STÉPHANE PETERHANSEL ET JEAN-PAUL COTTRET REJOIGNENT LE TEAM X-RAID

FRENCH DAKAR LEGEND STĖPHANE
PETERHANSEL JOINS X-RAID TEAM

Jean-Paul Cottret set to rekindle partnership in BMW X3 CC
Team director Sven Quandt delighted with new crew line-up

TREBUR (Germany): French Dakar legend Stéphane Peterhansel has signed for the Trebur-based X-raid team and will rekindle his winning partnership with regular co-driver Jean-Paul Cottret in a BMW X3 CC.

Forty-three-year-old Peterhansel is the most successful driver/rider in the history of the gruelling Dakar Rally and has taken victory on five occasions on a Yamaha motorcycle and three times in a car with the Mitsubishi factory team.

When the Japanese manufacturer announced its shock withdrawal from the sport after this year’s Dakar Rally in South America, X-raid team director Sven Quandt was in a position to be able to recruit the potent French duo and is thrilled that they will be joining the X-raid team for the revised 2010 Dakar Rally in South America.

“I have always had the greatest admiration for Stéphane and Jean-Paul as a driver/co-driver partnership and that has been proved in the successes they achieved with our rival Mitsubishi team,” said Quandt.

“We now have a very competitive package with our latest BMW X3 CC and we led the Dakar for several days this year. Having Stéphane and Jean-Paul on board is a major boost to our campaign to win the event for the first time next January.”

Peterhansel is aware that the BMW X3 is a strong, powerful and competitive car and is relishing the challenge of winning the Dakar with a new team. “The BMW provided very difficult competition for me last time we competed in the Dakar and I know that Sven’s team have been working hard to make it even more competitive.

“This is an exciting new opportunity for Jean-Paul and myself and we are looking forward to working with a new team and trying to win the Dakar again.”

Peterhansel began his career with motorcycles and clinched victory in the 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997 and 1998 Dakar rallies on two wheels, before switching to four-wheel competition. He finished second overall in the 2000 Dakar-Cairo Rally with a Mega Special, before winning the T1 category with Nissan in 2001.

After joining the Mitsubishi factory team and taking victory in the 2002 UAE Desert Challenge, he lost victory on the penultimate stage of the 2003 Dakar Rally in Egypt, but went on to win the event in 2004, 2005 and 2007 to cap eight stunning wins in the world’s most difficult off-road rally.

The Frenchman – nicknamed ‘Peter’ in his native France - has also achieved numerous wins in rounds of the FIA World Cup, is a two-time World Enduro champion and took part in the Race of Champions in 2005 and 2006.

Cottret started his career as a qualified race mechanic and quickly developed an enviable reputation as a first class co-driver, the Frenchman able to fuse his ability to read the remote desert terrain with working under pressure to repair technical problems on the car in all weather and temperatures.

Cottret switched to co-driving in 1992 and finished second with Peterhansel on the Dakar event in 2000. He was born in June 1963 and has already won the Dakar Rally with Peterhansel on three occasions (2004, 2005 and 2007) and numerous smaller Bajas and FIA World Cup rallies. Cottret - nicknamed ‘Pollo’- is determined to increase his winning tally next January.

POUR LE PLAISIR DES YEUX !!

Allez donc faire un petit tour sur le blog de Gigi Soldano, le meilleur photographe de GP moto et des Rallyes Tout Terrain... (évidemment c'est le meilleur et c'est mon ami !!!)
Vous allez vous régaler !

http://blog.photozac2.com:16080/weblog/gigi/

Rallye dos Sertões : 6e étape

Sainz ahead of Al-Attiyah: change of lead in Volkswagen double

Wolfsburg (29 June 2009). 4:2 in the team-internal duel for stage wins; the “blue” lead has changed again: The Volkswagen duo Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz Senra (E/E) took the overall lead again on the sixth leg of the Rallye dos Sertões, narrowly relegating their team-mates Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D) in another factory-fielded Race Touareg to position two. After his second stage victory at the cross-country rally through Brazil Sainz is now 5m 08s ahead of Al-Attiyah who finished the stage from Luís Edoardo Magalhães to Barra as the runner-up after a repair stop. After finishing the stage in fourth place the third Volkswagen pairing Maurício Neves/Eduardo Bampi (BR/BR) is ranking ninth overall. The sixth and seventh day of the rally form a combined marathon leg on which no evening service by the mechanics is permitted.

Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director)
"The sixth leg showed that in sport nothing is predictable - particularly not in cross-country rally racing. The smallest oversight may cost minutes, and perhaps even the whole rally. Nasser Al-Attiyah and Maurício Neves lost a lot of time today because of these imponderables. Like the ‘Dakar´, the ‘Sertões´ is an unrelenting rally which needs to be mastered before anything else. But we´re continuing to head in the right direction to successfully achieve this.”

#301 - Carlos Sainz (E), 1st place leg / 1st place overall
"A really tough and very difficult leg containing very narrow trails on the one hand and quick sections on the other, which made maximum demands on us drivers as well as the material. Tomorrow the second part of the marathon leg will follow without service tonight at the bivouac. That´s why we proceeded with caution today.”

#302 - Nasser Al-Attiyah (Q), 2nd place leg / 2nd place overall
"That was simply a case of misfortune. Apparently we hit a tree stump that was hidden in the grass stump in such an unfortunate way that we had to change the right rear tie rod. The repair cost us at least 15 minutes as well as the lead. Today you could see that the rally is tough and long. That is also true for the next four days.”

#309 - Maurício Neves (BR), 4th place leg / 9th place overall
"Today we lost some time again. We came to a place where the soil was heavily washed out, which hadn´t been marked in the roadbook. We braked but got stuck with the front end and had to be pulled out by a rival. That cost us quite a bit of time.”

Numbers of the day The roadbooks of the first half of the rally comprised about 300 pages and 2,100 pictures. The co-driver would issue instructions every 750 metres on average - at an average speed of 91 kph this corresponds to every 29.7 seconds.

Interim standings after Leg 06, Luís Eduardo Magalhaes (BA) - Barra (BA)
361 km/557 km SS 07/total

Pos. Team, Vehicle, Leg 06, Total time
1 Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz Senra (E/E), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2, 4h 04m 10.0s (1), 21h 38m 37.9 s
2 Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2, 4h 21m 09.4s (2), + 5m 08.3s
3 Jean Azevedo/Youssef Haddad (BR/BR), Mitsubishi L200, 4h 46m 59.2s (8), + 2h 22m 28.1s
4 Riamburgo Ximenes/Stanger Eller (BR/BR), Sherpa, 4h 30m 56.7s (3), + 2h 30m 34.6s
5 Roberto Reijers/Marcos Almeida (BR/BR), Ford Ranger, 4h 44m 24.5s (7), + 3h 30m 56.7s
6 João Franciosi/Rafael Capoani (BR/BR) Sherpa, 5h 02m 47.1s (12), + 3h 50m 43.9s
7 Luiz Facco/Silvio Deusdará (BR/BR), Mitsubishi L200, 4h 59m 39.1s (11), + 4h 23m 38.5s
8 Felipe Bibas/Emerson Cavassi (BR/BR), Mitsubishi L200, 4h 42m 33.3s (6), + 4h 37m 04.5s
9 Maurício Neves/Eduardo Bampi (BR/BR), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2, 4h 31m 37.5s (4), + 5h 04m 00.6s
10 Romeo Franciosi/Deco Muniz (BR/BR), Sherpa, 4h 57m 57.4s (10), + 5h 10m 39.7s

DES NEWS DE LUCHO !

Luc Alphand opéré ce lundi des suites d’un accident de moto. C’est durant l’enduro Rand’Auvergne dans les environs d’Ambert auquel participait également son ami de longue date Christian Lavieille que « Lucho » a été victime ce dimanche d’une chute de moto en fin de journée. En effet, en tentant de doubler un autre concurrent sur un appel suivi d’un saut, Luc a perdu le contrôle de sa machine en passant par-dessus celle-ci puis en retombant de tout son poids sur la tête. Conscient, mais souffrant de douleurs dans le dos et de picotements, Luc Alphand a été transporté dans les minutes suivant sa chute à l’hôpital d’Ambert pour des radios qui n’ont rien décelé. Puis il a été héliporté quelques heures plus tard au CHU de Clermont Ferrand pour des examens approfondis et notamment une IRM. C’est justement cette IRM qui a révélé la présence de multiples lésions sur les vertèbres C7 à T1 avec une atteinte du rachis cervical et dorsal et une menace médullaire due à des éclats de vertèbres. Pris en charge dès son entrée au CHU par le docteur Jean Chazal, chef du service de chirurgie qui a récemment opéré le rugbyman Aurélien Rougerie, Luc a subi une opération de 4 heures ce lundi durant laquelle un examen microscopique a été effectué accompagné de la pose de deux plaques métalliques et d’une greffe osseuse destinées à consolider les vertèbres. Actuellement en salle de réveil au moment de la rédaction de ce communiqué (16h00), les médecins sont confiants sur l’état de santé du quintuple champion du monde se ski mais attendent son réveil pour évaluer précisément son état neurologique. Un grand merci pour tous les messages de sympathie que nous recevons actuellement. Nous ne manquerons de vous donner plus d’informations dès que possible. Le Mans, le 29 juin 2009 Romain Grabowski – Team Luc Alphand Aventures romain.grabowski@luc-alphand.com

LUCHO ALPHAND, BLESSÉ ET OPÉRÉ DES VERTÈBRES

Luc Alphand a été victime d'un grave accident dimanche à l'occasion d'un rallye moto disputé en Auvergne. Touché à la colonne vertébrale, le vainqueur Dakar 2006 semble toutefois hors de danger et est opéré ce lundi à Clermont-Ferrand.

Luc Alphand a chuté lors d'une course de moto disputée en Auvergne (Maxppp).
Ancien champion de ski, reconverti avec brio dans le sport automobile, Luc Alphand a lourdement chuté à moto dimanche lors de la 10e et dernière spéciale de la Rand'Auvergne, une course d'enduro disputée aux alentours d'Ambert dans le Puy-de-Dôme.

Touché au dos, le natif de Briançon, qui n'a pas perdu connaissance et ne souffre d'aucun problème neurologique, a été évacué par hélicoptère et accueilli au CHRU de Clermont-Ferrand, où il est opéré ce lundi par le professeur Chazal indique La Montagne. Luc Alphand a trois vertèbres fracturées au niveau cervical et lombaire.

Joint par L'Express.fr, le team manager de Luc Alphand adventures, Philippe Poincloux, se montrait plutôt rassurant: "Je viens de l'avoir au téléphone, juste avant qu'il parte au bloc opératoire. C'est une sérieuse chute, et il a eu beaucoup de chance. Il doit désormais subir une grosse opération, mais il n'a aucun problème particulier. Il a de la sensibilité dans les jambes. Il faudra être patient après cette opération. Mais aujourd'hui, nous sommes confiants. Il est entre de très bonnes mains au CHU de Clermont-Ferrand. Rien ne permet d'être alarmistes comme j'ai pu l'entendre dans les médias ce matin (lundi)".

SOURCE http://sport.europe1.fr

IL ÉTAIT UN FOIS À SPA - ONCE UPON THE TIME...

Pour les nostalgiques et les amoureux de belles bécanes, d'exploits et admiratifs de grands hommes... Et puis aussi pour tous ceux qui, comme moi, ont eu la chance de connaitre la grande époque des Grands Prix moto !!
A Vale qui est né trop tard pour faire partie de notre paddock : Un jour j'écrirai les histoires de la Rue du Paddock !


En image : Agostini, Dieter Braun, Christian Sarron, Mick Grant, Philippe Coulon, Eric Saul, Bernard Fau, Jacky Germain, Steve McLaughlin, Phil Read, Boet Van Dulmen etc...

Rallye dos Sertões : 5e étape

Dimanche 28 juin

Thanks to TDI power: Volkswagen takes 1-2-3-stage win in Brazil


Wolfsburg (28 June 2009). Volkswagen celebrated another stage victory at the Rallye dos Sertões: On the fifth leg of the cross-country rally through Brazil Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D) set the fastest time ahead of their team colleagues Maurício Neves/Eduardo Bampi (BR/BR) and Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz Senra (E/E). The diesel technology of the 280-hp Race Touareg provided a crucial advantage: The 539-kilometre stage from Palmas to Luís Eduardo Magalhães was marked by quick gravel stretches with long flat-out passages as well as by trial-like segments where the high torque of the 2.5-litre TDI engines was advantageous. Al-Attiyah/Gottschalk were 3m 21s faster than Neves/Bampi, Sainz/Cruz Senra lost almost eleven minutes due to two unscheduled stops: A hose clip on the intercooler was broken and later the Spanish duo had to change a wheel due to a slow puncture.

Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director)
"Today the three duos in the Race Touareg vehicles demonstrated why Volkswagen won the ‘Dakar´. On this fast leg top speed was equally important as torque since the stage also led through technically demanding sections. All three teams delivered a first-class performance - but special praise goes to our Brazilian crew: Maurício Neves and Eduardo Bampi have perfectly integrated themselves into our team and thrill the local fans with their strong performances.”

#301 - Carlos Sainz (E), 3rd place leg / 2nd place overall
"After two kilometres a hose clip in the intercooler duct broke. A small cause with a big effect because we suddenly had no more power. Changing the clip cost us several minutes. In addition, we had to change a wheel. Apart from that, things improved towards the end.”

#302 - Nasser Al-Attiyah (Q), 1st place leg / 1st place overall
"This was a really, really fast leg that I liked very much because it reminded me of special stages in the World Rally Championship. It was very fluid and nice to drive. My co-driver Timo Gottschalk and I have meanwhile found a good rhythm - and I´m now really familiar with the Race Touareg and its character too.”

#309 - Maurício Neves (BR), 2nd place leg / 9th place overall
"This leg was really fast and required lots of power. The TDI engine impressed me in this respect yet again - particularly because the beginning of the route had boulders and twisty passages which demands completely different characteristics of the engine. The Race Touareg has simply got power in any situation.”

Number of the day On the fifth leg of the Rallye dos Sertões, the quickest of the ten rally days, the sensors of the Volkswagen engineers logged a full-throttle section of 11.2 kilometres for Maurício Neves/Eduardo Bampi - in total, Neves was driving flat out 46.1 per cent of the time.


Interim standings after Leg 05, Palmas (TO) - Luís Eduardo Magalhaes (BA)
301 km/539 km SS 06/total

Pos. Team, Vehicle, Leg 05 ,Total time
1 Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2, 2h 30m 37.6s (1), 17h 22m 36.8s
2 Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz Senra (E/E), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2, 2h 41m 01.4s (3), + 11m 51.1s
3 Jean Azevedo/Youssef Haddad (BR/BR), Mitsubishi L200, 2h 52m 24.9s (5), + 1h 50m 30.0s
4 Riamburgo Ximenes/Stanger Eller (BR/BR), Sherpa, 2h 50m 02.0s (4), + 2h 15m 33.0s
5 Roberto Reijers/Marcos Almeida (BR/BR), Ford Ranger, 3h 03m 38.2s (12), + 3h 02m 33.3s
6 João Franciosi/Rafael Capoani (BR/BR), Sherpa, 2h 55m 52.4s (6), + 3h 03m 57,9s
7 Luiz Facco/Silvio Deusdará (BR/BR), Mitsubishi L200, 3h 00m 54.2s (10), + 3h 39m 30.5s
8 Felipe Bibas/Emerson Cavassi (BR/BR), Mitsubishi L200, 3h 02m 45.4s (11), + 4h 10m 14.3s
9 Romeo Franciosi(Deco Muniz (BR/BR), Sherpa, 2h 59m 33.1s (9), + 4h 28m 19.4s
10 Maurício Neves/Eduardo Bampi (BR/BR), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2, 2h 33m 58.1s (2), + 4h 48m 24.2s

Rallye dos Sertões, 3e étape

26 June 2009

Volkswagen continues setting the pace at "Sertões"

Wolfsburg (26 June 2009). The Volkswagen three-pack on the third leg: Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz Senra (E/E), Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D) and Maurício Neves/Eduardo Bampi (BR/BR) finished the third leg of the Rallye dos Sertões in places one, two and three. The fastest time on the stage between Cidade de Goiás and Minaçu was set by Nasser Al-Attiyah, who is at the wheel of a Race Touareg for the first time in Brazil. On the 317 kilometres of the special stage with tight, twisty sections on gravel and narrow trails the factory duos in the 280-hp diesel prototypes from Wolfsburg delivered a cohesive team performance: Carlos Sainz finished the third day 58 seconds behind Nasser Al-Attiyah by setting the second-best time and thus defended an overall lead of 42 seconds. The Brazilian pairing Maurício Neves/Eduardo Bampi was classified with the third-best time, ten minutes behind stage winner Al-Attiyah.

Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director)
"Today, the entire squad delivered a cohesive performance on what has been the most demanding leg of the rally so far. After 317 kilometres, all three teams came within ten minutes of each other although the drivers as well as the navigators had to work with full concentration and the ‘Brazilian´ car had to overtake numerous other vehicles.”

#301 - Carlos Sainz (E), 2nd place leg / 1st place overall
"It was a really strenuous leg which we tackled by taking calculated risks. In the early stages there were many tight, twisty passages which had to be driven with extreme precision. We were able to drive faster only on the last 80 kilometres. On the whole it was a good stage for us.”

#302 - Nasser Al-Attiyah (Q), 1st place leg / 2nd place overall
"We took things with a bit more caution today because the demands have increased yet again. So, I´m more than happy with the result. For me, completing as many kilometres in the car and gathering experiences and impressions is still the most important aspect. ‘Well done´ to my co-driver Timo Gottschalk, who did a very good job today.”

#309 - Maurício Neves (BR), 3rd place leg / 16th place overall
"This was a stage full of variety! Many jumps, narrow trails and lots of gravel demanded full concentration, particularly the numerous overtaking manoeuvres, because after our unfortunate day yesterday we had to pass many cars. That cost us some time. After our cautious start we attacked in the end.”

Number of the day On the third leg of the Rallye dos Sertões Carlos Sainz generated a unique, maximum braking pressure of 76.6 bar. This roughly equates to the hydrostatic pressure at a water depth of 766 metres.


Interim standings after Leg 03, Cidade de Goiás (GO) - Minaçu (GO)
317 km/644 km SS 04/total

Pos. Team Vehicle Leg 03 Total time
1 Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz Senra (E/E), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2, 3h 46m 48.4s (2), 10h 21m49.6s
2 Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2, 3h 45m 50.9s (1), + 42.8s
3 Riamburgo Ximenes/Stanger Eller (BR/BR), Sherpa, 4h 27m 35.9s (5), + 1h 02m 47.4s
4 Jean Azevedo/Youssef Haddad (BR/BR), Mitsubishi L200, 4h 04m 20.5s (4), + 1h 02m 57.4s
5 Marcos Strocynski/Kleber Cincea (BR/BR), Mitsubishi L200, 4h 19m 01.4s (8), + 1h 35m 51.3s
…
16 Maurício Neves/Eduardo Bampi (BR/BR), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2, 3h 56m 01.9s (3), + 3h 08m 15.4s

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

Rallye dos Sertões, 2e étape

DÉSOLÉE DE NE PAS AVOIR ALIMENTER LE BLOG POUR UNE SEMAINE... PAS INTERNET ! C'EST REPARTI... MAIS TRANQUILLEMENT, CE SONT LES WACANCES ! BON ÉTÉ À TOUS

Pas facil d'avoir des news du Rally dos Sertoes comme d'habitude.
En moto, le classement donne Zé Helio premier après trois SP devant Do Nacimento et Juca Bala. En ce qui concerne les Européens, le plateau est maigre : Czachor est 7e et Przyonski 22e...

COMMUNIQUÉ DE PRESSE VW
Volkswagen driver Carlos Sainz takes lead in Brazil

Wolfsburg (25 June 2009). The Volkswagen factory duo Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz Senra (E/E) took the lead on the second day of the Rallye dos Sertões in front of their team- mates Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D). On the demanding route between Santa Helena de Goiás and Cidade de Goiás, which put drivers and co-drivers to the test with many changes in rhythm, tricky branch-offs and a mix of trial-like and quick gravel sections, Sainz/Cruz Senra beat the newly formed pairing Al-Attiyah/Gottschalk who had opened the special stage as the previous day’s winners. For the third crew of the factory prepared and factory fielded Race Touareg vehicles the day was marked by misfortune: Maurício Neves/Eduardo Bampi (BR/BR) damaged their front suspension in an evasive manoeuvre on a bridge and lost a lot of time in the process. The Brazilian duo will continue the rally on the third leg.

Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director)
"The second leg of the Rallye dos Sertões was a tricky one. Nasser Al-Attiyah and Timo Gottschalk opened a leg for the first time and coordinated their actions in the competition in extremely difficult conditions. With a stage win they - as well as Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz Senra - showed how well balanced these new teams are acting.”

#301 - Carlos Sainz (E), 1st place leg / 1st place overall
"Today´s stage really had everything that is typical of a cross-country rally. Trial-like sections, many changes in rhythm and branch-offs that made navigating a demanding task. For us, this was truly an acid test which we successfully passed as a team and the Race Touareg, as well, was up to par in all conditions.”

#302 - Nasser Al-Attiyah (Q), 2nd place leg / 2nd place overall
"Today, my co-driver Timo Gottschalk and I primarily focused on coordinating our actions as best we could for this challenge. Opening the stage is never an easy task. I think we handled it well, even though we misjudged two branch-offs which cost us some time.”

#309 - Maurício Neves (BR)
"On a narrow bridge that consisted only of a few boards, a motorcycle rider was stuck in a gap on the right-hand side. The only chance we had was to pass him on the left. Unfortunately, we got too far to the left and damaged our rear suspension in the process.”

Number of the day A major portion of the special stages of the 2009 Rallye dos Sertões have never been driven before and are totally new territory for the contenders. Compared with last year, 90 per cent of the routes are on the agenda for the first time.

Interim standings after leg 02, Santa Helena de Goiás (GO) - Cidade de Goiás (GO)
334 km/469 km SS 02/total

Pos. Team Vehicle Leg 02 Total time
1 Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz Senra (E/E), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2, 3h 59m 08.7 (1), 6h 35m 01.2
2 Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2, 4h 06m13.4 (2), + 1m 40.3
3 Riamburgo Ximenes/Stanger Eller (BR/BR), Sherpa, 4h 27m 35.9 (3), + 41m 57.1
4 Jean Azevedo/Youssef Haddad (BR/BR), Mitsubishi L200, 4h 30m 43.5 (4), + 42m 44.0
5 Reinaldo Varela/Marcos (BR/BR), Mitsubishi L200, 4h 36m 07.5 (5), + 53m 18.1