The Mitsubishi Motors Repsol ATS Studios Team extended its overall lead in the 27th Dakar Rally to over one and a half hours, after the 370 kms timed special stage - Leg 13 - between Bamako and Kayes in Mali, yesterday.At the wheel of their Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero Evolution, Stéphane Peterhansel and Jean-Paul Cottret set the fastest time to extend their overall lead over French team mates Luc Alphand and co-driver Gilles Picard to 27m 33s.
Their closest non-Mitsubishi rival is third-placed Jutta Kleinschmidt, but she lies 1h 30m 55s behind the defending champions with only three stages remaining in Senegal.
"It was a good day for me," said Peterhansel. "The stage was not very long. The beginning was very fast on the laterite track. After about 80 kms we arrived on a narrow track and then the end of the stage was fast. I started second, but after 120 kms I caught De Villiers and tried to pass him. I pushed hard to get passed and he lost control of his car and left the road. I took the stage lead and finished with a good speed.
"Tomorrow will be a long stage. It will be dusty. There will be a lot of trees and a river crossing. We will try and keep the rhythm, with just two long stages to go."
Team mate Alphand was in confident mood in Kayes. "It was so dusty today," said Luc. "Giniel de Villiers let Stéphane overtake, but not me. We stayed behind De Villiers. The pace was good, but again we have lost some time to Stéphane. That is not a big problem. It was a good day for the team and we are getting closer to the finish. We will both start ahead and control the pace."
Spaniard Joan Roma and Andorra-based co-driver Henri Magne began the day in sixth position in their Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero Evolution. They set the fifth fastest time to maintain their sixth position in the event.
"About 150 kms from the finish we came up behind Ari Vatanen and it was not possible to overtake," said Roma. "It was not a problem. It is important for me to follow Stéphane and Luc and make sure that I support them. It is important that I finish and that Mitsubishi wins the rally. Each day I feel more confident behind the wheel and more relaxed. I am learning all the time and feel that I am beginning to understand the race. It is my first experience with the car, but I am, delighted with my position at the moment. I did not expect this in Barcelona."
Today the event heads into Senegal for the penultimate long stage of this year's Dakar. After a 93 kms liaison from the bivouac in Kayes, the special stage starts at Sadiola in Mali and heads south-west along the Senegalese border.
After high-speed laterite piste, the tracks become narrower and cars pass savanna-type countryside and the Falémé river. The final kilometers of the stage pass many villages and there are several small river crossings in Soninké country.
