315 HIRVONEN Mikko (fin) PERIN Michel (fra) MINI action during the Dakar 2016 Argentina, Bolivia, Etape 9 / Stage 9, Belen – Belen, from January 12, 2016 – Photo Eric Vargiolu / DPPI
Actually, today’s stage should have featured the first true dunes but once again, the weather changed the Dakar schedule. This time, however, extremely high temperatures were the problem. Temperatures so high that the organisers felt impelled to stop the special stage at CP2 ( at kilometre179). By finishing third, Mikko Hirvonen (FIN) and Michel Périn (FRA) were the fastest AXION X-raid Team pairing, today, with Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT) and Mathieu Baumel (FRA) taking their MINI ALL4 Racing to fifth. Both pairings defended their third and fourth positions in the overall standings. Orlando Terranova and Ronnie Graue (both ARG) also made it to the top 10 by securing ninth position! Nani Roma and Alex Haro (both ESP) finished 12th.
Tomorrow, in stage 10, the competitors will have to race from Belén to La Rioja. And again, the main challenge of the stage will be dunes – the Dakar’s special highlight. But tomorrow’s stage will feature an innovation: The start. The first 10 bikes, 10 cars and 5 trucks will start in the order of the times they set today. So, the categories possibly will be mixed, tomorrow. The total distance covered tomorrow will add up to 763 kilometres, 278 of them in the special stage!
Result stage nine (for latest verision click here)
1st C. Sainz (ESP) / L. Cruz (ESP) Peugeot – 2h 35m 31s
2nd E. van Loon (NED) / W. Rosegarr (NED) MINI ALL4 Racing – 2h 35m 41s
3rd M. Hirvonen (FIN) / M. Périn (FRA) MINI ALL4 Racing – 2h 35m 48s
4th G. DeVilliers (ZAF) / D. v. Zitzewitz (GER) Toyota – 2h 36m 09s
5th N. Al-Attiyah (QAT) / M. Baumel (FRA) MINI ALL4 Racing – 2h 37m 35s
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9th O. Terranova (ARG) / B. Graue (ARG) MINI ALL4 Racing – 2h 46m 24s
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12th J. Roma (ESP) / A. Haro (ESP) MINI ALL4 Racing – 2h 52m 14s
Overall standings with eight stages contested (for latest verision click here)
1st C. Sainz (ESP) / L. Cruz (ESP) Peugeot – 28h 39m 24s
2nd S. Peterhansel (FRA) / J.-P. Cottret (FRA) Peugeot – 28h 46m 27s
3rd N. Al-Attiyah (QAT) / M. Baumel (FRA) MINI ALL4 Racing – 28h 54m 04s
4th M. Hirvonen (FIN) / M. Périn (FRA) MINI ALL4 Racing – 29h 14m 14s
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9th J. Roma (ESP) / A. Haro (ESP) MINI ALL4 Racing – 30h 22m 19s
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14th O. Terranova (ARG) / B. Graue (ARG) MINI ALL4 Racing – 30h 57m 40s
