2010 Dakar : Successful "Dakar" start for Volkswagen

Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz(ZA/D) - Volkswagen Race Touareg 2

WOLFSBURG : January 2, 2010 - Volkswagen accomplished the first special stage of the 2010 Dakar Rally with a good team result – all five Race Touareg vehicles are among the top ten at the beginning of the rally.

Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D) - Volkswagen Race Touareg 2

Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E) reached the day’s finish in the best Volkswagen Race Touareg with a 2.07-minute gap in second place behind their Spanish compatriot Nani Roma in the X-raid BMW. The next Race Touareg followed in fourth place: Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D) were 3.29 minutes behind the front runners, followed by last year’s winners Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D) with a 4.31-minute gap in fifth place. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA) came eighth. The fifth Race Touareg, piloted by Maurício Neves/Clécio Maestrelli (BR/BR), completed the Volkswagen team performance in position ten.

Since several stretches of waters were inundated due to heavy rainfalls the organisers were forced to relocate the start of the first special stage by 52 kilometres. Its distance was thus reduced from 251 to 199 kilometres. At first, quick sections on firm soil were on the agenda. More twisty and narrow passages on stony ground, particularly allowing drivers with experience in classic sprint rallies to shine, formed the day’s finale.

Standings : After leg 01, Colón (RA)–Córdoba (RA); 199/684 km SS 01/total

Pos. ; Team; Vehicle; Leg 01; Total time
1 Nani Roma/Michel Périn (E/F) BMW X3 CC 2h 11m 15s (1) 2h 11m15s
2 Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E) Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 2h 13m 22s (2) + 2m 07s
3 Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-P. Cottret (F/F) BMW X3 CC 2h 14m 05s (3) + 2m 50s
4 Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D) Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 2h 14m 44s (4) + 3m 29s
5 Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D) Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 2h 15m 46s (5) + 4m 31s
6 Robby Gordon/Andy Grider (USA/USA) Hummer 2h 16m 03s (6) + 4m 48s
7 Krzysztof Holowczyc/Jean-Marc Fortin (PL/B) Nissan Pick-up 2h 17m 22s (7) + 6m 07s
8 Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA) Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 2h 17m 28s (8) + 6m 13s
9 Leonid Novitsky/Andreas Schulz (RUS/D) BMW X3 CC 2h 18m 17s (9) + 7m 02s
10 Maurício Neves/Clécio Maestrelli (BR/BR) Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 2h 18m 23s (10) + 7m 08s

[Source : 2010 Dakar - Official, VOLKSWAGEN]