In a shortened ninth marathon stage, Carlos Sainz has been able to take advantage in the dunes area and has achieved its second stage victory, which makes it a leader in the overall with seven minutes on Stéphane Peterhansel, which suffered some punctures. Nasser Al-Attiya hold the third position exceeded by their teammates today
The ninth stage of this edition also has had to be neutralized. In an edition full of weather problems, today has not been less in the desert of Fiambala, where the extreme heat has compelled to stop the special on the CP2. A lot of confusion about what would happen, Carlos Sainz has managed to draw the situation to departure to take control of the overall.
In the first kilometers of the stage, the Mini dominated with Erik Van Loon, Mikko Hirvonen and Orlando Terranova to front, surpassing for several minutes to the Peugeot. However everything has changed in the dunes area, where Carlos Sainz has made a perfect performance to overcome the Mini and mark its second stage victory this 2016. Not all has been right for the Madrid driver, who has had to stop any time by punctures and to stay nailing slow in the sand.
Worse things have gone to Stéphane Peterhansel, which has suffered some punctures that have been away from the leadership. The French driver lost nine minutes with Sainz, thus yielding the control of the stage and staying to seven minutes in the overall. Even so, ‘Mr Dakar’ has been of luck, because that has gone unpunished of course illegal refuelling denounced X-raid yesterday, and that he could have meant the disqualification.
In this way, Peugeot continues to dominate with its eighth victory in nine stages, and with the doublet in front with Sainz and Peterhansel. Even so, the French brand cannot relax, and that is that the Mini still going strong and approaching from behind. The decision to neutralize the stage does not have liked, since they have lost the opportunity to cut time with the Peugeot. Even so, they have four days to hunt to both drivers, especially with Nasser Al-Attiyah, winner of the last edition, which is maintained at 14 minutes of Sainz.
The Qatari today has been in the shadow of his teammates, and is that Erik Van Loon has been second and Mikko Hirvonen third a few seconds of Sainz. Hirvonen continues to half a minute of the leadership in fourth position, waiting to depress the podium on its own debut. Van Loon remains eighth half a minute of its two main rivals.
The fourth position in the stage today has been for the main representative of Toyota, Giniel De Villiers, which continues to almost an hour of leadership. Behind his team-mate Yazeed Al-Rajhi, is kept close to the expected to catch him, despite the fact that today is not passed to the eighth position. The Top Ten of the overall is closed by the Toyota of Leeroy Poulter in seventh place, Van Loon in eighth, Nani Roma in their particular comeback at the ninth place and Cyril Despres in the tenth position as the third Peugeot.
Problems for Sebastien Loeb, who after the serious accident of yesterday today has returned to the action but at a lower pace, which along with some new problems have made him lose more than an hour to be 22º in the stage and fall to the thirteenth position in the overall to two hours of their partner Sainz. A real penalty for Loeb, who had made an excellent first part of Dakar.
Tomorrow the drivers are again put in motion with another stage Marathon of 278 kilometers between Belen and La Rioja, in which will be re-engage fully in the desert of Fiambala that so many problems has given them today.
