Giniel de Villiers celebrates in Buenos Aires
Pending validation by the race stewards, Spaniard Nani Roma (Mitsubishi) has given the Japanese manufacturer its first stage victory on this 31st
hitting a big boulder, the
Yesterday was a stage like there are many on rally-raids. You must always expect this kind of ups and downs on a race like the
"Today was a great stage for me. It’s funny because this morning, Jean Marc (Fortin) and I, we were saying: ’do you remember back in 1999, we had lost a wheel of our Subaru in WRC right here. It was rather easy for us, not too heavy on the car that does lack a bit of power. In the sand, we loose time but on this type of trail, it’s easy to drive. Some parts of the special stage were the same as in the WRC Rally of Argentina. This allows drivers to express their talents on more technical sections."
"I think we can call this a team stage. The most important is to reach the finish particularly after loosing a car yesterday. The manager wanted us to drive like this today and we abide by the wishes of the team. It’s important for Volkswagen to finish the
TEAM
Posted by on Jan 16, 2009, 18:26
“Obviously, I wish that the No. 309 Monster Energy Toyo Tires Hummer would have had a better outcome today. Regardless of a pesky little rock getting in our way, I am still happy with where we stand going into the last stage tomorrow. Even though we haven’t won any specials yet this year, we are still here competing for the Dakar Rally title and that is what that matters. This race is about survival and preparation, and Team Dakar
“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”.
“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”.
“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”.
“We started very well and very quickly. We soon caught up with Nasser Al Attiyah. When he realized it was us, he counter-attacked and we both continued to race at a very speedy pace, until I was able to overtake on an off-track section. However, just afterwards, I started loosing air from a tire. I had to stop and pump it back up, because it wasn’t a flat tire, just a slow puncture. I was regularly loosing tire pressure right up until the end of the special stage. I think I arrived with only half a kilo of pressure and must have won by just 5 of 6 seconds. It’s a shame, because I could have done better”.
“I think Carlos Sainz overtook me just before we reached the 100-km mark. After that, I followed on his tail and we raced up to the finish. It’s not a problem that he won the stage. It’s even a good thing for me that he will be leading the way for a stage where there should be sand dunes. I damaged the car a bit because there were plenty of trees and also a lot of overtaking to get past the bikers. So, we hit the odd tree, but fortunately it’s nothing serious. This Dakar is really going well and we’re right where we want to be!”
“It wasn’t such a bad stage. I caught up with Dieter Depping who had a puncture. I saw Carlos Sainz and Nasser Al Attiyah. I was two minutes behind them. The route was very bumpy and undulating. It was difficult to go full throttle, attack and make up some ground. When you are two minutes behind, it isn’t all that easy to claw back time on the leaders. The stages are becoming more and more difficult. It’s a proper Dakar”.
“It was a nice stage with some good riding at the beginning then a bit more navigation. The landscape changed, making it a bit more technical, and more physical because you start to feel all the efforts put in so far. Today, it was shorter but harder than the other days. It was a bit like Morocco, where the tricks are nice and quick. I didn’t have any problems with my tires. Since it was a shorter stage, we chose to use foam bibs, and I haven’t had any problems with them. What was strange was having to open 4 or 5 gates. They are cattle gates for keeping the cattle from leaving the farms. In the Patagonia - Atacama the tradition is to close them behind you so everyone is on an equal footing, but this time I left them open, especially as it was my team-mate Viladoms behind me!”
“It was a nice day. Until refueling, I really enjoyed riding on these winding tracks. It was also good to be able to ride without having to constantly think about going easy on the tires, because on the first two stages, I had to slow down. I also liked the last part, because I knew there would be some off-track riding. When you have to ride without the others tracks, it’s even better”.
“It was superb. We finished on the stony tracks, which were a bit quicker, with a crossing of a dry river where there was a big crowd to encourage us. It was a really great special, very varied. I’ve never had such a good time on the rally. It’s also the way the special stages are designed which helps. They are technical, interesting and require a lot of concentration. As a biker, that makes for great riding”.
Michael Shepherd, here with nephew Rory, has always wanted to ride in the Dakar rally.
Michael Shepherd is realistic that the only "first" he is likely to get in the Dakar 2009 rally is as the first New Zealander to race a motorbike in one of the world's most demanding endurance races.
In fact, 44-year-old Shepherd, Kaitaia born and bred and with no sponsorship or claims to professionalism, finished stage one of the rally from Buenos Aires to Santa Rosa in four hours and 37 minutes - an hour and 50 minutes behind the leader.
His brother, Auckland Medical School professor Peter Shepherd, giggled when he thought how Michael would fare, although he did improve his ranking from 234th to 167th after the 371km special stage.
"Every year a couple of people get killed doing this rally, so for him just to get to the end will be an achievement," said Professor Shepherd. "He started second to last in the rankings so if he finished in the top 100 he would be extraordinarily pleased."
Professor Shepherd said his brother had always been "a bit crazy" so it was not too much of a surprise when he found out he had paid about 50,000 ($123,854) out of his own pocket to compete.
"He didn't have any sponsorship so he saved all the money himself ... it's something he's always wanted to do," said Professor Shepherd.
"I'm sure it's been worth it, though. Everyone there has told him he's the first New Zealander to ever race a motorbike in the event."
This year's rally was moved to South America after threats of terrorism forced its departure from its traditional home in Africa.
About 500 trucks, quads, cars and motorbikes will race nearly 9574km, including treks across the Andes mountains into Chile and back across the Atacama Desert, the world's driest.
Competitors will cover an average of 736km on each of the 13 race days.
Professor Shepherd said a couple of motorbike rallies in Morocco had helped to get his brother into shape for the big one.
He said the terrain might be a bit like New Zealand, offering some advantages.
"Also all the other riders are doing it for the first time - on the old course some people have done it 10 times before," Professor Shepherd said.
"Having said that, it's still a pretty challenging course." (The New Zealand Herald)
9 days until the 2009 Dakar Rally in Argentina and Chile
Number games: with 182 litres of water 9,578 km through
Wolfsburg (25 December 2008). 530 teams from 49 nations set off for new pastures on 3 January. This is not just figuratively but quite literally as the first Dakar Rally in South America runs not only to the Atlantic but also to the Pacific Ocean. The competitors in cars, motorbikes, quads or trucks conquer completely new terrain along the 9,500 kilometre route through Argentina and Chile. There are a huge amount of interesting facts regarding the first running of the cross country classic far away from Africa about the Volkswagen team and the four Race Touaregs for Carlos Sainz/Michel Perin (E/F), Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D), Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA) and Dieter Depping/Timo Gottschalk (D/D).
For example, did you know that ...
... the driver and co-driver have 13 litres of water each day on board the Race Touareg and the drinking supply can even be activated at the press of a button?
... fluid is hugely important? It is summer in South America and therefore hot. Furthermore, the Atacama Desert to be crossed has 100 times less moisture than the notorious Death Valley.
... just the special stages at a combined length of 5,656 kilometres easily exceed the distance covered during an entire Formula 1 season? The longest stage covers 837 kilometres, including liaison stages the 2009 "Dakar" ends after 9,578 kilometres.
... the loading list for one Service Truck belonging to the Volkswagen teams comprises of 60 DIN A4 pages? 
... on every Service Truck a tool box with 27 sets of pliers, 58 spanners and 48 screwdrivers is transported? In addition, in a personal case every mechanic carries just the tools that are absolutely necessary for his work on the Race Touareg 2.
... Volkswagen Motorsport sends a total of 23 vehicle and 80 team members to South America?
... the Volkswagen Race Touareg is already a race winner? Since its debut in 2004 it has taken nine wins, 29 podium finishes, 79 stage victories and spent 70 days in the lead in 29 starts.
... the carbon bodywork of a Race Touareg only weighs 50 kilograms? Even more impressive is the weight of the spare parts that Volkswagen carries for all for cars: 50 tons.
... the participants will be confronted with temperature differences of up to 40 degrees Celsius and altitude differences of 4,700 metres?
... the rally armada crosses eleven Argentinean and three Chilean provinces on its way through South America?
-credit: volkswagen
 Engine | | ||
| Construction | | Five-cylinder ‘in-line’ TDI diesel engine, two-stage super charging system with turbochargers and intercooler located longitudinally behind the front suspension |
| Cubic capacity | | 2.500 cm3 |
| Power | | approx 206 kW (280 PS) |
| Torque | | over 600 Nm |
| Air intake restrictor | | 38 mm (FIA/ASO regulation) |
| Engine management | | Bosch |
| Transmission system | | ||
| Gearbox | | Longitudinally mounted five-speed sequential race gearbox |
| Final drive | | Permanent four-wheel drive, three mechanical differentials with viscous locking |
| Clutch | | Hydraulically operated ZF Sachs three-plate ceramic clutch |
| Suspension | | ||
| Front & rear axles | | Double wishbone, two ZF Sachs spring/damper units per wheel |
| Steering | | Servo assisted rack and pinion steering |
| Brake system | | Front and rear ventilated disc brakes (320 mm diameter), aluminium brake calipers (six piston front, four piston rear) |
| Wheels | | Size 7.2 x 16 Inch |
| Tyres | | BFGoodrich 235-85/16 |
| Chassis/bodywork | | ||
| Construction | | Steel space-frame, two-door carbon-fibre composite bodywork |
| Dimensions and weight | | ||
| Length/width/height | | 4,171/1,996/1,762 mm |
| Track width | | 1,750 mm front/rear |
| Wheelbase | | 2,820 mm |
| Minimum weight | | 1,787.5 kg |
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