Peterhansel, Price and Patronelli celebrate triple crown of Dakar wins 17.01.2016: After a gruelling Dakar journey of 9,500km through Argentina and Boliva a trio

After a gruelling Dakar journey of 9,500km through Argentina and Boliva a trio of Red Bull Desert Wings have emerged victorious across the car, bike and quad categories. Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel cemented his title of Monsieur Dakar with his sixth car win while Australian biker Toby Price won the rally for the first time.


The crowds at the finish line in Rio Cuarto, Argentina also had a local hero to cheer home as Marcos Patronelli won the quad category for a third time.


Stéphane Peterhansel is a man who has been there and done it when it comes to the Dakar. After winning the bike race six times he made the switch to four wheels. Little time was wasted in mastering the new discipline and his victory today makes it six wins in the car race and 12 Dakar triumphs in all.


Peterhansel’s latest win came behind the wheel of the fearsome Peugeot 2008DKR16, the car that has led the contest since the first day thanks also to fellow Team Peugeot-Total drivers Sébastien Loeb and Carlos Sainz.


Pulling up behind the Peugeot of Peterhansel and co-driver Jean-Paul Cottret on the finalised car podium were a pair of former champions: Nasser Al-Attiyah/Mathieu Baumel in second and Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz in third.


The recent withdrawals of five-time Dakar winners Cyril Despres (seventh overall this time in cars) and Marc Coma (now the event’s sporting director) from the bike race left the category wide open heading into this year’s contest.


Stepping up to the plate for the Red Bull KTM Factory Team and securing the Austrian manufacturer a 15th consecutive Dakar win was Toby Price. A podium finish during his Dakar debut 12 months ago had already marked Price out as an exceptional talent. Now the Australian has picked up his first Dakar victory: the only question that remains to be answered is how many titles will he go on to win in the future?


Just like Peterhansel and Price, Argentine quad biker Marcos Patronelli used the second week of the Dakar to build up an unassailable lead at the front of the race. There was an outpouring of emotion at the finish line as Patronelli got his hands on his third Dakar title and was followed home by his brother Alejandro in second place.


Over in the truck race Team Kamaz Master ended up running out of stages as they attempted to reel in long-time race leader Gerard de Rooy. Ayrat Mardeev offered a fine defence of the title he won last year but when the race was run the Russian had to settle for second overall.


Our final congratulations has to go to all the competitors, event organisers and fans that make the Dakar Rally a truly special event. In the world’s toughest race things are always being pushed to the very limit and the Dakar remains motorsport’s ultimate test of endurance.

 

2016 Dakar Rally Stage 13 Results



CARS

1 Sebastien Loeb (F)/Daniel Elena (MC) Peugeot 1h46min51sec
2 Mikko Hirvonen (FIN)/Michel Perin (F) Mini +1min13sec
3 Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Mathieu Baumel (F) Mini +1min36sec
4 Cyril Despres (F)/David Castera (F) +1min36sec
5 Leeroy Poulter (ZAF)/Robert Howie (ZAF) Toyota +2min04sec
8 Giniel de Villiers (ZAF)/Dirk von Zitzewitz (D) Toyota +3min08sec
12 Kuba Przygonski (POL)/Andrei Rudnitski (BLR) Mini +1h52min56sec
22 Marek Dabrowski (POL)/Jacek Czachor (POL) Toyota +2h00min13sec
27 Adam Malysz (POL)/Xavier Panseri (F) Mini +2h03min35sec

BIKES

1 Pablo Quintanilla (CHL) Husqvarna 1h51min27sec
2 Kevin Benavides (ARG) Honda +1min41sec
3 Helder Rodrigues (POR) Yamaha +2min37sec
4 Toby Price (AUS) KTM +4min22sec
5 Stefan Svitko (SVK) KTM +6min24sec
7 Ivan Cervantes (KTM) +11min50sec
52 Jordi Villadoms (KTM) +34min22sec
70 Antoine Meo (KTM) +48m19sec


TRUCKS

1 Hans Stacey (NLD) Man 2h06min08sec
2 Pieter Versluis (NLD) Man +1min45sec
3 Eduard Nikolaev (RUS) Kamaz +2min08sec
4 Martin Kolomy (CZE) Tatra +2min52sec
5 Ayrat Mardeev (RUS) Kamaz +3min13sec
9 Dimitry Sotnikov (RUS) Kamaz +7min21sec
13 Andrey Karginov (RUS) Kamaz +13min26sec


QUADS

1 Brian Baragwanath (ZAF) Yamaha 2h07min18sec
2 Giuliano Giordana (ARG) Yamaha +7min44sec
3 Sergei Karyakin (RUS) Yamaha +7min55sec
4 Jeremias Ferioli (ARG) Yamaha +11min45sec
5 Walter Nosiglia (BOL) Honda +12min43sec
6 Marcos Patronelli (ARG) Yamaha +15min37sec




2016 Dakar Rally Overall Standings

CARS

1 Stéphane Peterhansel (F)/Jean-Paul Cottret (F) Peugeot 45h22min10sec
2 Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Mathieu Baumel (F) Mini +34min58sec
3 Giniel de Villiers (ZAF)/Dirk von Zitzewitz (D) Toyota  +1h02min47sec
4 Mikko Hirvonen (FIN)/Michel Perin (F) Mini +1h05min18sec
5 Leeroy Poulter (ZAF)/Robert Howie (ZAF) Toyota +1h30min43sec
7 Cyril Despres (F)/David Castera (F) +1h49min04sec
9 Sébastien Loeb (F)/Daniel Elena (MC) Peugeot +2h22min09sec
15 Kuba Przygonski (POL)/Andrei Rudnitski (BLR) Mini +5h40min00sec
29 Marek Dabrowski (POL)/Jacek Czachor (POL) Toyota +15h27min33sec
53 Adam Malysz (POL)/Xavier Panseri (F) Mini +28h46min03sec



BIKES

1 Toby Price (AUS) KTM 48h09min15sec
2 Stefan Svitko (SVK) KTM +39min41sec
3 Pablo Quintanilla (CHL) +48min48sec
4 Kevin Benavides (ARG) Honda +54min47sec
5 Helder Rodrigues (POR) Yamaha +55min44sec
7 Antoine Meo (F) KTM +1h56min47sec
16 Ivan Cervantes (KTM) +4h45min23sec
17 Jordi Viladoms (KTM) +4h51min04sec


TRUCKS

1 Gerard De Rooy (NLD) Iveco 44h42min03sec
2 Ayrat Mardeev (RUS) Kamaz +1h10min27sec
3 Federico Villagra (ARG) Iveco +1h40min55sec
4 Hans Stacey (NLD) Man +2h23min01sec
5 Ton van Genugten (NLD) Iveco +2h30min59sec
7 Eduard Nikolaev (RUS) Kamaz +3h39min23sec
14 Andrey Karginov (RUS) Kamaz +6h40min58sec
15 Dimitry Sotnikov (RUS) Kamaz +6h45min42sec



QUADS

1 Marcos Patronelli (ARG) Yamaha 58h47min41sec
2 Alejandro Patronelli (ARG) Yamaha +5min23sec
3 Brian Baragwanath (ZAF) Yamaha +1h41min53sec
4 Sergei Karyakin (RUS) Yamaha +1h44min25sec
5 Jeremias Ferioli (ARG) Yamaha +2h02min08sec

 


Quotes


Stéphane Peterhansel #302: “It's extraordinary. The pressure was very high, but we came through. Crossing the finish line was a release after the extremely stressful last three days. I'm also delighted to write a new page in the history of Peugeot because the guys in the team have been working their socks off for two years.


Some of my wins count more than others, but this one's definitely in the top 3. It's too early to think about the future. One thing's for sure, getting the same number of victories on a bike and in a car was the last big goal in my career. Now that it's done, I don't think there are many things left to motivate me.”


Nasser Al-Attiyah #300: “Two men had me worried before the start of the Dakar: Stéphane [Peterhansel] and Giniel [De Villiers]. In the end, it's the three of us on the podium. Stéphane is very smart and Giniel is very constant, he can do a good job. I'm happy to finish second, a decent performance.


I expected to be on the podium when the race started, but I wasn't sure on which step. Second, I'm very happy.”


Giniel de Villiers #301: “At the end of the day, we waged all-out war for the podium with Mikko [Hirvonen]. I pulled out all the stops yesterday. Today, I drove defensively. I'm happy for Toyota and the team to keep the podium spot. The first week was frustrating for me.


We were behind the Peugeots and even Nasser [Al-Attiyah], with all that altitude and sand. We need to improve our top speed. Congratulations to Stéphane for his twelfth victory and to Peugeot. On the home front, I'm happy with the reliability of our vehicle, but it's difficult to hold our own against turbo engines.


The Peugeots are very fast. We're reliable but not fast. It's my thirteenth Dakar and my fifth podium. I've only won once, but I hope to win again soon.”


Sébastien Loeb #314: “We were very competitive overall, both the car and us. We ran into some trouble in the stages with navigation, but now we know what we've got to work on. Some navigation stages were fun, but others in the desert were a challenge.


We'll see how we can optimise our preparation for next year, but it leaves you wanting more, even if you've suffered.”


Toby Price #3: “I don't know what to say, I don't know what to think... I'm in shock, I never would've thought I could win this race in my second participation. This is incredible for my family, my friends and my fans back in Australia! Winning in my second participation is awesome, but being the first Australian to win the Dakar is just insane.


I would've never imagined this two years ago. Finishing the rally is already a triumph. Winning it is amazing! I tackled the race in true Aussie style. I attacked when I had to, when the time was right, and I kept an eye on my bike during the all-important marathon stages.


I also navigated rather well. I hope this is just the start, to win again. It won't be easy, so I've got to savour this victory.”


Marcos Patronelli #252: “I'm clearly over the moon. We had a spectacular Dakar. We were unlucky at the beginning, but everything went better from there. We had a very consistent Dakar. We worked a lot. I'm rather emotional about the result. It was a tough edition.


There was a rally-style part and a Dakar-style part. It felt like two races in one. I wasn't at my best in the opening fast part, but I was able to make the difference in the second part. My team and my brother have also won this Dakar. It's really amazing!”



Christina Gaither