Sainz/Cruz strong leaders of Dakar 2018 on the eve of the finish 20.01.2018: STAGE 13 | SAN JUAN - CÓRDOBA During this penultimate stage composed of two timed sections with very different profiles, the crew of Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz

STAGE 13 |  SAN JUAN - CÓRDOBA




During this penultimate stage composed of two timed sections with very different profiles, the crew of Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz once again carefully managed their lead over the competition at the wheel of their PEUGEOT 3008DKR Maxi. On the other hand, Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-Paul Cottret lost two places in the general classification after clipping a tree in the first timed section.




• In control of the race with a lead of than an hour over the competition this morning, Carlos Sainz / Lucas Cruz avoided the many pitfalls of the penultimate stage. Despite a small off during the opening section, the Spanish duo conceded only a few minutes to their pursuers. They are still firmly in the lead, 46min18s ahead, with only a 119 km stage remaining on Saturday.
 




• For Stéphane Peterhansel / Jean-Paul Cottret, stage 13 quickly turned into a nightmare. At kilometer 78 of the first stage of the day, the front left wheel of the n°300 PEUGEOT 3008DKR Maxi clipped a tree hidden by a bump, breaking a steering rod as well as the power steering. The defending champions began repairs, soon helped by Cyril Despres / David Castera. They crossed the finish of the first timed section with a deficit of 57 minutes, before the Team PEUGEOT Total assistance team intervened in the neutralised section to change the whole steering (rack and column). This event unfortunately caused the duo to fall from second place to fourth in the general classification, eight minutes from the podium. It also left Peterhansel with a sprained thumb.
 


• Cyril Despres and David Castera once again behaved like model team-mates, assisting Peterhansel / Cottret during the first timed special. This didn’t stop them from being inside the top 10 on the stage results.
 



CLASSIFICATION OF STAGE 13


1. Nasser Al Attiyah (QAT) / Matthieu Baumel (FRA), Toyota 4WD, 5h02min22s
2. Lucio Alvarez (ARG) / Robert Howie (ZAF), Toyota 4WD, +11min16s
3. Giniel de Villiers (ZAF) / Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZAF), Toyota 4WD, + 13min06s
4. Jakub Przygonski (POL) / Tom Colsoul (BEL), Mini 4WD, + 15min07s
5. Mikko Hirvonen (FIN) / Andreas Schulz (DEU), Mini 2WD, +19min24s
6. Carlos Sainz (ESP) / Lucas Cruz (ESP), PEUGEOT 3008 DKR Maxi, + 19min37s
7. Boris Garafulic (CHL) / Felipe Palmeiro (PRT), Mini 4WD, +22min41s
8. Sebastian Halpern (ARG) / Edu Palenta (ARG), Toyota 4WD, +27min36s
9. Vaidotas Zala (LTU) / Saulius Jurgelenas (LTU), Toyota 4WD, + 29min57s
10. Cyril Despres (FRA) / David Castera (FRA), PEUGEOT 3008DKR Maxi, +34min36s
20. Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA) / Jean-Paul Cottret (FRA), PEUGEOT 3008DKR Maxi, +1h03min04s
 


CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE 13


1. Carlos Sainz (ESP) / Lucas Cruz (ESP), PEUGEOT 3008 DKR Maxi, 47h46min30s
2. Nasser Al Attiyah (QAT) / Matthieu Baumel (FRA), Toyota 4WD, + 46min18s
3. Giniel de Villiers (ZAF) / Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZAF), Toyota 4WD, + 1h20min00s
4. Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA) / Jean-Paul Cottret (FRA), PEUGEOT 3008DKR Maxi, + 1h28min08s
5. Jakub Przygonski (POL) / Tom Colsoul (BEL), Mini 4WD, + 2h46min32s
6. Martin Prokop (CZE) / Jan Tomanek (CZE), Ford 4WD, + 7h21min55s
7. Sebastian Halpern (ARG) / Edu Palenta (ARG), Toyota 4WD, +9h9min4s
8. Lucio Alvarez (ARG) / Robert Howie (ZAF), Toyota 4WD, +9h21min22s
9. Boris Garafulic (CHL) / Felipe Palmeiro (PRT), Mini 4WD, +12h47min22s
10. Vaidotas Zala (LTU) / Saulius Jurgelenas (LTU), Toyota 4WD, +16h08min13s
TBC. Cyril Despres (FRA) / David Castera (FRA), PEUGEOT 3008DKR Maxi, +45h15min52s
 




LIVE FROM THE BIVOUAC…
 



Carlos Sainz (PEUGEOT 3008DKR Maxi n°303)
6th on stage 13 / 1st in overall classificaiton


“The first part of the stage was really tricky. I don’t know what happened to the competitors who left after me, but I'm sure there were a lot of problems. The second section was more typical of a WRC stage and a little less complicated, even though there were parts that were really narrow for our PEUGEOT 3008DKR Maxi. The upsets today show that the race isn’t over yet. I hope everything will be fine tomorrow.”
 



Stéphane Peterhansel (PEUGEOT 3008DKR Maxi n°300)
20th on stage 13 / 4th in overall classificaiton


“In the first timed section this morning, we arrived in a winding area with vegetation. We attacked a descent and couldn’t avoid touching a tree, which did some damage to the front left of our PEUGEOT 3008DKR Maxi. We started to repair it, and Cyril and David stopped to help us. After losing more than an hour, we were finally able to leave with an impaired car. This sadly ends any chance of achieving the one-two we hoped for. We are very disappointed for the whole team.”
 



Cyril Despres (PEUGEOT 3008DKR Maxi n°308)
10th on stage 13 / TBC in overall classification


“This morning, while we were following Carlos, we saw that Stéphane and Jean-Paul had a problem. We stopped to help perform a makeshift repair to the steering system so that he could finish the stage, and then left and carried on.”
 





DID YOU KNOW ?


The launch of the PEUGEOT 208 GTi and PEUGEOT 308 GTi in the Argentine market at the beginning of 2017 continued a tradition. The PEUGEOT subsidiary in Argentina has always been passionate and inspired by sporty models. In the 60s and 70s, it sold the PEUGEOT 404 ‘Le Mans’ and PEUGEOT 404 ‘Grand Prix’, neither of which existed in Europe!
 



WHAT'S NEXT ?


STAGE 14 (SATURDAY 20 JANUARY): CÓRDOBA-CÓRDOBA. 284 KILOMETRES OF WHICH 119 ARE COMPETITIVE


The rally ends in the Argentine capital of motor sport with a 119-kilometre loop tracing mountain tracks crossing thirty rivers. Both drivers and co-drivers will have to display maximum vigilance.
 
 

Aurélie Lehe - photos Willy Weyens