Dakar 2006 - Stage 7

[Chase 2]

Update on the Blog. Special Thanks to NASA

2127.981N, 1213.577W aren't lat/lon format. The number should read something like N 21 degrees 27.981min, W 12 degrees 13.577min. (can't figure out how to get the degree symbol on my key board) Try Google Earth it gives a better view. Basically he's in the middle of a large set of dunes.

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[elsancho1976]

copy and paste 21.27981N, 12.13577W you may have to adjust your setings to dd.mmmm, dd.mmmm

[elsancho1976]

the ge image is of poor resolution. world wind wins on this one imo

[elsancho1976]

does anyone have any info on how much time it would take to swap a clutch on the Albins Tranny

[duchessofthedirt]

OK, so here is what I know and someone can correct me if I'm wrong... out of the 140 cars that started only 70 had finished by about 4 - 6pm. The other 70 stranded out on the course were given 18 hours for the stage and a one hour penalty. The start isn't delayed, but they have until approximately mid-morning to be at the start line - due to 70 other vehicles that will for sure start before them. So, if they fix the problem and can get there in time they can run tomorrow. I believe they are headed to Noukchatt (sp?) and once they arrive, they have a rest day following. Hopefully they can make it - then they would have some time to rest and fix the car. Darrens Dad spoke with him earlier and haven't heard from them since - Darren didn't want to run the sat phone battery down. So, I haven't talked to him at all. We don't know if they are still out there or if they made it in. If I get any late night phone calls, I will post first thing in the morning.
All the best to Andy and I hope that he is doing OK. Canary Islands... could be no better place to be if you have to be in a hospital.

[klaus]

Dakar Rally, leg 7, 6 January 2006

Volkswagen hold third, fourth and fifth after tough stage


Wolfsburg (6 January 2006). Volkswagen occupies third, fourth and fifth places following the Dakar Rally’s extremely tough seventh stage and remains in a promising position. Jutta Kleinschmidt defended third overall in her Race Touareg 2 on the 521 kilometre stage from Zouerat to Atar in Mauretania by recording third fastest time behind new leader Luc Alphand and his Mitsubishi team mate Stéphane Peterhansel. The other Volkswagen works drivers suffered setbacks: Giniel de Villiers, who had taken the lead yesterday, dropped to fourth after making a navigational error. Carlos Sainz got bogged down in the dunes and is now fifth. Mark Miller lost 2:15 hours after rolling, and Bruno Saby lost 2:30 hours owing to a defect.
Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director) "The drivers of the blue cars got off lightly today. The most important thing is that both Mark Miller and Dirk von Zitzewitz are unharmed following their accident. We saw that the Race Touareg 2 can keep the pace, but tyre failures and navigational errors cost us too much time.
It’s still wide open; the gap between the cars is comparably small. The rally is far from over and remains tense.”

#303 - Jutta Kleinschmidt (D), 3rd place (day) / 3rd position overall "Holding onto third place after suffering three tyre failures means that we got off lightly. We didn’t only have to reduce the tyre pressures before the climbing the dunes but also had to inflate them again after as we had no more spare tyres.”

#305 - Giniel de Villiers (RSA), 4th place (day) / 4th position overall "The navigation was really difficult today. We got lost, along with the two buggies in front of us, after 20 kilometres. We only got back on track again after spotting a helicopter on the horizon. We also suffered a rear left puncture."

#307 - Carlos Sainz (E), 6th place (day) / 5th position overall "After 80 kilometres we ran on a flat plane in the dunes, made a small jump and got bogged down on landing. We needed 25 minutes for 20 metres, a completely new experience for me. The navigation was no problem for us.”

Editorial note:
An updated press release including additional comments and the revised results follows after the arrival of Bruno Saby and Mark Miller in the bivouac.


From the Volkswagen bivouac

- Marathon day for escorting armada: The Dakar Rally’s sixth stage from Tan Tan to Zouerat was the hardest to date for the support team: Almost half of the 750-kilometre long service route was driven "off-road”.
Helmets are also compulsory for the team members riding in the support vehicles off the paved roads. After the team arrived at the stage finish in Zouerat after 14 to 16 hours drive it started immediately with the evening routine-service on the five Race Touareg 2 prototypes.

- Acid test for Service-Touareg: For the first time ever at the Dakar Rally, Volkswagen relies on ten Touareg V6 TDI vehicles in the escort armada. The ten vehicles modified for service requirements passed their first acid test on the off-road stage. "We’d already fared extremely well with the Touareg V10 TDI in the desert. The new Service-Touaregs have also proved themselves”, explained service vehicle Project Manager Chris Beck. "The new V6 TDI is lighter and has a longer range thanks to its lower fuel consumption. We have also improved the suspension.”

- Volkswagen team top-fit: The Volkswagen Motorsport team is still in excellent health after seven days of rallying. "The entire team is top-fit, although the physical demands made by the long daily stages, working in the heat and dust and camping in the desert at night in low temperatures are very high”, adds Beate Zerbe, who follows the rally as Volkswagen Team Doctor. The medic has only had to deal with a few cases of flu until now. "Certainly one of the reasons for the excellent state of health is the fact that the team members take precautions, eat healthily and make sure that they only drink bottled water.
Additionally, there is an excellent bond of trust within the team, and the driver teams and service personnel report to me at the first sign of any weakness or if they don’t feel one-hundred per cent.”

Standings after stage 7, Zouerat (MR) - Atar (MR); 499/521 km stage 7/total

Pos., Team, Vehicle, Stage 7, Total time
1. Luc Alphand/Gilles Picard (F/F), Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution;
5:56:41 hrs. (2.) 22:32:41 hrs.
2. Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-P. Cottret (F/F), Mitsubishi Pajero
Evolution; 5:52:18 hrs. (1.) + 3.12 min.
3. Jutta Kleinschmidt/Fabrizia Pons (D/I), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2;
6:04:07 hrs. (3.) + 5.58 min.
4. Giniel de Villiers/Tina Thörner (RSA/S), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2;
6:08:47 hrs. (4.) + 10.04 min.
5. Carlos Sainz/Andreas Schulz (E/D), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2;
6:27:02 hrs. (6.) + 28.41 min.
6. Nani Roma/Henri Magne (E/F), Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution; 6:33:01
hrs. (7.) + 45.44 min.
7. Jean-L. Schlesser/François Borsotto (F/F), Schlesser-Ford; 7:06:42
hrs. (8.) + 1:09:01 hrs.
8. Thierry Magnaldi/Arnaud Debron (F/F), Schlesser-Ford; 7:34:17 hrs.
(9.) + 1:43:44 hrs.
9. Guerlain Chicherit/Matthieu Baumel (F/F), BMW X3; 7:37:11 hrs.
(12.) + 2:18:57 hrs.
10. Carlos Sousa/Jean-Marie Lurquin (P/B), Nissan Pick-up; 7:28:31 hrs.
(10.) + 2:45:38 hrs.

Public website about Volkswagen’s Dakar entry: www.volkswagen-motorsport.com

[FlyHiFlyLo]

2127.981N, 1213.577W aren't lat/lon format. The number should read something like N 21 degrees 27.981min, W 12 degrees 13.577min. (can't figure out how to get the degree symbol on my key board) Try Google Earth it gives a better view. Basically he's in the middle of a large set of dunes.

I converted to Jpeg. image on the blog (lose res). there are several geo filters on Nasa that really reveil the terrain better (Like radar and a ton other) but they too techy looking for the general public. They are in the middle of nowhere!

[Chase 2]

I converted to Jpeg. image on the blog (lose res). there are several geo filters on Nasa that really reveil the terrain better (Like radar and a ton other) but they too techy looking for the general public. They are in the middle of nowhere!

I just downloaded world wind. Like sancho says it is much better than Google Earth.

[FlyHiFlyLo]

I just downloaded world wind. Like sancho says it is much better than Google Earth.

Get with the Times Big Dawg!...LOL Now go get the Dakar layer from the World Wind message board.

http://forum.worldwind.arc.nasa.gov/...php?t5434.html