Toyota: can they make it a three horse race?
Whilst the official team is not lacking in ambition, its form on the first half of the 2016 edition has not been exceptional. However, it has been far from catastrophic. As proof, De Villiers, Poulter and Alrajhi are in 6th, 7th and 8th place in the general standings respectively. Tightly grouped, these positions could help them to make the difference, in particular against the Minis on the coming stages.
Indeed, whilst it is legitimate to think that the Toyota Pick Ups potentially perform a little less well than the Minis and the Peugeots, the experience of De Villiers, winner in 2009 and second last year, could prove to be a formidable weapon against the “newcomers” leading him in the general standings. In short, the battle at the front of the rally cannot be limited to a simple duel between Peugeot and Mini.
Mini: Al Attiyah alone against Peugeot
To say that the Mini team has been dominated by far on the first half of the 2016 edition is a big understatement. Although before the start Nasser Al Attiyah stated loud and clear that the Peugeot drivers were not a worry to him, it is obvious that the title holder has had to change tune…
Of the three official Mini drivers, he is the only one to have split up the pack of Peugeots on two stages. Almost with an air of resignation, the Qatar is still within touching distance of the French team. Before the highpoint stages of this Dakar, he is in fourth place in the general standings, only 17 minutes behind the leader, Sébastien Loeb, so it could be worse. With navigation and crossing of dunes to come, Al Attiyah, like Peterhansel and Sainz, will be waiting to see how the man from Alsace will handle them.
He will also be hoping that his Mini with its four-wheel driver will enable him to make the difference in the dunes as opposed to the 2-wheel driver Peugeots. However, the main concern for Mini is that Al Attiyah seems to be very isolated against the Peugeot trio; unless of course, the internal battle within the Gallic team throws up some opportunities for him… A watchful eye should nonetheless be cast over Nani Roma. Lagging behind by more than 1 hour and 21 minutes, the Spaniard is still capable of several exploits. As for Mikko Hirvonen, coming from the WRC like Loeb, he will be making his debut with serious navigation and consequently may come up a little short in the fight for overall victory.
Peugeot: can Loeb do it?
The hard work now starts for Peugeot with the second week of the rally. Having won all the stages contested, the French team has been very impressive and many believe that victory is already in the bag. This is perhaps the case, but the main question that this statement raises is the following one: by whom? Indeed, this is the main concern for the management of the Lion brand. Sébastien Loeb, Stéphane Peterhansel and Carlos are all within a 5 minute bracket in the general standings. Although the former enjoyed stages with profiles that favoured him at the start of the rally, he will be faced with the hard stuff as from today, with navigation being predominant.
This is the very least that his two pursuers can hope. Experienced and wily if necessary, Sainz but especially Peterhansel surely do not want their toes tread on by Loeb, however talented he may be. For the moment, each of them can freely play their hand…Hopefully, mechanical problems will not take the matter out of their hands. Although enjoying greater performance and efficiency than last year, the 2016 versions of the DKR 2008 also seemed irreproachable in terms of reliability. Unfortunately, the minor problems encountered by Sainz, Despres and Loeb have been a fly in the ointment in a very positive first week of the rally. What will happen as from today? Will the Peugeot team be able to provide all the technical guarantees necessary for the end of a rally that promises to be tantalizing?