We are up to the rest day for Dakar 2016, time to take stock of what has happened and what is to come.
As a regular Dakar follower, this years race has been a strange one. With Chile off the agenda (due to huge flooding at the recce stage earlier last year), and modifications to the route this year, because of massive rainfall. This years Dakar, maybe, up until now hasn’t been as challenging as one would expect.
It’s not just me who thinks this. Ex WRC front runner and Dakar rookie Miko Hirvonnen, said this exact thing in an interview at the rest day. Also none of the front runners have got properly lost. There have been very few mechanical issues. Although there have been a lot of crashes, especially in the bikes and quads, indicative of the fast pace. What is the other indicator of that pace? In the cars, Loeb is leading. In his rookie year.
I’ll wrap up all the categories, but I will drill down on the cars. My opinion that the bikes is the most interesting category from a competitor point of view (cheapest to enter and be competitive at, so you get some real suprises), and the trucks are the most awesome (no complaints? didn’t think so). But cars I know, so cars it is.
Making me eat my words from my previous post, the factory Peugeot effort (and the only true factory works team it should be noted) has come back in dominant style, from last years humbling effort. So far proving the ‘buggy’ concept can work, and work well. Despite saying there are no fundamental changes over last years competitor, just a huge number of detail changes. The performance, so far, has been in a league of their own.
Should we be suprised that Loeb is leading? Not really. I feel there has been no really extra hard navigation or terrain yet. He has always been a master at being able to run at the very fastest pace of his competitors, while not taking any risks, not taking too much out of the machinery and not making any mistakes. He seems to be able to drive flat out and still reserve and significant part of his brain, for the big picture.
Second to Loeb, is Peterhansel. ‘Mr Dakar’ is once again a great blend of consistency and pace, unable to live with the Frenchman (by his own admission) on the fast stages (that fact that Loeb is not a dick when he wins, and is obviously one of the greats, means other drivers seems to have less of a problem getting beaten by him). He took 8 minutes out of Loeb in the second part of the marathon stage (this year, they have introduced two long days combined into one stage, with no service allowed overnight, all vehicles go into a parc ferme. Bloody brilliant idea me thinks). Although on this stage Loeb suffered two punctures, pulled over a few times when he mistakenly thought he was being passed, aaaannnnddd had to drive part of the stage with the throttle stuck open, switching the circuit breaker between full throttle and nothing, dude’s a freak. However it goes to show that come any sort of trouble for Loeb, Peterhansel is there to strike.
The other factory Peugeot drive, Carlos Sainz, lost 14 mins on the first day. With ‘engine trouble’, no more details were given. Although plowing through a corn field to miss that stages big muddy bog hole, may have had something to do with it. However since then King Carlos has set a blistering pace, now in 3rd, only five minutes off Loeb. Just imagine if he had, had a clean run...?
So, the Peugeot’s have it then? Probably. As they have strength in numbers, their 3 lead drivers all have the pace and the ability to win. So even if they have problems in the second half (their car is the least race tested of the top manufacturers), surely one of this trio will triumph.
Last years dominant winner Nasser Al-Attiyah, is keeping watching brief in 4th. Not much more he can do. Only 17 minutes adrift and driving well with no mistakes so far, a win is still a definite possibility. However he is relying on some bad fortune for the Peugeot’s, as the previously all-conquering MINI has no answer to the pace of the French team.
Miko Hirvonnen, another WRC graduate with a good showing is 5th, and second MINI.
Then the Toyota’s. The south African squad seemed like they were going to get it together this year for a proper tilt at the title. However their (gods own sound) naturally aspirated V8 has struggled at altitude, and while team leader Giniel de Villiers has been his consistent self and currently lies 6th, their fast guys haven’t put together enough of a consistent showing to really make an impact. Last year’s sensation, Saudi driver Yazeed Al Rajhi has only just started to fire. Dutchman Bernhard Ten Brinke, won the prologue stage, and then burnt his truck to the ground. They rely on misfortune for MINI and Peugeot for a good result. Shame, those things sound epic.
Fear not Toyota fans, 200 Series Cruisers are 1&2 in the T2 ‘production class’. Again.
So, hopefully the best is yet to come. We are yet to see proper dunes. So with properly challenging terrain and navigation, the second half could shake things up.
Bikes - as previously Honda have gone hard early. Already costing them their spearhead Barreda to mechanical. While they still lead the way with Conclaves, you have to wonder if KTM’s more measured approach will win the day. On the marathon stage KTM gave clear instructions to their riders to ride between 150-160 km/r for the first day, so their tyres would last both days. No such instruction to the Honda runners, hence Honda won the first day but KTM took them to the cleaners on day two...
Oh, and now 15th outright in the bikes...
Svitko, a privateer is 3rd. Love the Dakar.
Quads - seems like the ever present Argentinian Patronelli brothers have this one wrapped, again.
Trucks - Interestingly, for most of the week the normally dominant Kamaz Team have been nowhere. With Man, Iveco and even Tatra running up the front. The Russian team is on the march now though. Quietly creeping up on the top positions. Will we see something other than a Kamaz win? They are possibly the coolest thing with a Red Bull sticker on, but I would love to see Gerard De Rooy make it Dakar win number 2. Another Dutchman, Versluis, leads for now.
