium. They completed the 9 500-km ultra marathon cross country race in a time of 44 hr 15 min 31 sec and were 6 hr 4 min 34 sec behind the winners, South Africa's Giniel de Villiers and Dirk von Zitzewitz of Germany in a factory Volkswagen Race Touareg.

Fifth overall, 33 min 15 seconds behind Tollefsen and Evans, was former Polish rally champion Krzysztof Holowczyc and his Belgian co-driver Jean-Marc Fortin in a second Team Overdrive Navara. The third proudly South African Nissan, crewed by Hungarian cross country champions Laszlo Palik and Gabor Darazsi, finished 20th, 27 hr 22 min 19 seconds behind the winners.

 "Ivar and Krzysztof's performance on what was one of the toughest Dakars in recent years was massive. It's simply heroic," said Glyn Hall, general manager of Nissan Motorsport, who was team manager in South America for Team Overdrive. "They won the class for production vehicles and were only beaten by the state-of-the-art factory Touareg prototype and a multi-million dollar racing Hummer. We believe that Ivar's fourth place is the highest a genuine privateer has achieved in the Dakar in the modern era." 

"South Africans can be very proud today," added Hall. "Not only did our Navara pickups survive the world's toughest off road race, but there were also two South Africans in the first two cars - Giniel de Villiers in the winning Touareg and his team-mate Ralph Pitchford, who was co-driver in the second-placed Touareg. 

"Giniel is a former national off road champion in one of our Nissan Hardbody pickups and joined Volkswagen's Dakar squad after completing three Dakars in a factory Nissan Hardbody. Giniel is the first South African to win the Dakar and we're very proud of him. It's a huge achievement, comparable to Jody Scheckter winning the 1979 Formula One world championship in a Ferrari.'

 "Ralph is co-driver to reigning South African off road champion Duncan Vos in our Sasol Nissan Navara, pretty much the same car that Ivar and Krzysztof drove on the Dakar. 

"We knew that our racing Navara was a strong vehicle - we've won the national off road championship for the last three years - but to have this kind of affirmation is really satisfying. We have customers all over the world and have already delivered 10 of these vehicles to customers around the world."

 A delighted Johan Kleynhans, sales and marketing director of Nissan South Africa: "Congratulations to all three Nissan crews for their historic performance on the Dakar. Nissan has a proud history in motor sport around the world and today a new chapter has been written. We're very proud of our motor sport department, who built these racing Navaras and also the Hardbody and Navara pickups that have won the last eight South African off road championships. It's a great demonstration of our 'made in South Africa' product and it's appropriate that it comes in the 50th year of our involvement in motor sport in South Africa."

 By Nissan