Mini got its podium sweep and Nani Roma (pictured, right, with co-driver Michel Perin, left) got his second Dakar Rally championship, beating out teammate Stephane Peterhansel by five minutes and 38 seconds in the overall after today’s final Stage 13 from La Serena to Valparaiso, Chile.
Peterhansel, the 11-time Dakar champion, had taken a 26-second edge yesterday over Roma going into Stage 13 after the Spaniard dealt with the effects of an early puncture. That turn of events came after it was revealed that Mini had issued team orders going into Stage 11 to freeze positions in a bid to take all three spots on the podium for Roma, Peterhansel and third-place Nasser Al-Attiyah.
But following his Stage 12 triumph, Peterhansel noted the possibility that those orders would be re-issued after Roma fell back behind him. It would appear that they were, as the Frenchman slowed down and stopped to allow Roma to pass him along the way to Valparaiso according to the Associated Press. Additionally, the Minis of Roma, Peterhansel and Al-Attiyah (who held on to third place overall at 56 minutes, 52 seconds behind Roma) crossed the finish line in a group.
“I don’t know if this was the most stressful thing I’d ever done, but it was very tough,” said Roma, who is now the third former bike winner of the Dakar to also win it in a car, joining Peterhansel and Hubert Auriol.
“The second week, with difficult, long stages, wasn’t easy. We’re happy, very happy with the work Michel and I did. I’m going to revel in this. 10 years to the day after winning on a motorcycle, I’ve won in a car. It’s a dream come true.”
As for Peterhansel, he had understandably mixed emotions over the outcome after charging so hard during the second week of competition to contend for what would have been his 12th Dakar title.
“Let’s look on the bright side of things – the car didn’t miss a beat, it took anything we threw at it, like usual, and we had lots of fun driving,” he said. “But I’m frustrated with the final result. The third thing I want to say is that Nani’s my friend, and I’m pleased to see him happy because it’s been his dream for ten years, since he shifted to a car.”
In the bikes, Marc Coma capped off his fourth Dakar championship by a margin of almost two hours over fellow KTM rider Jorge Viladoms, with Olivier Pain holding off Cyril Despres for third overall.
It was a sweet result for Coma, who was unable to start last year’s Dakar after suffering a shoulder injury in the 2012 Morocco Rally that failed to heal up in time.
“These are really strong, personal feelings,” he said. “It represents a lot of sacrifices and hard work. It’s an extreme race with ups and downs. Looking back, I remember being unable to start last year’s race. And yet I’m here now, I’ve won. I’d like to thank those around me who made this comeback possible.
“Every time I win this rally, I say I’m going to savor it. I’ll do it with my loved ones, my family. I don’t know if I’ll ever win it again. I’ll try, I’ll work hard for it, but it’s a very complicated rally.”
After surviving a grueling quads rally that saw contenders Marcos Patronelli and Sergio Lafuente forced to bow out, Chilean rider Ignacio Casale took the class title by almost an hour and a half over Poland’s Rafal Sonik, with Sebastian Husseini rounding out the podium.
Going into the final moments of today’s stage, Casale savored the cheers of his fellow countrymen as he put the finishing touches on his championship.
“The last 20 to 30 kilometers were amazing: The crowds, people cheering me on, banners…,” said Casale. “…I hope all of Chile will revel in this victory. It’s a triumph of hard work and passion, which proves you can go a long way if you do your best.”
Finally, Andrey Karginov and Gerard de Rooy’s duel for top honors in the truck category ended with a memorable last stage.
According to a report from the Dakar website, Karginov lost critical time after he was held up by the No. 319 Mini of Yong Zhou, which crashed and then got stuck on the track in the last timed sector of the stage. Altogether, Karginov lost nine minutes, 34 seconds to de Rooy, who crossed the line first today.
However, race officials opted to give Karginov a time dispensation of 5 minutes, 20 seconds after he was blocked by Zhou – which enabled the Russian to beat de Rooy for the championship by a mere 3 minutes, 11 seconds.
