31ST DAKAR RALLY (January 3rd-January 18th, 2009)
Leg 4: Jacobacci - Neuquén
Liaison, 83 km; special, 380 km; liaison, 25 km; total, 488 km.
Weather conditions: cool and cloudy with a slight breeze - 15-17 degrees Centigrade.
Warmer and sunnier later.
For immediate release
Tuesday, January 6th, 2009
SOLID STAGE RESULT FOR TEAM REPSOL MITSUBISHI RALLIART'S THREE DRIVERS INTO NEUQUÉN
· Luc Alphand surges through the field from 15th to take third position
· Peterhansel and Roma stay on the coat tails of rivals into Neuquén
NEUQUÉN (Argentina): Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart's three turbo-diesel 'Racing
Lancers' claimed third, fifth and eighth positions on the shortened 389km fourth
special stage between Ingeniero Jacobacci and Neuquén in western Patagonia on
Tuesday.
Luc Alphand and Gilles Picard (both France) started from 15th position on the stage,
but clawed their way through the field in the first of three turbo-diesel 'Racing
Lancers' to clinch the third fastest time.
Stéphane Peterhansel and Jean-Paul Cottret (both France) began the day in fourth
overall and fifth on the road in their BFGoodrich-backed car. The defending champions
finished the stage in eighth place, 1m 16s behind fifth-placed team mates Joan 'Nani'
Roma and Lucas Cruz Senra (both Spain).
Today's special stage was modified at the request of a local landowner and the first
79km were converted into a liaison section, although the special retained its varied
and demanding character on the run north to Neuquén through a region renowned for its
palaeontology. Fifty-six of the original 531 cars, bikes, quads and trucks had
already retired from the event at the restart this morning.
Mitsubishis held fourth, eighth and 10th positions through an amended PC1, with
Alphand leading the way for Mitsubishi, a mere 26 seconds behind Nasser Saleh
Al-Attiyah (Qatar), although Carlos Sainz (Spain) began to pull away from his rivals
as the stage progressed. Alphand, Roma and Peterhansel eventually completed the timed
section in third, fifth and eighth places.
Live footage of the 2009 Dakar Rally can be seen on Eurosport at the following
times:
Eurosport
18.05 hrs GMT - 18.30 hrs GMT
22.00 hrs GMT - 22.45 hrs GMT
SS4 CLASSIFICATION (UNOFFICIAL AS AT 17:00 GMT)
1. Carlos SAINZ (VOLKSWAGEN RACE TOUAREG - T1.2)
- 3:42:57 (**:**)
2. Nasser AL ATTIYAH (BMW X3 CC - T1.2)
- 3:43:03 (+0:06)
3. Luc ALPHAND (MITSUBISHI RACING LANCER - T1.2)
- 3:45:21 (+2:24)
4. Mark MILLER (VOLKSWAGEN RACE TOUAREG - T1.2)
- 3:47:17 (+4:20)
5. Joan ROMA (MITSUBISHI RACING LANCER - T1.2)
- 3:48:35 (+5:38)
6. Giniel DE VILLIERS (VOLKSWAGEN RACE TOUAREG - T1.2)
- 3:48:45 (+5:48)
7. Orlando TERRANOVA (BMW X3 CC - T1.2)
- 3:49:46 (+6:49)
8. Stephane PETERHANSEL (MITSUBISHI RACING LANCER - T1.2)
- 3:49:51 (+6:54)
9. Guerlain CHICHERIT (BMW X3 CC - T1.2)
- 3:53:28 (+10:31)
10. Robby GORDON (HUMMER H3 - OP1)
- 3:55:10 (+12:13)
OVERALL CLASSIFICATION AFTER LEG 4 (UNOFFICIAL AS AT 17:00 GMT)
1. Carlos SAINZ (VOLKSWAGEN RACE TOUAREG - T1.2)
- 12:47:45 (**:**)
2. Nasser AL ATTIYAH (BMW X3 CC - T1.2)
- 12:51:31 (+3:46)
3. Giniel DE VILLIERS (VOLKSWAGEN RACE TOUAREG - T1.2)
- 12:59:18 (+11:33)
4. Stephane PETERHANSEL (MITSUBISHI RACING LANCER - T1.2)
- 13:03:26 (+15:41)
5. Joan ROMA (MITSUBISHI RACING LANCER - T1.2)
- 13:07:45 (+20:00)
6. Mark MILLER (VOLKSWAGEN RACE TOUAREG - T1.2)
- 13:07:50 (+20:05)
7. Orlando TERRANOVA (BMW X3 CC - T1.2)
- 13:12:15 (+24:30)
8. Luc ALPHAND (MITSUBISHI RACING LANCER - T1.2)
- 13:28:56 (+41:11)
9. Robby GORDON (HUMMER H3 - OP1)
- 13:34:30 (+46:45)
10. Krzysztof HOLOWCZYC (NISSAN NAVARA - T1.1)
- 13:35:24 (+47:39)
