Rally-Driver.com: PETERHANSEL AND ROMA FIRMLY IN CONTENTION

PETERHANSEL AND ROMA FIRMLY IN CONTENTION
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Elton Murphy on 06 January, 2009 07:55:00
 
5th  & 6th fastest times set
Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart’s team director Dominique Serieys insists
that he is not watching the leader board through the opening three or four days
of the 2009 Dakar Rally.
But team crews Stéphane Peterhansel and Jean-Paul Cottret (both France) and
Joan ’Nani’ Roma and Lucas Cruz Senra (both Spain) remain firmly in
contention for the overall lead after the third leg of the event across the
Patagonian wastelands between Puerto Madryn and Ingeniero Jacobacci on Monday.
They set the fifth and sixth fastest times in a pair of turbo-diesel ’Racing
Lancers’ and now hold fourth and fifth in the overall classification. Luc
Alphand and Gilles Picard (both France) were delayed for around 30 minutes
before the first passage control with a minor fuel leak and slipped to 10th
overall. The stage win fell to Nasser Al-Attiyah (Qatar), although Carlos Sainz
(Spain) maintained the overall lead in the general classification.
Teams  meandered through Patagonian lowlands
The stage was shortened from 616km to 550km and meandered its way through the
Patagonian lowlands, crossing scrub and grasslands along twisty and sometimes
technical trails, before beginning a gradual climb towards the overnight halt at
around 900 metres above sea level.
Monday evening’s bivouac at Ingeniero Jacobacci was a far cry from the sunny
conditions at Puerto Madryn on the Atlantic coast 24 hours’ before. The town
was formerly known as Nahuel Niyeo, but was renamed in 1926 after the engineer
who built the railway that now links the town with the outside world and was
also the location for the overnight halt on the Dakar.
Tuesday’s  route is a 459Km special
Tomorrow (Tuesday) is the fourth leg of the 2009 Dakar Rally between Ingeneiro
Jacobacci and Neuquén, the 459km special starting just four kilometers from the
bivouac and featuring numerous rocky and sandy sections and several wadis. The
route passes through the Sierra Mesanlyes and meanders to the north-east of the
Negro river to finish near the renowned Valley of the Dinosaurs in a protected
geological area dating back to the Cretaceous Period.
The final 25km liaison takes teams to the overnight halt near the confluence of
the Limay and Neuquén rivers. Neuquén has a strong agricultural background, is
the capital city of the province of the same name and is the largest city in
Patagonia.
Roma is happy with  position
What they said?
Dominique Serieys,  Team Director
"We will really see what develops over the coming days and then we will get a
better indication of the overall situation in this rally."
Luc Alphand
"We had a fuel leak and had to stop and take everything out from the rear to
see where the problem was. Everything else was fine today, but a fuel seal was
not working and it cost me over 30 minutes trying to sort it all out. That was
very frustrating."
Stéphane  Peterhansel
"If the route is like the organisers said, then the first three stages were
very fast and then it becomes more difficult. I hope that is true because we
could be in a better position. Since the start I had no problems with the car
but I struggled to follow Carlos Sainz this morning. He was too fast. I look
forward to the more technical stages."
Joan  ‘Nani’ Roma
"I don’t feel too bad about our position heading into the next group of
stages. I had a puncture near the end, but we are still in the chasing pack and
I am quite happy with my position on the road for tomorrow."
MITSUBISHI’S SPINELLI FROM BRAZIL HOLDS 11TH POSITION IN HIS  PAJERO/MONTERO
EVOLUTION
Spinelli and Vivolo  extremely happy with positions
Privately-run Mitsubishis completed the second special stage of the 2009 Dakar
Rally between Santa Rosa de la Pampa and the Patagonian coastal resort of Puerto
Madryn without major problems on Sunday.
Guilherme Spinelli and Marcelo Vivolo (both Brazil) were running just outside
the top 10 in an excellent 11th place in their ex-factory Mitsubishi
Pajero/Montero Evolution. The pair were a mere 1m 11s behind the powerful Hummer
of 10th-placed Robbie Gordon (USA), but Spinelli lost a little time on the third
special stage between Puerto Madryn and Ingeniero Jacobacci on Monday morning,
although he recovered quickly to set the 13th fastest time and maintained 11th
place.
"Everything is going very well so far and we are extremely happy with the
position we have," said Spinelli’s team manager and former Bike and Mitsubishi
Pajero driver Klever Kolberg.
Mitsubishi Thailand-backed Mana Pornsiricherd (Thailand) was tackling the Dakar
once again in a Mitsubishi Pajero sport this time and held 96th place with
co-driver Thierry Lacambre (France) after the stage into Puerto Madryn. But he
lost time when he was stuck in the sand and a rival competitor collided with the
rear of his car.
This delay forced him to start further down the field on the long stage across
Patagonia into Ingeniero Jacobacci and Mana held 83rd position on the stage at
PC1 on Monday evening.
SS3    CLASSIFICATION
Pos
Driver
Co-Driver
Nat
Vehicle
Cat
Total
Time
Diff
Leader
1
Nasser    AL ATTIYAH
Tina THORNER
QAT
S
BMW X3    CC
T1.2
4:29:27
**:**
2
Carlos    SAINZ
Michel PERIN
E
F
VOLKSWAGEN RACE    TOUAREG
T1.2
4:30:02
+0:35
3
Dieter    DEPPING
Timo GOTTSCHALK
D
D
VOLKSWAGEN RACE    TOUAREG
T1.2
4:31:07
+1:40
4
Giniel DE VILLIERS
Dirk VON ZITZEWITZ
AFS
D
VOLKSWAGEN RACE    TOUAREG
T1.2
4:33:28
+4:01
5
Stephane    PETERHANSEL
Jean-Paul COTTRET
F
F
MITSUBISHI RACING    LANCER
T1.2
4:34:58
+5:31
6
Mark    MILLER
Ralph PITCHFORD
USA
AFS
VOLKSWAGEN RACE    TOUAREG
T1.2
4:37:27
+8:00
7
Orlando TERRANOVA
Alain GUEHENNEC
RA
F
BMW X3    CC
T1.2
4:38:31
+9:04
8
Joan    ROMA
Lucas CRUZ
E
E
MITSUBISHI RACING    LANCER
T1.2
4:38:42
+9:15
9
Guerlain    CHICHERIT
Matthieu BAUMEL
F
F
BMW X3    CC
T1.2
4:41:15
+11:48
10
Robby    GORDON
Andy GRIDER
USA
USA
HUMMER H3
OP1
4:43:02
+13:35
11
Krzysztof    HOLOWCZYC
Jean-Marc FORTIN
POL
B
NISSAN NAVARA
T1.1
4:53:14
+23:47
12
Peter    VAN MERKSTEIJN
Eddy CHEVAILLIER
NL
B
BMW X3    CC
T1.2
4:55:37
+26:10
13
Guilherme    SPINELLI
Marcelo VIVOLO
BRA
BRA
MITSUBISHI PAJERO
T1.1
4:56:50
+27:23
14
Christian    LAVIEILLE
Jean-Paul FORTHOMME
F
B
NISSAN PROTO
T1.1
4:57:34
+28:07
15
Luc    ALPHAND
Gilles PICARD
F
F
MITSUBISHI RACING    LANCER
T1.2
5:02:28
+33:01
16
Matthias    KAHLE
Thomas SCHUENEMANN
D
D
HONDA BUGGY
T1.3
5:03:41
+34:14
17
Bernard    ERRANDONEA
Jean-Pierre GARCIN
F
F
SMG V8    BUGGY
T1.3
5:06:47
+37:20
18
Jean    DE AZEVEDO
Youssef HADDAD
BRA
BRA
MITSUBISHI PAJERO
T1.1
5:08:17
+38:50
19
Laszlo    PALIK
Gabor DARAZSI
HON
HON
NISSAN NAVARA
T1.1
5:08:31
+39:04
20
Balazs    SZALAY
Laszlo BUNKOCZI
HON
HON
OPEL ANTARA    RR
T1.1
5:08:54
+39:27
24
Tonnie    VAN DEIJNE
Wouter ROSEGAAR
NL
NL
MITSUBISHI L200
T1.1
5:15:20
+45:53
25
Miroslav    ZAPLETAL
Tomas OUREDNICEK
CZ
CZ
MITSUBISHI L200
T1.1
5:16:17
+46:50
28
Boris    BUKATOV
Sergey DODONOV
RUS
RUS
MITSUBISHI PAJERO
T1.1
5:35:00
+1:05:33
33
Alexandr    MIRONENKO
Sergey LEBEDEV
RUS
RUS
MITSUBISHI PAJERO
T1.1
6:08:05
+1:38:38
36
Laszlo    LISZI
Jozsef FENESI
HON
HON
MITSUBISHI PAJERO
T1.2
6:11:09
+1:41:42
42
Christian    BARBIER
Jean-Michel RICHAUD
F
F
MITSUBISHI PAJERO
T2.2
6:23:31
+1:54:04
46
Massimo    BAISION
Rudy BRAINI
I
I
MITSUBISHI PAJERO
T2.2
6:26:17
+1:56:50
49
Ilya    KUZNETSOV
Andrey NESHIN
RUS
RUS
MITSUBISHI L200
T1.1
6:36:57
+2:07:30
51
Jerome    HARDY
Frederic BECART
F
F
MITSUBISHI PAJERO
T2.2
6:40:58
+2:11:31
AND=ANDORA / RA=ARGENTINA / AUS=AUSTRALIA / B=BELGIUM / BRA=BRAZIL
BLR=BULGARIA / CHL=CHILE / CHI=CHINA / CZ=CZECH REPUBLIC / F=FRANCE
D=GERMANY / GB=GREAT BRITAIN / HON=HUNGARY / ISR=ISRAEL / I=ITALY
J=JAPAN / LVA=LATVIA / LTU=LITHUANIA / NL=NETHERLANDS / N=NORWAY
POL=POLAND / P=PORTUGAL / QAT=QATAR / RUS=RUSSIA / AFS=SOUTH AFRICA
E=SPAIN / S=SWEDEN / THA=THAILAND / UKR=UKRAINE / USA=UNITED STATES OF   
AMERICA
ROU=URUGUAY
OVERALL    CLASSIFICATION AFTER SS3
Pos
Driver
Co-Driver
Nat
Vehicle
Cat
Total
Time
Diff
Leader
1
Carlos    SAINZ
Michel PERIN
E
F
VOLKSWAGEN RACE    TOUAREG
T1.2
9:04:48
**:**
2
Nasser    AL ATTIYAH
Tina THORNER
QAT
S
BMW X3    CC
T1.2
9:08:28
+3:40
3
Giniel DE VILLIERS
Dirk VON ZITZEWITZ
AFS
D
VOLKSWAGEN RACE    TOUAREG
T1.2
9:10:33
+5:45
4
Stephane    PETERHANSEL
Jean-Paul COTTRET
F
F
MITSUBISHI RACING    LANCER
T1.2
9:13:35
+8:47
5
Joan    ROMA
Lucas CRUZ
E
E
MITSUBISHI RACING    LANCER
T1.2
9:19:10
+14:22
6
Mark    MILLER
Ralph PITCHFORD
USA
AFS
VOLKSWAGEN RACE    TOUAREG
T1.2
9:20:33
+15:45
7
Orlando TERRANOVA
Alain GUEHENNEC
RA
F
BMW X3    CC
T1.2
9:22:29
+17:41
8
Krzysztof    HOLOWCZYC
Jean-Marc FORTIN
POL
B
NISSAN NAVARA
T1.1
9:39:13
+34:25
9
Robby    GORDON
Andy GRIDER
USA
USA
HUMMER H3
OP1
9:39:20
+34:32
10
Luc    ALPHAND
Gilles PICARD
F
F
MITSUBISHI RACING    LANCER
T1.2
9:43:35
+38:47
11
Guilherme    SPINELLI
Marcelo VIVOLO
BRA
BRA
MITSUBISHI PAJERO
T1.1
9:54:15
+49:27
12
Peter    VAN MERKSTEIJN
Eddy CHEVAILLIER
NL
B
BMW X3    CC
T1.2
9:55:51
+51:03
13
Christian    LAVIEILLE
Jean-Paul FORTHOMME
F
B
NISSAN PROTO
T1.1
10:04:34
+59:46
14
Balazs    SZALAY
Laszlo BUNKOCZI
HON
HON
OPEL ANTARA    RR
T1.1
10:12:59
+1:08:11
15
Dieter    DEPPING
Timo GOTTSCHALK
D
D
VOLKSWAGEN RACE    TOUAREG
T1.2
10:15:30
+1:10:42
16
Thierry    MAGNALDI
Guy LENEVEU
F
F
SMG PORSCHE    BUGGY
T1.3
10:16:05
+1:11:17
17
Laszlo    PALIK
Gabor DARAZSI
HON
HON
NISSAN NAVARA
T1.1
10:21:12
+1:16:24
18
Ivar    Erik TOLLEFSEN
Quin EVANS
N
GB
NISSAN NAVARA
T1.1
10:22:02
+1:17:14
19
Rene    KUIPERS
Filipe PALMEIRO
NL
P
BMW X3    CC
T1.2
10:29:10
+1:24:22
20
Tonnie    VAN DEIJNE
Wouter ROSEGAAR
NL
NL
MITSUBISHI L200
T1.1
10:34:09
+1:29:21
22
Boris    BUKATOV
Sergey DODONOV
RUS
RUS
MITSUBISHI PAJERO
T1.1
11:04:14
+1:59:26
23
Jean    DE AZEVEDO
Youssef HADDAD
BRA
BRA
MITSUBISHI PAJERO
T1.1
11:07:25
+2:02:37
30
Alexandr    MIRONENKO
Sergey LEBEDEV
RUS
RUS
MITSUBISHI PAJERO
T1.1
13:11:43
+4:06:55
33
Laszlo    LISZI
Jozsef FENESI
HON
HON
MITSUBISHI PAJERO
T1.2
13:21:46
+4:16:58
35
Ilya    KUZNETSOV
Andrey NESHIN
RUS
RUS
MITSUBISHI L200
T1.1
13:51:27
+4:46:39
43
Massimo    BAISION
Rudy BRAINI
I
I
MITSUBISHI PAJERO
T2.2
14:16:05
+5:11:17
44
Christian    BARBIER
Jean-Michel RICHAUD
F
F
MITSUBISHI PAJERO
T2.2
14:18:38
+5:13:50
50
Jerome    HARDY
Frederic BECART
F
F
MITSUBISHI PAJERO
T2.2
14:34:05
+5:29:17
AND=ANDORA / RA=ARGENTINA / AUS=AUSTRALIA / B=BELGIUM / BRA=BRAZIL
BLR=BULGARIA / CHL=CHILE / CHI=CHINA / CZ=CZECH REPUBLIC / F=FRANCE
D=GERMANY / GB=GREAT BRITAIN / HON=HUNGARY / ISR=ISRAEL / I=ITALY
J=JAPAN / LVA=LATVIA / LTU=LITHUANIA / NL=NETHERLANDS / N=NORWAY
POL=POLAND / P=PORTUGAL / QAT=QATAR / RUS=RUSSIA / AFS=SOUTH AFRICA
E=SPAIN / S=SWEDEN / THA=THAILAND / UKR=UKRAINE / USA=UNITED STATES OF   
AMERICA
ROU=URUGUAY