France’s Dakar Rally legend Stephane Peterhansel celebrated his 12th title on Saturday as motorbike rider Toby Price became the first Australian to etch his name on the gruelling event’s roll of honour. The 50-year-old Peterhansel avoided any late drama to safely cross the finish line of the closing 13th stage at Rio Cuarto to give French manufacturer Peugeot their first win since 1990.
Price, 28, who came third last year on his debut, dominated the two-week bike race after lifting the second stage last week.
The rider from New South Wales finished fourth on the final day to wrap up the title and supply his KTM team with a 15th consecutive crown.
He had a tidy 39-minute cushion over his Slovakian teammate Stefan Svitko with Chilean Pablo Quintanilla at 48min in third.
“Being the first Australian to win the Dakar is just insane,” Price said.
“I don’t know what to say, I don’t know what to think… I’m in shock, I never would’ve thought I could win this race in my second participation.
“This is incredible for my family, my friends and my fans back in Australia.”
While he was savouring opening his Dakar account, Peterhansel was adding a new chapter to his love affair with the iconic event he first competed in back in 1989.
The Dakar’s all-time record winner made what ultimately proved to be a decisive step towards the 2015 title on Thursday’s drive from Belen to La Rioja.
With his Peugeot teammate and arch rival Carlos Sainz coming to a grinding halt 30 kilometres from the line, he ended the day a full one hour clear of last year’s winner Nasser Al Attiyah behind the wheel of a Mini.
After safely coming in ninth behind final stage winner Sebastien Loeb, Peterhansel took the title with over half an hour to spare from Qatari Al Attiyah.
For Peugeot this was a superb achievement coming just two years after their return to the iconic event following a 26-year absence.
South African Giniel De Villiers driving a Toyota took third over an hour adrift.
Peterhansel won the first of his six titles on two wheels in 1991 and his 11th victory behind the wheel of a Mini in 2013.
The quads category was won for the third time by Marcos Patronelli with Dutchman Gerard de Rooy annexing his second truck title.
GINIEL DE VILLIERS
Reliable but not fast”
“At the end of the day, we waged all-out war for the podium with Mikko [Hirvonen]. I pulled out all the stops yesterday. Today, I drove defensively. I’m happy for Toyota and the team to keep the podium spot. The first week was frustrating for me. We were behind the Peugeots and even Nasser [Al-Attiyah], with all that altitude and sand. We need to improve our top speed. Congratulations to Stéphane for his twelfth victory and to Peugeot. On the home front, I’m happy with the reliability of our vehicle, but it’s difficult to hold our own against turbo engines. The Peugeots are very fast. We’re reliable but not fast. It’s my thirteenth Dakar and my fifth podium. I’ve only won once, but I hope to win again soon.”
Stephane Peterhansel
“The last big goal in my career”
“It’s extraordinary. The pressure was very high, but we came through. Crossing the finish line was a release after the extremely stressful last three days. I’m also delighted to write a new page in the history of Peugeot because the guys in the team have been working their socks off for two years. Some of my wins count more than others, but this one’s definitely in the top 3. It’s too early to think about the future. One thing’s for sure, getting the same number of victories on a bike and in a car was the last big goal in my career. Now that it’s done, I don’t think there are many things left to motivate me.”
Toby Price
“Being the first Australian to win the Dakar is just insane”
“I don’t know what to say, I don’t know what to think… I’m in shock, I never would’ve thought I could win this race in my second participation. This is incredible for my family, my friends and my fans back in Australia! Winning in my second participation is awesome, but being the first Australian to win the Dakar is just insane. I would’ve never imagined this two years ago. Finishing the rally is already a triumph. Winning it is amazing! I tackled the race in true Aussie style. I attacked when I had to, when the time was right, and I kept an eye on my bike during the all-important marathon stages. I also navigated rather well. I hope this is just the start, to win again. It won’t be easy, so I’ve got to savour this victory.”
More stories to follow later.
Top 20 cars overall provisionally
| Pos. | N° | Name | Mark | Time | variation | Penalty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
302 | PEUGEOT | 45:22:10 | – | – | |
2 |
300 | MINI | 45:57:08 | 00:34:58 | 00:01:00 | |
3 |
301 | TOYOTA | 46:24:57 | 01:02:47 | – | |
4 |
315 | MINI | 46:27:28 | 01:05:18 | – | |
5 |
319 | TOYOTA | 46:52:53 | 01:30:43 | – | |
6 |
304 | MINI | 47:03:16 | 01:41:06 | 00:01:00 | |
7 |
321 | PEUGEOT | 47:11:14 | 01:49:04 | 00:01:00 | |
8 |
307 | TOYOTA | 47:23:55 | 02:01:45 | 00:01:00 | |
9 |
314 | PEUGEOT | 47:44:19 | 02:22:09 | 00:07:00 | |
10 |
323 | MINI | 48:33:40 | 03:11:30 | 00:08:00 | |
11 |
305 | TOYOTA | 49:59:28 | 04:37:18 | 00:05:00 | |
12 |
310 | MINI | 50:31:04 | 05:08:54 | – | |
13 |
306 | MINI | 50:44:23 | 05:22:13 | – | |
14 |
329 | TOYOTA | 50:55:42 | 05:33:32 | 00:01:00 | |
15 |
327 | MINI | 51:02:10 | 05:40:00 | 00:01:00 | |
16 |
326 | HUMMER | 51:02:51 | 05:40:41 | – | |
17 |
346 | CENTURY | 52:37:54 | 07:15:44 | – | |
18 |
317 | RENAULT | 52:55:53 | 07:33:43 | 00:01:00 | |
19 |
308 | RENAULT | 53:01:28 | 07:39:18 | – | |
20 |
328 | PEUGEOT | 53:34:13 | 08:12:03 | 00:06:00 |