Veteran Peterhansel takes 50th Dakar win in Saudi dunes
58-year-old’s stage win makes him joint record holder with Ari Vatanen
Al Duwadimi, Saudi Arabia: Audi veteran Stephane Peterhansel left his rivals trailing in the dust on stage two of the Dakar Rally on Sunday in a treacherous 463km race through the winding dunes of the Saudi desert.
Only nine-time rally world champion Sebastien Loeb got anywhere near Peterhansel at 29sec as American rookie Seth Quintero came home third at 3min 11sec.
The 58-year-old Peterhansel scooped his 50th Dakar Rally stage win to become joint record holder with Ari Vatanen.
“I stopped counting a long time ago, but it’s good to know I can still beat him,” Peterhansel said.
But the result leaves Audi’s Carlos Sainz in the overall lead at 8hr 49min 38sec with a lead of 1min 51sec on Saudi Arabian Yazeed Al Rajhi who came fifth Sunday, while Loeb sits third at 4min 17sec.
Defending champion Nasser Al Attiyah was fourth on the day at 6min 28.
In the motorbike section Honda’s Ignacio Cornejo took the win with a lead of 5min 59sec ahead of Luciano Benavides while Botswana’s Ross Branch remains in the overall lead.
Monday’s 438km run from Al-Duwamsimi to Al-Salamiya features changing terrain from dunes to jagged rocky sections.