STAGE 5 | SAN JUAN DE MARCONA-AREQUIPA
Contrasting fortunes on the Dakar today for Team PEUGEOT Total: the squad is first and second overall after the longest day of the rally, after taking a third consecutive win on a punishing fifth stage. But nine-time World Rally Champions Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena were forced to retire for medical reasons, after an impact caused injury to Elena.
- Stéphane Peterhansel and Jean-Paul Cottret extended their advantage at the head of the field after taking their first stage win of the year. Their reward for a superb performance is a 31-minute cushion as the rally leaves Peru tomorrow.
- Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena have been forced to retire from second place. At kilometre five of the stage this morning, they fell into a dustbowl after trying to avoid another competitor stuck on a dune. Following this major impact, Daniel Elena experienced severe pain in his sternum and coccyx. After assistance from a truck, the PEUGEOT 3008DKR Maxi was able to continue and complete the stage, but with Elena unable to sit upright, they were left with no choice but to retire for medical reasons after the first loop. They are currently driving to the Arequipa bivouac via the assistance route, where they will be taken care of by the medical team.
- Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz had a good run through the dunes and kept up a good pace without taking any risk. Fourth on the stage, the Spaniards are now second overall behind Peterhansel/Cottret.
- Having lost hours due to their collision with a rock yesterday, and following only an hour and a half of sleep, Cyril Despres/David Castera set off at 4h40 this morning with a rebuilt car thanks to the great work of the Team PEUGEOT Total mechanics. Feeling the fatigue, the duo made some mistakes at the end of the stage but carried out their mission by bring the car to the finish, backing up their team mates.
CLASSIFICATION OF STAGE 5:
- Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA) / Jean-Paul Cottret (FRA), PEUGEOT 3008DKR Maxi, 2h51m19s
- Bernhard Ten Brinke (NED) / Michel Perin (FRA), Toyota 4WD, +4m52s
- Giniel de Villiers (ZAF) / Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZAF), Toyota 4WD, +12m47s
- Carlos Sainz (ESP) / Lucas Cruz (ESP), PEUGEOT 3008 DKR Maxi, +18m10s
- Nasser Al Attiyah (QAT) / Matthieu Baumel (FRA), Toyota 4WD, +24m33s
- Orlando Terranova (ARG) / Bernardo Graue (ARG), Mini 4WD, +24m38s
- Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi (ARE) / Xavier Panseri (FRA), Peugeot 3008DKR, +25m39s
- Patrick Sireyjol (FRA) / Francois-Xavier Beguin (FRA), Buggy 2WD, +33m16s
- Cyril Despres (FRA) / David Castera (FRA), PEUGEOT 3008DKR Maxi, +37m36s
- Jakub Przygonski (POL) / Tom Colsoul (BEL), Mini 4WD, +41m13s
CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE 5:
- Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA) / Jean-Paul Cottret (FRA), PEUGEOT 3008DKR Maxi, 13h27m26s
- Carlos Sainz (ESP) / Lucas Cruz (ESP), PEUGEOT 3008 DKR Maxi, +31m16s
- Bernhard Ten Brinke (NLD) / Michel Perin (FRA), Toyota 4WD, +1h15m16s
- Nasser Al Attiyah (QAT) / Matthieu Baumel (FRA), Toyota 4WD, +1h23m21s
- Giniel de Villiers (ZAF) / Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZAF), Toyota 4WD, +1h34m34s
- Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi (ARE) / Xavier Panseri (FRA), Peugeot 3008DKR, +1h46m48s
- Eugenio Amos (ITA) / Sebastien Delaunay (FRA), Buggy 2WD, +2h1m57s
- Jakub Przygonski (POL) / Tom Colsoul (BEL), Mini 4WD, +2h16m43s
- Martin Prokop (CZE) / Jan Tomanek (CZE), Ford 4WD, +2h17m27s
- Patrick Sireyjol (FRA) / Francois-Xavier Beguin (FRA), Buggy 2WD, +2h58m22s
TBC. Cyril Despres (FRA) / David Castera (FRA), PEUGEOT 3008DKR Maxi, +37m36s
QUOTE/UNQUOTE
Bruno Famin, PEUGEOT SPORT Director, Team Manager PEUGEOT Total
“This 2018 Dakar is very complicated and there is a lot happening every day. We’ve really no idea how it’s going to end up. Even though we have quite a big lead in the overall classification after today, after what we have seen so far we can’t really be sure of anything. We knew that today would be the last but the most complicated of the sandy desert stages and it has been truly fearsome for most of the competitors. Sébastien and Daniel were really unlucky, because it was only through trying to keep up a good pace that they fell into that hole, which they didn’t see. It’s all the more hard to take given that the car is intact, but obviously Daniel cannot continue like this.”
Stéphane Peterhansel (PEUGEOT 3008DKR Maxi n°300)
1st on stage 5, 1st in overall classification
“I didn’t do a bad job today, that’s for sure, but it was not a perfect stage for us either We lost tyre pressure and the tyre came off the rim so we had to stop and we lost a few minutes. We also made a navigation error at the end of the stage. We could not find a waypoint, and lost more than two minutes. So it was not perfect, but compared to others it was not so bad. I’m really disappointed for my friend Cyril, and for Sébastien and Daniel. But this is motorsport, this is the Dakar…”
Carlos Sainz (PEUGEOT 3008DKR Maxi n°303)
2nd on stage 5, 2nd in overall classification
“It was a very complicated stage and we could have lost a lot more. We are not 100% satisfied with the day but we finished it in a satisfactory position and we are well placed overall. We want to continue like this and to reach La Paz without any drama. “
Cyril Despres (PEUGEOT 3008DKR Maxi n°308)
9th on stage 5, TBC in overall classification
“We’re very happy to be still in the rally: this is the only positive thing that’s happened to us in the last 48 hours. Yesterday we were stuck out there for 10 hours, with wind, night and plenty of stress. That wore us out, and then with three and a half hours of driving without power steering we were even more tired, and had very little sleep. Today’s stage started well. We stopped when we found Sébastien, but there was nothing we could do to help. Due to the lack of sleep and tiredness we also made a few mistakes. For us the most important thing was just getting to the end and not damaging the car. In spite of that all, we are still eighth, and the last two days have given us valuable experience for the future.”
Sébastien Loeb (PEUGEOT 3008DKR Maxi n°306)
Retired on stage 5
“It was a very complicated start: the sand was very loose, the car just wouldn’t climb up the dunes, and we got stuck more or less straight away for 20 minutes or so. Then when we got going again, we were able to follow the tracks from everyone else, and that helped a lot. We got to a place where there was another competitor stopped on a crest: in order not to have to stop while we were climbing I went right to avoid him…but there was a hole just over the crest that we hadn’t seen. We hit it hard. There was nothing more we could do but wait for the truck to pull us out. Daniel was in a lot of pain from the impact. We even finished the stage really slowly, in order not to make the pain worse. Given Daniel’s injury, we were left with no option but to retire.”
Daniel Elena (PEUGEOT 3008DKR Maxi n°306)
Retired on stage 5
“We fell into a soft bowl of sand that we just didn’t see. It was a big impact. I immediately felt a sharp pain in my sternum and coccyx which didn’t go away. I was in so much pain that we had to finish the stage in slow motion. I had to stretch myself out in my seat just to avoid the pain of sitting down. Usually, I do not give up, but I really don’t feel I can continue on terrain where there are so many compressions.”
DID YOU KNOW?
The PEUGEOT range in Peru includes a model that is not sold in Europe: the 301 saloon. The latest restyled version, produced in Spain, offers a combination of quality and value that makes it attractive to the Peruvian market.
WHAT’S NEXT?
STAGE 6 (Thursday 11 January): AREQUIPA> LA PAZ. 758 kilometres of which 313 are competitive
This stage is made up of two competitive sections. The first, 200 kilometres long over sand, will take place on Peruvian soil. Before crossing the border into Bolivia, competitors will pass on a podium to bid farewell to the Peruvian fans. The second section, which starts at Lake Titicaca at an altitude of 3800 meters, will be 113 kilometres long and will cover the Bolivian Altiplano with altitudes up to 4732 meters.
