Motortrades Insight Magazine Online

DAKAR RALLY: MINI Countryman wins and dominates top four

Ref:A00052
Published: 21 January 2013
IN a repeat of last year's success, French duo Stephane Peterhansel and co-driver Jean-Paul Cottret have won the Dakar Rally 2013, with MINI dominating three of the top four places.

"This is a magnificent triumph and I would like to offer our congratulations on behalf of Mini not only to Stephane Peterhansel and Jean-Paul Cottret, but also to Sven Quandt's entire X-raid Team," enthused Dr Kay Segler, Senior Vice President for MINI Brand Management."

With their overall time of 38:32.39, the lead pairing of the privately-entered X-raid Team from Trebur, Germany crossed the finish line in Santiago de Chile 42:22 minutes ahead of their nearest pursuers in the overall classification.

Mini Dakar Rally
Peterhansel on his way to victory.

He added: "The victory of the MINI ALL4 Racing last year was without doubt a surprise for many people. But now it is clear to everyone that this was no fluke. Anyone who comes home first after 8,600 kilometres (approx. 5,300 miles) in the world's toughest rally has achieved something amazing. We are incredibly proud to count these fantastic competitors as part of the MINI family."

Two other Countryman's finished third and fourth, beaten to second by the Toyota Hilux crewed by Giniel de Villiers and Dirk von Zitzewitz.

Team Hallspeed
The Toyota Hilux outperformed expectations.

De Villiers, whose Hilux was prepared for the event by Team Hallspeed on behalf of Toyota South Africa, said: "We would never in our wildest dreams have believed that on the 2013 Dakar Rally we would better our third place from 2012. The competition this year was a lot stronger. There were numerous candidates for victory. We were the underdogs.

"Our reliability enabled us to not only master the Dakar, but also made the decisive difference. I am looking forward to next year."

Toyota
Toyota's Giniel de Villiers and Dirk von Zitzewitz were delighted to separate the MINIs to finish 2nd.

It was the duo's remarkable consistency which earned the result: their Hilux, powered by a 5-litre production-based V8, finished in the top five on 11 of the 14 special stages. Only once did they slip outside the top 10, on stage three, they took a wrong slot and lost 27 minutes to Peterhansel.

It marks 47-year-old Peterhansel's 11th victory in the event, having won on a Yamaha motorbike six times in the 1990s and a heavily-modified Mitsubishi three times before his double with MINI.

Comments  Sign in or Register to leave a comment


Related Articles // More Like This

Subscribe to MotorTrades insight
MotorTrades Insight are now official news providers for NewsNow.

Top Stories // This Week

Show Stories For:

james-hunts-hesketh-308-could-make-537000-at-upcoming-rm-auctions-monaco-saleJames Hunt's Hesketh 308 could make £537,000 at upcoming RM Auctions Monaco sale.  Hesketh Racing was formed in 1972 by the British Peer, Lord Alexander Hesketh, who was a keen motorsport enthusiast with a desire to compete in the sport at the highest level. After two seasons... kia-receives-environmental-badge-for-use-of-bio-based-plastic-in-new-soul-electric-vehicleKia receives environmental badge for use of bio-based plastic in new Soul electric vehicle.  Kia has revealed that the company’s new Soul EV (electric vehicle), which will have its world premiere at the 2014 Chicago Auto Show starting later this week, has achieved UL Environment validation ... crash-tests-show-indias-cars-are-unsafe-and-in-the-dark-ages-compared-to-europeCrash tests show India's cars are unsafe and in the dark ages compared to Europe.  Britons are lucky to be driving some of the safest cars in the world. In other parts of the world, safety standards are not so high. Every day, 380 lives are lost on the roads of India. It's a blood... european-autonomous-driving-research-project-adaptive-beginsEuropean autonomous driving research project 'AdaptIVe' begins.  The European research project AdaptIVe (Automated Driving Applications & Technologies for Intelligent Vehicles) has begun at the MobileLifeCampus in Wolfsburg, Germany. It is a consortium o... new-vehicle-collision-repair-qualifications-brought-in-to-recognise-skills-of-mechanics-and-bodyshop-workersNew Vehicle Collision Repair Qualifications brought in to recognise skills of mechanics and bodyshop workers.  Two new IMI Awards qualifications have recently been introduced, targeted at the body repair sector. The level 2 and level 3 Multi-skilled Vehicle Collision Repair Qualifications cover paint, p... new-70mpg-c-class-c-220-bluetec-will-cost-around-30000-mercedes-revealNew 70mpg C-Class C 220 BlueTEC will cost around £30,000, Mercedes reveal.  The new C-Class C 220 BlueTEC will cost from £30,865 for a 7-speed automatic. It has 170hp, accelerates from zero to 62mph in 7.7 seconds and has a claimed combined fuel economy of 70.6mpg.&nbs... f1-pictorial-comparison-mclaren-mp4-28-vs-mclaren-mp4-29-the-bizarre-intricacies-of-dolphin-noses-crazy-curves-and-jagged-linesF1 Pictorial Comparison: McLaren MP4-28 vs McLaren MP4-29 - the bizarre intricacies of dolphin noses, crazy curves .  After McLaren confirmed the departure of Paddy Lowe to Mercedes F1, Tim Goss was appointed Director of Engineering for the Woking-based Formula One team. In the past, he was Chief Engineer for ... first-drive-review-volvo-v60-d4-r-design-nav-geartronicFIRST DRIVE REVIEW: Volvo V60 D4 R-Design Nav Geartronic.  This is arguably the sexiest looking Volvo estate ever created. And the colour, Rebel Blue, says what Volvo and Swedish design is all about. We test drove the Volvo V60 D4 R-Design Nav last wee... personal-photograph-taken-by-michael-schumacher-to-be-auctioned-for-great-ormond-street-hospitalPersonal photograph taken by Michael Schumacher to be auctioned for Great Ormond Street Hospital.  A personal photograph taken by Michael Schumacher is to be auctioned in London this Friday to raise funds for the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.The image of a boat on a lake taken ... new-vauxhall-astra-gets-cleaner-16-litre-engine-with-a-combined-fuel-economy-of-763mpgNew Vauxhall Astra gets cleaner 1.6-litre engine with a combined fuel economy of 76.3mpg.  The top-selling Astra is now available with a super-smooth new generation 1.6 CDTi engine, Vauxhall’s cleanest ever mid-size diesel.Previously only available on the Zafira Tourer and the Meriva, the... new-cars-are-27-per-cent-more-fuel-efficient-than-in-2008-as-car-sales-rise-in-januaryNew cars are 27 per cent more fuel efficient than in 2008, as car sales rise in January.  New car registrations were up in January, with the UK automotive industry expecting to see 'moderate, sustainable growth in 2014', according to SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes.Buyers are increasingl... 

Cookies on Motortrades Insight

Like many popular websites, Motortrades Insight uses some third party widgets that may set and may have already set cookies, for example the Twitter feed on our homepage.
For more information see our cookie policy. By clicking close and continue you agree to our use of cookies.