After falling over half an hour behind the leader due to two tire punctures during Saturday’s opening stage, Peterhansel was determined to overcome his difficulties and won Sunday’s stage. He set the fastest time on the 463-kilometer stage, winning by a 29-second margin ahead of Sebastien Loeb.
The stage win was Peterhansel’s 50th, bringing him to the top of the all-time standings, tied with Ari Vatanen. Peterhansel has won Dakar Rally eight times in a car and six times on a motorcycle.
“I wasn’t aware of it, but apparently, I am now tied with Ari Vatanen. However, I needed two different categories (cars and motorcycles) and many more rounds to achieve this, so it’s not quite right,” Peterhansel laughed after hearing of his achievement.
In the overall standings, Peterhansel improved his position to ninth. Meanwhile, Peterhansel’s Audi teammate Carlos Sainz took the lead, holding the top spot with just under a two-minute advantage over Saudi driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi. Loeb has risen to third in the standings, just over four minutes behind the leader.
The 21-year-old Seth Quintero has started his first Dakar in the car category strongly. Previously competing in Saudi Arabia in lighter machinery, Quintero finished third in Sunday’s stage and is fourth in the overall standings after two stages.
Toyota driver Guillaume de Mevius is fifth in the overall results. The Belgian surprised many by winning Saturdays stage, but he fell to 19th place on Sunday. Mattias Ekström is in sixth place with his Audi, and the race’s multiple-time winner Nasser Al-Attiyah is seventh.
Dakar Rally continues on Monday with a 438-kilometer stage. The rally will cover a total of 12 stages, concluding on January 19th.
Sunday’s stage results:
1. Stephane Peterhansel Audi 3.54.50 2. Sebastien Loeb Prodrive +0.29 3. Seth Quintero Toyota +3.11 4. Nasser Al-Attiyah Prodrive +6.28 5. Yazeed Al-Rajhi Toyota +7.11 6. Guerlain Chicherit Toyota +9.00 7. Lucas Moraes Toyota +17.51
Overall standings after 2/12 stages:
1. Carlos Sainz Audi 8.49.38 2. Yazeed Al-Rajhi Toyota +1.51 3. Sebastien Loeb Prodrive +4.17 4. Seth Quintero Toyota +7.36 5. G. De Mevius Toyota +7.44 6. Mattias Ekström Audi +11.17 7. N. Al-Attiyah Prodrive +12.16 8. Lucas Moraes Toyota +12.17 9. S. Peterhansel Audi +13.16 10. G. Chicherit Toyota +14.47
