Volkswagen is leading the Dakar Rally after the third of 13 stages with two Race Touareg 3 cars. With a strong showing Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D) improved to position two overall. The duo took the stage win on the 731-kilometre leg with a 25-second advantage over their Volkswagen team colleagues Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E).
On the route from San Miguel de Tucumán to San Salvador de Jujuy in Argentina the Spaniards only needed a second-place stage result to maintain their lead. Sainz/Cruz have been the front runners since the start of the world’s toughest rally and now have an advantage of 3m 34s. The two other Volkswagen squads in the field had a good day as well. Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D) consolidated their fourth place overall by finishing today’s special in fifth place. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA), who lost 52m 26s due to a rollover yesterday, were part of the action at the front of the field again. The feat of repairing the vehicle performed by the Volkswagen mechanics was rewarded with a sixth-place finish today.
The stage led across quick gravel passages in open terrain, through canyons and pastureland. Bushes and trees obscured the vision of the teams on the second part of the special stage which took them to the edges of the jungle. The drivers and co-drivers had to watch out for plenty of stones along the route and be careful not to damage the vehicle.
Number of the day
During the various stages of the Dakar Rally the drivers and co-drivers of the Volkswagen teams will consume a total of 624 litres of isotonic drinks. For each of the legs the drivers and co-drivers have a daily six-litre supply of a sport liquid which the physiotherapists individually mix for them. On the hot stages in Argentina’s Sierras Pampeanas or Chile’s Atacama Desert permanent compensation of lost fluids is necessary. After the stages the Volkswagen crews make sure that they quickly re-hydrate.
Coming up next …
Wednesday, 05 January: The Chilean part of this leg awaits the Volkswagen drivers and their rivals with stony sections and a desert of scree. In addition, dry riverbeds characterise the special stage on the Chilean side of the route between San Salvador de Jujuy in Argentina and Calama in Chile. With its inhospitable and rough terrain it provides a foretaste of the upcoming rally days.
Quotes after leg 3 http://www.volkswagen-motorsport.com...st=538&id=4211