Wolfsburg (17 January 2011). On Sunday after 13 brutal “Dakar” stages for man and machine Nasser Al-Attiyah let himself be transported triumphantly across the ramp on the roof of the Volkswagen Race Touareg 3 by co-driver Timo Gottschalk and celebrated by thousands of enthusiastic fans in Buenos Aires as winner of the motorsport marathon. This closing scene of the 2011 “Dakar”, which went with emotional force around the world as powerful images, symbolises two totally different sportsmen, who achieved something exceptional: Their first Dakar Rally win.

Both were instrumental on the near 9,600 kilometre long acid test through Argentina and Chile – through the sweltering heat of the Sierras Pampeanas and Atacama Desert, among the peaks of the mighty Andes and from the Atlantic to the Pacific and back – in fulfilling their respective youthful dreams of winning the “Dakar”. At 15-years of age Nasser Al-Attiyah from Qatar promised his father he would win the legendary desert classic once. Now, after the long-awaited victory is reality, the 40-year old will be honoured as his nation’s top sportsman with a huge welcome celebration in XXL style.

“As I drove the first few metres with Nasser I thought he doesn’t know where the limit is and would permanently exceed it,” remembers navigator Timo Gottschalk of his first drive together in the Volkswagen Race Touareg during a test in Hungary at the beginning of June, 2009. “After a while I really noticed that he was well aware of how to assess the risks involved, that he has incredible car control and his driving style is not always maximum attack.” For Al-Attiyah, with whom the conscientious man from Neuruppin forms a duo since the Rallye dos Sertões in 2009, the exceptional quality of the partnership was obvious from the first minute. “From the very beginning with Timo it felt as if we had already driven together for years,” says the personable Arab. “Timo is like a brother for me. I can depend on him completely.” Who is the boss in the car? “Very obviously Nasser,” says Timo Gottschalk. “But I give the orders.”

Life style with 1,001 hp: Motorsport multi-talent Nasser Al-Attiyah

Winning the Dakar Rally means realising a long-cherished goal in life for Nasser Al-Attiyah. The Qatari had kept one of two central spaces free in his cabinet for the exceptionally large “Dakar” trophy. The Olympic gold medal for clay pigeon shooting should fill the other, for which Al-Attiyah trains every day for this non-motorsport activity – relaxation and preparation for the “Dakar” in one. However, the expert in conquering sand dunes at the wheel of an automobile does not have much time at home in the desert Emirate: Al-Attiyah is driven by speed and is travels permanently around the world at racing speed. In addition to his events for the Volkswagen factor team in the Dakar Rally and the preparation rallies the horse lover regularly contests rounds of the World Rally Championship and sprint rallies in the FIA Middle East Championship. With success: Al-Attiyah can claim a total of six titles to date in classic rally championships. In June 2010 at the 24-hour race around the Nürburgring-Nordschleife he celebrated class victory in the Volkswagen Scirocco GT24-CNG for cars with alternative drives. What makes the “Dakar” victory so special for Al-Attiyah? “The ‘Dakar’ is, after all, the ‘Dakar’. It is the toughest test in motorsport and my absolute favourite rally,” says Al-Attiyah. “There is no better arena than this one to prove what you are capable of.” During the 33rd running of the marathon this meant controlled attack at the right moment for Al-Attiyah. “This year Nasser drove cleverly and forward-thinking like never before,” praises co-driver Timo Gottschalk. “He even accepted losing time on stony sections so as not to risk damaging tyres. Instead he attacked where he felt very comfortable: In the dunes. This was one of the keys to victory.”

Meticulous worker with both feet on the ground: Timo Gottschalk

“Timo knows to calm me down in the cockpit when necessary. He is a calm and relaxed thoroughly honest guy,” according to Nasser Al-Attiyah, who already thinks about the future together. “Now we are ‘Dakar’ winners and everybody will want to beat us. So, you have to be even better prepared and even more professional. If this is still even possible to improve when compared to now, then Timo is the right man for the job.” Timo Gottschalk is in fact a meticulous operator for success. Like every co-driver in the Volkswagen “Dakar” team he navigates during the day at race pace. In the evening and occasionally into the early hours of the morning preparation of the road book for the following day is on the agenda. “An incredibly tiring job, during which you ask yourself at least once a day why you actually do it,” says the 36-year old. “But when you reach the big goal you know why you subject yourself to the whole thing. It’s an incredibly great feeling to be ‘Dakar’ winner.”

Timo Gottschalk, who, in addition to his job as Volkswagen co-driver, also works as vehicle technology engineer and runs a car and motorcycle workshop in his hometown of Rheinsberg, is not in danger of ‘taking off’ in view of the success. He has both feet securely anchored on the ground. The down-to-earth guy has found happiness with his girlfriend Ine. Gottschalk lives together with her and her children in their house in Rheinsberg. “I have found my perfect personal environment, which gives me a lot of energy and support and is the perfect contrast to the hectic motorsport business.”

Perfect harmony outside the cockpit, constructive inside: The closely-knit team Al-Attiyah/Gottschalk only clashed with one another on a couple of occasions during the 2011 Dakar Rally when quick decisions were required. “We do get loud sometimes if we have different opinions,” says Al-Attiyah. “But only for a few seconds, since we convert this energy into sporting motivation. There are no serious quarrels between us.”

What was the Arab doing on the roof of the Race Touareg 3 at the finish line? “I would have loved to have flown up to heaven and then straight to Qatar where the people celebrate our victory in the streets. I would have loved to have been a part of it.” And if the physics could be overcome: Timo Gottschalk knows the way.

Volkswagen Motorsport public website: www.volkswagen-motorsport.com

2011 Dakar Rally info: www.dakar.com

Volkswagen “Dakar” iPhone app: www.volkswagen-motorsport.com/dakar_iPhone

Wolfsburg (15 January 2011). Tumultuous celebration at the “Dakar” finish: Volkswagen has won the Dakar Rally for the third time in succession. Standing alongside Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D) on the podium in Buenos Aires on Sunday will be Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D) and Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E). In front of millions of enthusiastic spectators the new Race Touareg 3 scored a much celebrated one-two-three finish in the desert classic through Argentina and Chile. As a result, Volkswagen is the only manufacturer to have won the automobile category in the desert classic with diesel technology – and remains unbeaten on the South American continent thanks to TDI power. To complete the victory all three cars must still roll across the winner’s ramp on Sunday and midday local time in Buenos Aires.

Three Volkswagen “Dakar” winners on the Podium

With Nasser Al-Attiyah from Qatar and Timo Gottschalk from Germany a third duo clinched a “Dakar” victory for Volkswagen in the 33rd running of the motorsport marathon. Thanks to superior and exceptionally durable high-tech made in Wolfsburg, the three victorious driver/co-driver pairs from the previous three years mount the winners’ podium as first, second and third – an expression of a harmonious and strong driving squad that dominated the 2011 “Dakar” from the beginning.

Volkswagen alone is credited with 12 of a possible 13 stage victories. Carlos Sainz realised a personal best with his stage victory on the way to Buenos Aires: Now with stage win number 24 he surpasses the 23 stage victories scored in the car class by current rival Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel. One of the Volkswagen teams led the rally, with its many extremely hard stages, from the start. The challenges: winding gravel roads, soft and deep desert sand in the unrelenting Atacama Desert, navigationally demanding sections through labyrinth-like canyons and washed-out river beds as well as spectacular river crossings. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA) completed the solid Volkswagen team performance in sixth position. All four Race Touareg 3 that started finished the rally in leading positions and continued the success story of enviable reliability: Volkswagen has not recorded a single technically related retirement in cross country rallying in four years.

The three pillars of a historic victory

Reliable technology, perfect teamwork and strong driver squad – Volkswagen once again set the standards during the 2011 Dakar Rally with this winning formula. The TDI technology, which represents efficiency and reliability in millions of Volkswagen road cars, revolutionised cross country rallying. Thanks to the powerful and compact design it is also pioneering in the “Dakar”. The four 310 hp Race Touareg 3 spooled-off the approximate 9,600 kilometres overall distance with clockwork precision – and in the process always perfectly prepared for the forthcoming rally day by a closely-knit team and prepared tactically astute by Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. In addition to the service crew on location, the employees in Wolfsburg and Hanover undertook careful preparatory work beforehand – indispensable for the “Dakar” win. The technological basis – unbeaten since the end of 2008 – was converted by Sainz/Cruz into seven, Al-Attiyah/Gottschalk into four and de Villiers/von Zitzewitz into one stage victory.

The three: new Race Touareg triumph on debut

The third generation Race Touareg equipped with a 2.5 litre TDI engine and permanent four-wheel drive completed its “Dakar” premiere successfully from the beginning. The power unit’s in-line 5-cylinder, bi-turbo design guaranteeing compact dimensions and low overall weight when compared to its direct competition proved to be the best overall package for the third time in succession suiting both the WRC-like tracks and the extreme dune crossings. The TDI engine in the Race Touareg 3 is one of the most powerful and, at the same time, most efficient diesel power units in motorsport.

On extremely hot stages, where ambient temperatures neared 60 degrees Celsius, the new cooling concept paid dividends for the extreme prototype from Wolfsburg. Thanks to improved air flow and an optimised radiator the Race Touareg 3 shrugged off the boiling heat in Chile’s Atacama Desert and the extreme conditions in the notorious dunes in the Sierras Pampeanas around Fiambalá in Argentina. Reliability combined with speed – on every terrain Volkswagen demonstrated its technical expertise during the 2011 “Dakar”.

The three: multiple-winners made in Wolfsburg

One-two in 2009, one-two-three in 2010, one-two-three in 2011 – Volkswagen continues an irresistible winning streak in the Dakar Rally. The Wolfsburg based brand has been pace setter since the event moved from Africa to South America. In January 2009, Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz recorded the brand’s first “Dakar” victory since the prototype project started in 2004, followed by their team mates Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA). It was the second Volkswagen win in motorsport’s toughest test after Freddy Kottulinsky/Gerd Löffelmann (S/D) had won in a production based Volkswagen Iltis in 1980. In 2010, the first one/two/three followed with Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E) claiming victory from their Volkswagen team mates Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk and Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA) in the closest ever “Dakar” finish in history. Number three marks the successful revenge for Al-Attiyah/Gottschalk – also an important entry in their career histories.

Nasser Al-Attiyah becomes the first Arab in the desert classic’s history to be presented with the big “Dakar” trophy. The Qatari won in his sixth “Dakar” competition, his second for Volkswagen, for the first time. His navigator Timo Gottschalk is only the fourth co-driver, after Gerd Löffelmann, Andreas Schulz and Dirk von Zitzewitz, to bring the “Dakar” victory to Germany – a premiere for the vehicle technology engineer living in Rheinsberg, Brandenburg.

Quotes

Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director)

“The third successive ‘Dakar’ victory for Volkswagen is a historic performance which was achieved thanks to perfect teamwork, exceptional driving and navigational skills and more specifically thanks to superior technology. I’m incredibly proud of the entire team, both the employees who made this win possible and also the team with its superhuman efforts here on location. It was without a shadow of doubt the toughest ‘Dakar’ that we have ever contested, and also probably the best organised. My compliments therefore also go to the organiser A.S.O. I think we proved that the Race Touareg 3 is currently the world’s most reliable and strongest cross country rally vehicle. This is the result of years of hard work. Congratulations to Nasser Al-Attiyah and Timo Gottschalk who have worked outstandingly and obviously also to the other Volkswagen pairs who made this one-two-three finish possible.”

#302 – Nasser Al-Attiyah (Q), 2nd place leg / 1st position overall

“My first ‘Dakar’ win. I’m absolutely delighted to have been the first Arab to win the world’s toughest desert rally. These feelings are incredibly difficult to express in words. I reached my greatest goal thanks to the world’s best cross country rally car and the best team in this sport. I’m delighted for the entire squad which slaved around the clock for three weeks for this victory. In Timo Gottschalk I have an exceptional co-driver at my side, who played an immense role in this victory. Today we’ll party like there’s no tomorrow.”

#302 – Timo Gottschalk (D), co-driver

“Victory in the ‘Dakar’ – I can still hardly believe it. Over last few days we built up a comfortable advantage and things looked really good for us in the previous stages. Nevertheless, everybody ignored any thoughts of victory, because anything can happen in this rally even within sight of the finish. I’m proud and happy about the win. It was the hardest ‘Dakar’ which I have ever contested. We’ve now spent two weeks at the absolute physical limit. The organiser kept its promise of wanting to stage the toughest Dakar Rally ever. To have won exactly this one is an incredibly good feeling.”

#308 – Giniel de Villiers (ZA), 4th place leg / 2nd position overall

“The Dakar Rally is an extremely long race during which a great deal can happen. At the beginning we tried to drive cautiously and tactically. Because you only have a chance of getting a good result if you reach the finish. This approach brought us second place and I’m delighted about the result. A podium finish in the Dakar Rally is always something special. Something we can personally be proud of. The team can be proud of making first, second and third positions possible.”

#308 – Dirk von Zitzewitz (D), co-driver

“An incredibly demanding ‘Dakar’ because the days were extremely long. In the mornings you had to get up very early, we only reached the bivouac in the late afternoon. There were loads of changes to the roadbook, which duly gave us co-drivers plenty of work during the night. The stages were also physically challenging. In the Atacama Desert the navigation could certainly have been a little more challenging, which was the case in Argentina, as is fitting for a ‘Dakar’. My highlight was the Fiambalá stage which we won because of perfect navigation. All in all a positive Dakar Rally for me – especially because second overall was the reward.”

#300 – Carlos Sainz (E), 1st place leg / 3rd position overall

“All in all I’m more than satisfied with 2011 Dakar Rally. I think that my co-driver Lucas Cruz and I did a good job and therefore were rightfully fighting for victory for a long time. Unfortunately two bad days and several mistakes cost us any chance of overall victory. But this is the Dakar Rally: You always have to be alert. I’m delighted for the entire Volkswagen team, which truly deserves this one-two-three finish, and to have contributed to it. Everybody worked hard for this win.”

#300 – Lucas Cruz (E), co-driver

“This was by far the most challenging ‘Dakar’ that I have ever completed. It was full of tricky situations for a navigator which had to be solved with caution. There were plenty of dune sections of soft sand which meant an incredible amount of work for the driver in the cockpit. On top of this were the WRC-like sections with jumps and extreme temperatures. The rally was very varied. However, the Race Touareg 3 is the perfect car for such conditions. From the sporting point of view we were beaten for the first time since Carlos Sainz and I compete together. However, I think that we nevertheless did a good job. Luck deserted us on occasion.”

#304 – Mark Miller (USA), 5th place leg / 6th position overall

“This ‘Dakar’ was a wonderful event, with many interesting stages that demanded everything from man and machine. Unfortunately we lost so much time already on the second stage that we were out of the battle for overall victory. Our role was then to support our team mates – a task we were happy to do. When you work an entire year as team for victory, it goes without saying that you support one another to reach the targets. We did exactly this with energy and vigour on the eleventh stage to help Carlos Sainz onto the podium.”

#304 – Ralph Pitchford (ZA), co-driver

“This year on the Dakar Rally there were many hard stages that ran through fascinating landscapes. Mark and I had real highlight stages which we really enjoyed. Unfortunately we lost our chance of overall victory right at the beginning. However, I’m delighted for the entire team that it turned out to be a one-two-three finish. I think this is just reward. Now, after the last stage and after all the tension has gone we’ll have a big celebration. It was fantastic to have worked together with this team. We have all earned the fun and relaxation which comes now.”

Number of the day

During the 33rd running of the desert classic, the total length of felt pen markings made while “Dakar” winner Timo Gottschalk prepared his road book was 120 metres. For better identification of the directions at rally pace the German uses five different day-glow marker pens.

Results

Final result after leg 13, Córdoba (RA)–Buenos Aires (RA); 181/826 km SS 13/total

Pos. Team Vehicle Leg 13 Total time

1 Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 3 1h 16m 46s (2); 45h 16m 16s

2 Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 3; 1h 18m 06s (4) + 49m 41s

3 Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E); Volkswagen Race Touareg 3; 1h 16m 08s (1) + 1h 20m 38s

4 Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-P. Cottret (F/F); BMW X3 CC; 1h 19m 05s (6) + 1h 43m 48s

5 Krzysztof Holowczyc/Jean-Marc Fortin (PL/B); BMW X3 CC; 1h 17m 33s (3) + 4h 11m 21s

6 Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA); Volkswagen Race Touareg 3; 1h 18m 10s (5) + 4h 54m 42s

7 Ricardo Leal dos Santos/Paulo Fiuza (P/P); BMW X3 CC; 1h 27m 16s (11) + 6h 50m 07s

8 Christian Lavieille/Jean-Michel Polato (F/F); Nissan Proto; 1h 25m 07s (10) + 7h 57m 18s

9 Guilherme Spinelli/Youssef Haddad (BR/BR); Mitsubishi Racing Lancer; 1h 20m 06s (7) + 8h 23m 37s

10 Matthias Kahle/Thomas Schünemann (D/D); Buggy SMG; 1h 28m 02s (12) + 15h 11m 56s

Wolfsburg (14 January 2011). The Volkswagen factory drivers also dominated events on the twelfth and penultimate stage of the Dakar Rally: A one-two-three led by Carlos Sainz (E) from Giniel de Villiers (ZA) and Nasser Al-Attiyah (Q) proved impressively the qualities of the Volkswagen Race Touareg 3 and its driving crews on the longest stage. All three also occupy the first three positions in the overall standings: The leader Nasser Al-Attiyah has the best chance of overall victory ahead of de Villiers and Sainz.

“It looks much easier from the outside than it really is. In view of the results you could almost think that only Volkswagen was participating in the 2011 Dakar Rally,” stresses Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. “There were however, in addition to the four Volkswagens, actually seven BMWs, two Hummers, a Mini and also cars from Toyota, Mitsubishi and Nissan competing. The dominance can easily be attributed to the best car in the field – the new Volkswagen Race Touareg 3. It was entered by the best team in this sport and driven by the best drivers and co-drivers. They have worked towards achieving this goal for one year. Thanks to all the Volkswagen Motorsport employees, whether they are at home in Germany or on location in South America. Such success would not have been possible without these employees.”

Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E) secured their sixth stage win on the way from San Juan to Córdoba – the eleventh for Volkswagen in the 2011 “Dakar”. Their team mates Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D) followed only 2 minutes 43 seconds behind. Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D) arrived at the finish another 3 minutes 28 seconds behind. The two overall leaders could take a more controlled approach: In the overall standings they have a 48 minute 21 second advantage over de Villiers. Carlos Sainz completes the Volkswagen trio at the head of the rally leader board in third place. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA) continue to hold sixth place.

The twelfth of 13 stages was dominated by several lead changes and an extremely demanding route with many changes of direction and crests. Stéphane Peterhansel initially controlled the pace in the X-raid-BMW. The Giniel de Villiers assumed the lead which he lost to Carlos Sainz from the middle of the stage. At 555 kilometres in length today’s stage was the longest of the entire rally. The route was so soft in place due to the heavy rain that those responsible had to neutralise the stage for the cars between route-kilometres 294 and 341.

On Saturday an 826 kilometre long final stage is on the agenda, whereby the actual stage length is only 181 kilometre. The Volkswagen duo Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk has the best chance of taking their first overall victory in the Dakar Rally.

Quotes

#300 – Carlos Sainz (E), 1st place leg / 3rd position overall

“Today was all about finding our rhythm again after our problems over the course of the last two days. We had loads of cars to overtake. Luckily the dust wasn’t too bad and we encountered a lot of help. We only got stuck a little longer behind one of the X-raid-BMW’s. When we had overtaken it we got a puncture and had to pass it again. It’s a fantastic thing to have equalled Stéphane Peterhansel’s tally of 23 ‘Dakar’ stage victories. I have to thank my mechanics who gave me a perfect car.”

#302 – Nasser Al-Attiyah (Q), 3rd place leg / 1st position overall

“It was anything but easy to maintain concentration today. It was a long stage during which my thoughts wandered into the future. Nevertheless, we quickly found our rhythm and a good pace, which meant as little risk as possible. Tomorrow there is another near 180 kilometre stage on the agenda. I hope we can enjoy it with our comfortable lead and not get nervous. If we finish it without problems I hope that we’ll have plenty of reason to celebrate. Till then we still have to do our jobs.”

#304 – Mark Miller (USA), 6th place leg / 6th position overall

“At the beginning of the stage we waited for Carlos as arranged, so we could run behind him. This belongs to our role as team player and we are happy to do it. Unfortunately we got stuck at a stupid place immediately after and lost more time. The stage today was long and hard. I’m now looking forward to the finale tomorrow, which hopefully brings the result Volkswagen deserves. It looks very good for the team, now we just have to bring the baby home. We’ll do everything possible to make sure this is the case.”

#308 – Giniel de Villiers (ZA), 2nd place leg / 2nd position overall

“The first 220 kilometres just simply refused to end today. To me they seemed incredibly long and hard. There was a lot of mud and sodden tracks, which demanded everything. Today we decided to complete the stage by taking as little risk as possible. We caught up with both our team mate Nasser Al-Attiyah as well as Stéphane Peterhansel in the X-raid-BMW and the decided to follow them to the finish. This didn’t make the job any easier, but it was the best decision in order to complete the job in hand tomorrow, which is what we had in mind: the one-two-three for Volkswagen. But the ‘Dakar’ is relentless. We certainly shouldn’t underestimate the remaining 180 kilometres. We’ll all approach them with respect.”

Number of the day

The Race Touareg 3 electrical wiring system is comprised of a total of 2,543 metres of cable – if you placed every single strand lengthwise in a row. This represents a column of almost 600 Race Touareg 3 parked one after the other lengthways.

Did you know that…

… the Rally Dakar fleet had to prepare itself for significantly hotter outside temperatures on its return to Argentina? On the eleventh stage Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford and Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz completed the suspension repair on the Race Touareg in 54.9 degrees Celsius. The value measured in the shade in the air filter housing of the 310 hp “Dakar” prototype does not accurately reflect the actual prevailing heat. As there was no shadow to be found far and wide during the successful repair which kept Sainz/Cruz in the race for a podium position.

… the Volkswagen service crew completes around 7,000 kilometres during the “Dakar”, 588 of this alone today between San Juan and Córdoba? The employees rely on the energy drink supplied by main sponsor Red Bull on the journeys made by the “Blue Angels” during the day and occasionally during the night. In a study carried out by Utrecht University the drink containing taurine and caffeine was certified to increase concentration and to reduce the danger of falling asleep at the steering wheel when enjoyed on long motorway trips.

… in addition to Red Bull, 450 half-litre bottled drinks are consumed daily just by the mechanics during the service in the Volkswagen bivouac? 250 bottles of still water and 200 bottles of soft drinks keep the fluid intake balanced at temperatures verging on the 40 degree mark. Not included are the drinks consumed on the journey from bivouac to bivouac.

… Volkswagen transports its own carbon workshop from location to location during the Dakar Rally? Mike Zentner is ready every day to repair damaged bodywork components from carbon-fibre reinforced plastic – as it is correctly called. A job in demand: The tough stages on the 2011 “Dakar” with their potholes, steep downhill dune slopes and the vegetation occasionally protruding onto route frequently batters the exterior skin on the four Race Touareg 3 beyond breaking point.

Results

Standings after leg 12, San Juan (RA)–Córdoba (RA); 555/678 km SS 12/total

Pos. Team Vehicle Leg 12 Total time

1 Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 3; 5h 43m 29s (3); 43h 59m 30s

2 Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 3; 5h 40m 01s (2) + 48m 21s

3 Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E); Volkswagen Race Touareg 3; 5h 37m 18s (1) + 1h 21m 16s

4 Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-P. Cottret (F/F); BMW X3 CC; 5h 44m 13s (4) + 1h 41m 29s

5 Krzysztof Holowczyc/Jean-Marc Fortin (PL/B); BMW X3 CC; 5h 51m 09s (5) + 4h 10m 34s

6 Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA); Volkswagen Race Touareg 3; 5h 54m 09s (6) + 4h 53m 18s

7 Ricardo Leal dos Santos/Paulo Fiuza (P/P); BMW X3 CC; 6h 07m 28s (8) + 6h 39m 37s

8 Christian Lavieille/Jean-Michel Polato (F/F); Nissan Proto; 6h 29m 30s (12) + 7h 48m 57s

9 Guilherme Spinelli/Youssef Haddad (BR/BR); Mitsubishi Racing Lancer; 6h 02m 54s (7) + 8h 20m 17s

10 Matthias Kahle/Thomas Schünemann (D/D); Buggy SMG; 6h 25m 55s (10) + 15h 00m 40s

Wolfsburg (13 January 2011). The Volkswagen factory drivers Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D) increased their lead at the top of the Dakar Rally standings on the eleventh stage. On the section from Chilecito to San Juan they recorded their fourth stage victory this year in the Race Touareg 3 and benefited at the same time from the bad luck of their team mates Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E). Last year’s winners from Spain dropped back due to damage on their car, but are still on course for a podium finish. New second placed duo is Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D) in another Race Touareg.

Carlos Sainz, up to now second in the overall standings, led the cross country rally’s eleventh stage for almost 400 kilometres. Damage to the right-hand front suspension of his car then forced the Spaniard to stop and make repairs, during which last year’s winner lost a lot of time. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA) stopped in the stage to help their team mates under inhuman conditions. Sainz/Cruz dropped back to third overall due to the repair work, their team mates Miller/Pitchford fell to sixth position.

Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel in the X-raid-BMW reached the stage finish second 1 minute 13 seconds behind Nasser Al-Attiyah. The third best time went to yesterday’s stage winner Giniel de Villiers. The 2009 “Dakar” Champion now sits 51 minutes 49 seconds behind Al-Attiyah in the overall standings.

Originally the eleventh stage at 622 kilometres would have been the longest of the entire rally. However, rain in the area around San Juan most recently caused deep erosion and new gorges. For safety reasons the organiser therefore cut 93 kilometres from the final section. As a result the distance dropped to 530 kilometres. To begin the teams crossed canyon terrain with plenty of bush vegetation at the foot of the Andes; afterwards they conquered a climb to over 3,200 metres before the stage ended at about 800 metres above sea level.

Quotes

Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director)

“A proverb in motorsport is – ‘To finish first, first you have to finish’. Congratulations to Nasser Al-Attiyah and Timo Gottschalk for their performance today. It was a very exciting day for everyone. Carlos Sainz suffered suspension damage. Mark Miller and Ralph Pitchford helped them with spare parts and energy and encouragement. I’m proud of the four as they completed the repair in record time. As a result we still lead the field with three Race Touareg cars. All in all a good day for Volkswagen.

#300 – Carlos Sainz (E), 14th place leg / 3rd position overall

“Today we really attacked and were about 25 seconds behind in the dust cloud kicked up by our team mate Nasser Al-Attiyah. This is a risky game and we knew this. Because of the dust we didn’t see a hole which we slid into when we locked the brakes. The suspension broke. Luckily our team mates Mark Miller and Ralph Pitchford were directly behind us with spare parts and we could replace the destroyed components in record time in incredibly high temperatures. Thanks to Mark and Ralph’s help we still managed to reach third place overall. I’m really thankful for this. But today I’m not only simply exhausted I also need a new body.”

#302 – Nasser Al-Attiyah (Q), 1st place leg / 1st position overall

“A few days ago I planned to approach the job in hand as clever as possible to the finish. Today there were two stages during which you had to be wide awake. In the first part we looked after the material as well as possible so we would be in a good position in the second part. It paid dividends. And although we were driving rather cautiously we still won the stage at the end. We now have a comfortable advantage, but this doesn’t mean anything if you don’t arrive in Buenos Aires. I’m not wasting any thoughts about winning. After all there are still two extremely tough days ahead of us.”

#304 – Mark Miller (USA), 11th place leg / 6th position overall

“The day began with us having to make difficult overtaking manoeuvres on the cars running in the dust in front of us. We did well under these conditions. Just after the start of the second part of the stage we came across Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz who had suffered suspension damage. We worked fantastically together and solved the problem as quickly as possible. Normally you need at least two hours for this, we managed it in one. But this is exactly why we are one team.”

#308 – Giniel de Villiers (ZA), 3rd place leg / 2nd position overall

“The second part of the stage was much harder than we had previously expected. The first part was also tricky. Many canyons and bushes meant plenty of work at the steering wheel. Owing to Carlos’ problem we made good a place in the overall standings. I feel sorry for him as he’d drive an outstanding race so far. However, it also shows that anything can happen every day during this extremely tough rally. You have to be alert all the way to the finish. This is also exactly what my co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz and I plan to the finish in Buenos Aires.”

Number of the day

The Race Touareg 3 is comprised of 5,535 individual parts. The parts list shows 4,911 components for the chassis and 624 individual parts for the powerful 310 hp 2.5 litre TDI engine.

Three questions to crew chief Ralf Arneke

As crew chief you are responsible for organising the Volkswagen mechanics. Is it difficult – especially towards the end of the “Dakar” – to keep the motivation high?

“Quite honestly it’s actually relatively simple. We are in the comfortable position of being in front with three cars. You certainly don’t need to motivate the relevant crews. The other two teams also do their job 100 per cent professionally every day.”

Everybody in the Volkswagen team has at least to jobs to do. What exactly are your jobs?

“The job as crew chief is exceptionally easy here in the field. Everybody in the group knows what and how they have to do it. This is the result of good preparation and years of working together. At Volkswagen we have a very low turnover of staff, and even with the freelancers. This pays dividends for the complete routine. In the field I drive and organise the start-finish truck, which guarantees the final service on the service route and the first after every stage. In this case you are the one who can still change the smallest details before the stage.”

In your opinion what makes the Volkswagen team into the best team at the 2011 “Dakar”?

“We have the best drivers, the most reliable material and the best group of mechanics. And then they don’t even make a single mistake at the service. I’m bloody proud of the guys who have worked exceptionally well up to now. The work procedures are right, there are no panics. Up to now everything has run just as we imagined.”

Results

Standings after leg 11, Chilecito (RA)–San Juan (RA); 529/693 km SS 11/total

Pos. Team Vehicle Leg 11 Total time

1 Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 3; 4h 17m 27s (1); 38h 16m 01s

2 Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 3; 4h 22m 19s (3) + 51m 49s

3 Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E); Volkswagen Race Touareg 3; 5h 32m 17s (14) + 1h 27m 27s

4 Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-P. Cottret (F/F); BMW X3 CC; 4h 18m 40s (2) + 1h 40m 45s

5 Krzysztof Holowczyc/Jean-Marc Fortin (PL/B); BMW X3 CC; 4h 30m 44s (4) + 4h 02m 54s

6 Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA); Volkswagen Race Touareg 3; 5h 19m 22s (11) + 4h 42m 38s

7 Ricardo Leal dos Santos/Paulo Fiuza (P/P); BMW X3 CC; 4h 44m 40s (5) + 6h 15m 38s

8 Christian Lavieille/Jean-Michel Polato (F/F); Nissan Proto; 4h 53m 00s (7) + 7h 02m 56s

9 Guilherme Spinelli/Youssef Haddad (BR/BR); Mitsubishi Racing Lancer; 4h 52m 22s (6) + 8h 00m 52s

10 Matthias Kahle/Thomas Schünemann (D/D); Buggy SMG; 5h 16m 51s (9) + 14h 18m 14s

Wolfsburg (12 January 2011). While Volkswagen factory drivers Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D) recorded their first stage win on the tenth of 13 legs, their team mates established themselves clearly at the top of the Dakar Rally leader board. The duo increased their advantage in the overall standings to 12 minutes 37 seconds on the difficult dune filled stage from Copiapó in Chile to Chilecito in Argentina. Last year’s winners Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E) follow in second place.

Dramatic scenes unfolded among the notorious white dunes close to Fiambalá: Nasser Al-Attiyah initially led the stage before Stéphane Peterhansel in the X-raid-BMW took control. Then Nasser Al-Attiyah transformed a 2 minute 30 second deficit into a 1 minute 18 second advantage at the highest point of the route in a dune mountain range. However, approaching the end of the stage, between the fifth and sixth way points, Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz caught the leader unawares by selecting the cleverest route – and thus took a sensational victory on the day. Dirk von Zitzewitz immediately found the right direction at a junction and did not follow the tracks left by Peterhansel. Nasser Al-Attiyah dropped back to fourth place on the day’s stage losing a total of 8 minutes 54 seconds. As Carlos Sainz even lost 18 minutes 13 seconds on the stage Al-Attiyah was able to extend his overall lead. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA) lost 1 hour 4 minutes 18 seconds on the stage, but remains fifth overall.

Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D) completes Volkswagen’s one-two-three in the standings behind Al-Attiyah and Sainz.

The tenth stage took competitors from Chile back to Argentina again. In the process the teams scaled the rally’s highest point – the 4,725 metre high Paso San Francisco.

Quotes

Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director)

“A very short stage which was incredibly dramatic and very difficult. The navigation was anything but easy and the sand very soft. No driver pair got through today without small mistakes. The Race Touareg 3 has once again mastered the challenging conditions in great style. I’m delighted that Giniel and Dirk won this difficult stage.”

#300 – Carlos Sainz (E), 5th place leg / 2nd position overall

“That was an absolutely catastrophic day for us. We got bogged down on a dune after only five kilometres. On top of this came a puncture later. We got lost several times, especially at the end of the stage when we didn’t find the correct exit from a river bed. Furthermore we damaged the gearbox, which also slowed us down. So, all in all it could have been better. But also worse: The deficit in the overall standings is not unassailable. We’ll give our utmost up until the final metre to try and win.”

#302 – Nasser Al-Attiyah (Q), 4th place leg / 1st position overall

“The start of the stage went really well for us. We quickly found our rhythm and rapidly overtook our team mate Carlos Sainz, who had got bogged down on a dune. We drove at a good pace to the end. Unfortunately we didn’t find the right way immediately and looked where all the top teams had looked for the route. Only our team mates Giniel de Villiers and Dirk von Zitzewitz were cleverer than everybody else. Congratulations on winning the stage.”

#304 – Mark Miller (USA), 8th place leg / 5th position overall

“A challenging day for man and material. To start we did everything right, my co-driver Ralph Pitchford directed us perfectly to the way points. Unfortunately we emerged over the crest of a dune with too little momentum and got bogged down. All in all it was, however, a really good but tough ‘Dakar’ stage. It could have been quite a bit different today with a little more luck.”

#308 – Giniel de Villiers (ZA), 1st place leg / 3rd position overall

“Today was our day. I think that I did just as good a job as my co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz. However, at the end his stroke of genius made all the difference. It’s fabulous also to finally win a stage in this ‘Dakar’, even though it came a little later than I’d hoped. On the way there were plenty of difficulties to overcome. You had to keep an eye on the engine temperature, every one of the top teams got lost at least once. On top of this sand, sand and more sand which was very soft. The final part was a real labyrinth of washed our river beds and canyons. A lot of teams will still be searching for the right way there today.”

Number of the day

On the section between Copiapó and Chilecito Volkswagen contested its 100th “Dakar” stage since the first prototype’s first event in 2004.

From the Volkswagen bivouac

Sailing ace Russell Coutts visits Volkswagen factory team

High-ranking visit from the high seas: The four-time America’s Cup winner, multiple sailing World Champion and Olympic winner Russell Coutts was shown the Volkswagen bivouac from Carlos Sainz, Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mark Miller. In Copiapó in Chile, actual Dakar Rally rest day for the mechanics, the 48-year old New Zealander made a flying visit during the service after the ninth stage.

Local hero and favourite together: Mine worker meets Al-Attiyah

A special moment for both: Volkswagen factory driver Nasser Al-Attiyah, “Dakar” overall leader, was given a surprise visit in the bivouac after the ninth stage. Luis Urzúa, shift manager for the miners trapped in San José north of Copiapó in autumn 2010, got an impression of the Volkswagen factory team in his hometown Copiapó. Urzúa, the 33rd and last rescued, was impressed. “Just like us miners a team in the ‘Dakar’ also works hand in hand. It’s fantastic to rub shoulders with the team members and see the rally in my hometown,” said the 54-year old. “To be able to meet Nasser Al-Attiyah one of the favourites was incredible.”

Results

Standings after leg 10, Copiapó (RCH)–Chilecito (RA); 176/862 km SS 10/total

Pos. Team Vehicle Leg 10 Total time

1 Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 3; 3h 02m 09s (4); 33h 58m 34s

2 Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E); Volkswagen Race Touareg 3; 3h 11m 28s (5) + 12m 37s

3 Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D); Volkswagen Race Touareg 3; 2h 53m 15s (1) + 46m 57s

4 Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-P. Cottret (F/F); BMW X3 CC; 2h 58m 53s (3) + 1h 39m 32s

5 Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA); Volkswagen Race Touareg 3; 3h 57m 33s (8) + 3h 40m 43s

6 Krzysztof Holowczyc/Jean-Marc Fortin (PL/B); BMW X3 CC; 2h 57m 38s (2) + 3h 49m 37s

7 Ricardo Leal dos Santos/Paulo Fiuza (P/P); BMW X3 CC; 3h 24m 06s (6) + 5h 48m 25s

8 Christian Lavieille/Jean-Michel Polato (F/F); Nissan Proto; 3h 36m 38s (7) + 6h 27m 23s

9 Guilherme Spinelli/Youssef Haddad (BR/BR); Mitsubishi Racing Lancer; 4h 26m 42s (10) + 7h 25m 57s

A stunning, if treacherous penultimate day in Argentina saw a swathe of retirements today. Robby Gordon again suffered setbacks, but managed to bring his Hummer home 20^th on the stage and peg back some positions. Sue Mead made it through, but the Predator buggies driven by Team Mexico did not. Up front, both Nassar Al-Attiyah in the cars, and Marc Coma on the bikes pegged back times to Carlos Sainz and Cyril Depres.

Coma recorded his 12^th stage win to close the gap to Depres, while Al-Attiyah also took a stage win, albeit not as convincing as he’d hoped, the Qatari unable to overtake Sainz in the dust.

Robby Gordon is now realistically out of contention for the race win, and he explained that today’s setback was a direct result of yesterday’s incident. “Yesterday’s problems came back today. We lost transmission yesterday, and the team changed the gearbox overnight, but they didn’t change the transmission pump, and it was burnt up,” he explained. “With no transmission fluid it overheated the transmission and I was stuck on half throttle all day.”

Gordon was visibly irritated by the dramas, “I just keep putting myself behind the eight ball here and it’s not good. It’s starting to make me mad. It all stems from driving off the road yesterday, it keeps coming back to bite me today,” he said.

Fellow American, Sue Mead was a late arrival at the bivouac, her Ford Raptor coping well with the terrain, though not as well with the crowds on the liaison stages, again finding it difficult to make up the distance in the small amount of allotted time.

“Wow, today was crazy. There were a lot of big drop-offs, and a lot of people stuck. I saw some guys in a buggy who went down a ravine so hopefully they’re ok,” Mead explained, adding that the terrain was beautiful.

“We were in two stunning national parks. One of them had really tight canyon walls that we drove through which were just hundreds of metres tall. And a lot that reminded me of the painted desert out west in the ‘states. That was the beauty,” she said.

“And then there was the beast. It was a really long stage, with a really long liaison, 300kms of offroad was broken up by time in the middle out on pavement and mixed track but it was dangerous. We were up over 10,000 feet today, and there were some serious drops. A lot of places where the road goes away the pavement goes away or even the dirt isn’t there!”

“The fesh fesh at the start was really tough on the vehicle, we got a mechanical in 4wd and had to drive in 4-high and not in 4-low.”

“We also sadly went by our good friends the Mexicans, Joaquin and Pedro, they were stuck and needed a tow out. We did offer a tow to Joaquin because he has a broken front suspension but he said “no go ahead, go ahead” which was kind of great, and means now Troy and Dan can spend the evening checking everything out.”

After a gruelling third day on the Dakar Mead and co-driver Darren Stilton will start tomorrow at 8.30am, with Mead once again taking on the driving duties. Mead says she’lll be grateful for a short shower, meal and then a few short hours of sleep.

“I am so grateful to be back in camp, and we have to start again early tomorrow! It was a 13 hour day and we didn’t stop for anything, not even fuel.”

Tomorrow sees the Dakar caravan cross customs at the top of the Andes and enter Chile, on another gruelling stage.

Volkswagen celebrates one-two win at “little Dakar” in Brazil

Wolfsburg (03 July 2009). Ten out of ten possible stage wins, four lead changes and a captivating duel: Volkswagen decided the Rallye dos Sertões in Brazil in their favour with a one-two win and thus took the first successful step in the title defence the brand targets at the Dakar Rally in January 2010. The all-Spanish factory duo in the Race Touareg, Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz Senra, secured third place on the final stage of the rally regarded as the toughest and longest cross-country after the legendary “Dakar” and thus clinched overall victory. On the tenth and last special stage between Caicó and Natal, which covered 85 kilometres of narrow gravel tracks and sandy sections, Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D) took the stage win and finished as the overall runners-up, just 1m 09s behind Sainz/Cruz Senra. The team-internal duel for stage victories ended in a score of 6:4 for the newly formed duo Al-Attiyah/Gottschalk. The Brazilian pairing Maurício Neves/Eduardo Bampi in another 280-hp diesel prototype from Wolfsburg finished the rally in sixth place overall.

Carlos Sainz vs. Nasser Al-Attiyah: nail-biting duel for the top position

Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz Senra and Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk delivered a nail-biting duel for victory to the countless cheering spectators of the Rallye dos Sertões, who enthusiastically welcomed the “Blue Frogs” – as the “Dakar” winning cars are affectionately nicknamed by the Brazilian fans due to their uncompromising off-road-capable shape – every day in the towns where the stages finished. In the well-balanced fight between the two new pairings who have been put together for the next Dakar Rally the largest gap during the rally was just a little more than ten minutes, and on the eighth day of the rally a mere three seconds. The Volkswagen duos took turns leading the event a total of four times.

Ideal “Dakar” preparation: toughest cross-country rally after the off-road classic

The track profile of the 17th edition of the Rallye dos Sertões made maximum demands on man and machine on the 5,036-kilometre route from the start in Goiânia to the finish in Natal. Extremely narrow gravel trails along farm roads alternated with washed-out trial passages and sections with deep, soft sand. The rally featured very quick as well as slow special stages. For Volkswagen, it was an ideal test for the Dakar Rally in January 2010, which will again be held in Argentina and Chile. Unlike at the “Dakar”, there was no day of rest scheduled during the ten-day rally. Consequently, the “Sertões” was a serious test for the entire team, from the drivers and co-drivers to the mechanics, in terms of technology, logistics and endurance. The “Sertões” also included numerous water passages which posed additional challenges during the cross-country rally through Brazil.

Besides the Rallye dos Sertões the Silk-Way-Rallye from 05 to 13 September – organised by “Dakar” organiser A.S.O. – through the Russian republic of Tatarstan as well as through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan is part of the preparation for the 2010 “Dakar”.

Pressure test in team-internal duel: new duos prove themselves in Brazil

At their first joint performances both “Dakar” pairings, Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz Senra as well as Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk, demonstrated why they were signed for the Volkswagen brand’s “Dakar” programme. Nasser Al-Attiyah, the personable driver from Qatar, competed for the first time together with his German co-driver Timo Gottschalk and – with stage wins during the first six days of the rally – delivered a strong showing as a new team member. Carlos Sainz shared the cockpit of the 280-hp Race Touareg for the first time with Lucas Cruz Senra. This combination worked successfully as well. As early as on the second leg the all-Spanish duo was victorious and captured the lead on the penultimate leg of the 2009 “Sertões”.

Brazilian duo in sixth place overall despite setbacks

The Brazilian duo Maurício Neves/Eduardo Bampi in a third factory-fielded and factory-prepared Volkswagen Race Touareg finished sixth overall despite smaller setbacks. The local heroes were struck by misfortune as early as on the second day of the “Sertões”. A motorcycle rider obstructed them on one of the numerous narrow wooden bridges. While passing the rider Neves/Bampi damaged their rear suspension. Despite a gap of several hours they subsequently moved forwards in the overall standings by clinching a total of seven top-three stage finishes – including three second and four third places.

Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director)
“If I could award a maximum of five stars for perfect work I’d give each and every team member exactly five stars. The one-two victory here in Brazil can be credited equally to the team and the drivers. The work of the entire crew was perfect, just as it was at the Dakar Rally. The outstanding job by Carlos Sainz, Nasser Al-Attiyah and their co-drivers makes me just as optimistic about the future. Both would have deserved victory and, in the end, were separated by just a few minutes after a tough fight. The Brazilian pairing Maurício Neves and Eduardo Bampi, without a lot of experience in the car, did a great job as well. I’m proud of the entire squad.”

#301 – Carlos Sainz (E), 3rd place leg / 1st place overall
“A victory that makes me very happy, clinched after a hard fight. The ‘Sertões’ was truly a challenge for us drivers. The special stages were long and extremely demanding, the terrain exceptional varied, and a continuous change of rhythm demanded full concentration. For me and my co-driver Lucas Cruz Senra it was a good test to get used to each other in the cockpit in competitive conditions. I think we definitely achieved this. That we won our first joint rally against such strong team-internal rivals was the icing on the cake.”

#301 – Lucas Cruz Senra (E), co-driver
“When you first join a team there’s an incredible number of influences to deal with. You’ve got to familiarise yourself with new team colleagues, new technicians, new engineers and, in particular, a new driver in every detailed aspect in order to be able to deliver a top performance. That I managed to do this with a victory straight away in my maiden race with Carlos Sainz makes me feel proud. Especially because the ‘Sertões’ is the longest and toughest rally after the ‘Dakar’. In some sections it was even tougher.”

#302 – Nasser Al-Attiyah (Q), 1st place leg / 2nd place overall
“The Rallye dos Sertões was my first competition with Volkswagen and I’m more than happy with the result. Everyone in the team works in a highly professional manner; the technical crew members love their jobs and give everything to achieve success. I need to thank them because they made it possible for me to make such a great debut with material that was always one-hundred-percent right. Thanks to the team spirit and my co-driver Timo Gottschalk, with whom I got on perfectly from the outset, I’m sure that I’ll be able to make my dream of winning the ‘Dakar’ come true.”

#302 – Timo Gottschalk (D), co-driver
“Quite honestly: Before the ‘Sertões’ almost none of us thought that the rally would be this tough. It was a really competitive test for Volkswagen to prepare for the Dakar Rally in January and it showed that it’s regarded as the second-toughest and second-longest cross-country of the world for good reason. The communication with Nasser Al-Attiyah in the cockpit worked smoothly just about from the start. The ‘Sertões’ offered the optimum opportunity for us to get accustomed to each other.”

#309 – Maurício Neves (BR), 2nd place leg / 6th place overall
“To compete in such a professional and well organised team as the Volkswagen team was like entering a new world for me. Every day we learned more about the car and the way the team works. We were able to always fully concentrate on our job. Unfortunately, a few mistakes repeatedly set us back somewhat, so we weren’t able to fully meet our own expectations. Nevertheless, contesting the ‘Sertões’ with Volkswagen has made a dream come true for us.”

#309 – Eduardo Bampi (BR), co-driver
“The Rallye dos Sertões in 2009 had everything a cross-country rally stands for. All sorts of terrain were included: stones, gravel, sand, mud or water passages. To have the chance to contest this event with the world’s best off-road vehicle was a great honour for us. And we’re proud of that. If I could pick a place and time to be at, I’d choose exactly the place and time we’re at right now.”

Number of the day The Rallye dos Sertões was also a technical preparation for Volkswagen for the “Dakar” which, among other things, confronts the contenders with extreme altitudes due to two crossings of the Andes. On the fifth day of the rally the sensors controlling the engine electronics in the Race Touareg logged an ambient pressure of 872 mbar, which corresponds to the pressure at an altitude of about 1,400 metres.

Tentative final standings after Leg 10, Caicó (RN) – Natal (RN)
85 km/340 km SS 11+12/overall

Pos. Team, Vehicles, Leg 10, Total time
1 Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz Senra (E/E), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2, 1h 06m 38.7s (3), 29h 16m 40.1s
2 Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2, 1h 03m 55.1s (1), + 1m 09. 4s
3 Jean Azevedo/Youssef Haddad (BR/BR), Mitsubishi L200, 1h 19m 37.0 (14), + 3h 53m 02.7
4 Roberto Reijers/Marcos Almeida (BR/BR), Ford Ranger, 1h 22m 11.2 (12), + 5h 35m 21.6
5 Felipe Bibas/Emerson Cavassi (BR/BR), Mitsubishi L200, 1h 16m 38.3 (9), + 5h 51m 53.2
6 Maurício Neves/Eduardo Bampi (BR/BR), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2, 1h 04m 24.6 (2), + 6h 00m 00.2
7 Luiz Facco/Silvio Deusdara (BR/BR), Mitsubishi L200, 1h 22m 43.3 (16), + 6h 21m 29.3
8 Richard Vaders/A. Spacassassi (BR/BR), Sherpa, 1h 14m 50.9 (7), + 7h 47m 26.1
9 Jarbas de Castro/W. von Schmidt (BR/BR), Sherpa 1h 17m 29.3 (11), + 7h 51m 19.6
10 Romeu Franciosi/Deco Muniz (BR/BR), Sherpa, 1h 14m 13.2 (6), + 9h 00m 00.8

Provinces GO: Goiás; TO: Tocatins; BA: Bahia; PE: Pernambuco; CE: Ceara; RN: Rio Grande do Norte

Volkswagen Motorsport public website: www.volkswagen-motorsport.com

Rallye dos Sertões information: www.dunas.com.br/ing

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