DAKAR RALLY 2011 HALFWAY REPORT - SAINZ LEAPS TO COMMANDING LEAD
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THE VOLKSWAGEN MOTORSPORT TEAM HAS HAD A NEAR FAULTLESS FIRST HALF OF THE 2011 DAKAR RALLY, HOLDING THE TOP TWO PLACES AT THE ?REST DAY? AS THE CASTROL-BACKED TEAM BIDS TO TAKE A THIRD CONSECUTIVE WIN ON THE WORLD?S TOUGHEST MOTORSPORT EVENT.
Last year?s winner Carlos Sainz has led from the start, winning four of the first six stages. He is trailed by team-mate Nasser Al-Attiyah 2m42s behind and nine-time Dakar winner St?phane Peterhansel lies third a further 12 minutes adrift.
After starting in Buenos Aires, the drivers have scaled the 4,700m peaks of the Andes and descended into the deserts of Chile and the Pacific coast. Seven gruelling days remain as they make their way back to the Argentinian capital.
Volkswagen Motorsport director Kris Nissen warned, however that the race is not won yet: "Like every year there is a lot of work to do on the rest day. The cars will be prepared for the second half of the rally with new parts. To be in front in the end we first have to defeat the Dakar, and then our rivals."
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Miller fights back
Mark Miller fought his way back into the top six after losing nearly 53 minutes in an off-stage excursion on the second day of the 2011 Dakar. After rolling his Race Touareg, the American was forced to remove the smashed windscreen with a machete and complete the stage exposed to the mud and dust of the Dakar.
He said "It felt like a I was at a health spa - I couldn't smile without the mud cracking on my face."Fast work by the Volkswagen Motorsport mechanics at the next service, the durability of the rugged Race Touareg 3 and fast recovery driving meant he was back in 12th spot the next day and up to sixth at the halfway point.
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Castrol teams at the front
It?s not just the car category being dominated by Castrol-backed teams on the 2011 Dakar Rally. The red, white and green colours have also had success in the both the truck and bike classes.
The Russian Kamaz Truck team (pictured) holds first and second places having won all but one of the first six stages. Firdaus Kabirov, who was Dakar runner-up in 2010, leads at the halfway stage, while team-mate and 2010 winner Vladimir Chagin is second. In the bikes section, Castrol-supported BMW rider Paulo Goncalves took a stage win on Leg 5 and ran as high as fourth, but navigational and technical problems dropped him down the order on the sixth stage.
CASTROL FACT
The Castrol-lubricated TDI engine and sophisticated suspension package in the Volkswagen Race Touareg 3 allows it to accelerate from 0-60mph in less than six seconds - whether that?s on mud, sand or gravel.
TEAM TALK
Carlos Sainz on navigating the 2.3km descent of the Cerra Drag?n dune to the finish of Stage 5: ?If you roll over here [at the top], you won?t come to rest until the bivouac, at the bottom.?
For more info check out : http://www.castrol.com/castrol/secti...tentId=7018581
