DAKAR DEBUT, LOEB STYLE

Dakar 2016 | Rest 1 | Salta
January 10 ^th 2016 - 20:32

Cars: Peugeot roars again

"It's simple, there are three competitions: the Peugeot race, our race, in which we are alone, and the race of everyone else, far behind!" Matthieu Baumel's analysis may be concise, but it hits the nail on the head considering the results of the first six stages since the start in Buenos Aires. In just one week, the confidence and assurance of Nasser Al-Attiyah and his co-driver, which were sky-high after an extraordinary 2015 season, were torn apart by the claws of the three lions racing in front. "I'm attacking more than ever, but I'm losing three or four minutes every day", says the defending champion bitterly. "All I've got left now is the fight for the podium."

Halfway through the race, all podium spots are in the hands of Peugeot, whose achievements stand in stark contrast to last year's lacklustre performance. The spoils are piling up, with only the prologue escaping the 2008 DKR cars, which have taken two thirds of all top 3 spots so far (14/21). As if this were not enough, an out-of-this-world rookie who came to discover the race is capitalising on the car's progress! He has passed with flying colours: it is three stage wins already for Sébastien Loeb, who leads the rally with a margin of 2′22″ over "Monsieur Dakar", Stéphane Peterhansel, and 4′50″ over "El Matador", Carlos Sainz. A fratricide duel awaits the Peugeot trio, with Peter adamant that "in general, the second week favours the veterans", while the Spaniard says he is ready to "fight back inch by inch".

In the fight for the minor honours Al-Attiyah and others depend on something bad happening to the Peugeot drivers. They have only had minor problems so far, but their consequences could conceivably become serious. Cyril Despres lies 1 h 45′ back after a problem with his turbo that capped his speed at 50 km/h in stage 5, while Loeb's accelerator jammed in the down position, the kind of anomaly that could only happen to him! The terrain change and the beginning of the Dakar's endurance phase provide some hope for the Minis of Al-Attiyah and the other first-class rookie, Mikko Hirvonen (5th). Meanwhile, the patience of one of the four Toyota Hilux drivers in the top 10 (Giniel de Villiers, Leeroy Poulter, Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Vladimir Vasilyev, sitting sixth through ninth) could well be rewarded.

Motorcycles: a blast of fresh air

The start list for the motorcycle category drew the curtains on the Coma-Despres era and set the scene for a new generation to step to the fore. Their heir, Paulo Gonçalves, put in a solid first week despite some trouble with the altitude in Bolivia, whereas Ruben Faria and Joan Barreda packed their suitcases before making it to Salta. Aussie Toby Price, ready to pounce on the Portuguese rider, showed the talent that made him the revelation of 2015 (3rd), claiming three stages and limiting his losses in the general classification to just 3′12″. A blast of fresh air swept the provisional top 10: Kevin Benavides, from Salta, celebrated his 27th birthday yesterday by entering his home town in fifth place overall, whereas five-time enduro world champion Antoine Méo claimed his maiden Dakar win and moved up to sixth place. This year is also having its fair share of impressive rookies, with American Ricky Brabec and Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren featuring in the top 15 (12th and 14th, respectively).

Quads: Patronelli Bros. rise to the challenge

The quad category continues to offer a dramatic showdown in this edition of the Dakar, with 45 vehicles and four previous winners on the start line —more than ever. Chile's first ever champion, Ignacio Casale, seemed poised to dominate the star-studded field after opening a sizeable gap in the general classification, which he led for the first four days. However, just like Poland's Rafał Sonik the day before, he was forced to go home in stage 6. The Patronelli Bros. then emerged from the shadows to prove their mettle in endurance races like the Dakar, with Marcos winning stage 6 and Alejandro leading the race since then. The two Argentinian stars now wear the mantle of favourites in their country.

Trucks: Kamaz on the back foot

The favourites are playing a game of cat and mouse in the truck category, where 51 of the 55 original starters are still in the race. Pieter Versluis, Martin Kolomý, Gerard de Rooy, Eduard Nikolaev and Hans Stacey took turns in the lead, which is held by Nikolaev as the rally gears up for its second week. Each new leader moved into the top spot with a stage win. The elite group, which also includes defending champion Ayrat Mardeev (3rd), astonishing Argentinian Federico Villagra (6th) and Dutchman Ton van Genugten (7th), are all within 29′ of each other. The Kamaz trucks' seemingly sub-par performance could be explained by the stages so far featuring more dirt than sand. On another note, Stacey, the winner of the last Dakar in Africa, is back in the mix.