Fast tracks on the fifth stage of the Dakar between Copiapó and Antofagasta allowed competitors with a winning ambition to assert themselves on the contest. Taking the stage win in the bike race was reigning champion Marc Coma who was able to shave more than two minutes off the advantage held by overall leader Joan Barreda at the start of the day.
Battling back today following a tricky start to the rally was Portugal’s Hélder Rodrigues who was sixth quickest on the stage to move 10th in the general classification. The Honda rider is targeting his sixth top five finish at the Dakar and looks to have found his rhythm at just the right moment. It was also another impressive day for Dakar debutant Matthias Walkner as eighth place on the stage lifts the Austrian to seventh overall.
Qatar Rally Team driver Nasser Al-Attiyah was once again able to increase his advantage at the summit of the car race with a controlled performance that saw him finish the stage fourth fastest. Nasser was nearly two-and-a-half minutes quicker than Giniel de Villiers who remains the Qatari’s closest competitor, even if the gap between the two has now stretched to over 10 minutes.
It was a mixed day for Team Peugeot-Total at the toughest race in the world as Stéphane Peterhansel’s skilled performance saw him finish the day in the overall top 10. Cyril Despres is learning plenty about life on four wheels as he continues to gain experience in the car race. Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz hit a rock hidden by dust and rolled his PEUGEOT 2008 DKR out of the race.
It was a tough day for Mohamed Abu Issa who’s likely to retire due to his quad bike suffering a broken engine on the stage. However, there was no stopping the trucks of Team Kamaz Master and day five saw another stage win for 2013 champ Eduard Nikolaev. The Russian trucker has now leapfrogged his Kamaz team-mate Ayrat Mardeev at the top of the leaderboard.
The perilous dunes of the Atacama Desert return to the course tomorrow as the Dakar route runs north to Iquique. The Chilean town will eventually be the venue for a well deserved rest day for all competitors who managed to make it that far.
Results of SS5 (Cars):
1. Vladimir Vasilyev (RUS) Mini 4h 19m 18s
2. Yazeed Alrajhi (KSA) Toyota +00:04:04
3. Robby Gordon (USA) Hummer +00:01:25
4. Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT) Qatar Rally Team +00:03:24
5. Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA) Peugeot 2008 DKR +00:04:04
6. Giniel de Villiers (ZAF) Toyota + 00:05:44
72. Marek Dabrowski (POL) Toyota +04:15:49
77. Cyril Despres (FRA) Peugeot 2008 DKR +05:15:47
Results of SS5 (Bikes):
1. Marc Coma (ESP) KTM 4h 38m 16s
2. Joan Barreda (ESP) Honda +00:02:16
3. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL) KTM +00:02:40
6. Hélder Rodrigues (POR) Honda +00:06:35
8. Matthias Walkner (AUT) KTM +00:07:24
11. Jordi Viladoms (ESP) KTM +00:13:48
15. Ruben Faria (POR) KTM +00:17:24
28. Kuba Przygonski (POL) KTM +00:42:47
Results of SS5 (Trucks):
1. Eduard Nikolaev (RUS) Kamaz 4h 34m 55s
2. Ayrat Mardeev (RUS) Kamaz +00:09:58
3. Siarhei Viazovich (BLR) Maz +00:15:46
5. Dmitry Sotnikov (RUS) Kamaz +00:20:45
6. Andrey Karginov (RUS) Kamaz +00:26:48
