Frenchman Peterhansel targets 14th gruelling Dakar Rally victory
STEPHANE Peterhansel will target a 14th victory on the Dakar Rally, played out over 9 000km of gruelling terrain which includes criss-crossing the Andes and confronting the unique physical demands of Bolivia’s thin air.
The 40th edition of the classic endurance event, the 10th to be held in South America since it was shifted from terror-hit sub-Sahara Africa, starts in the Peruvian capital of Lima today and ends in Argentina’s second city of Cordoba on January 20.
Peterhansel has won on fourwheels seven times, including the last two for Peugeot and scorched to six titles on a motorbike since his event debut in 1988.
The veteran 52-year-old led a podium sweep in the car race for the French manufacturer in 2017 and this year will be favourite again alongside teammates Carlos Sainz, a two-time world rally champion and 2010 winner at the Dakar, Cyril Despres, and Sebastien Loeb, a nine-time world rally champion.
“Peru is the country that comes closest to Africa, with many dunes and big off-track spaces,” said Peterhansel.
“The mix between Peru, Bolivia and Argentina will probably be one of the most beautiful races in South America. They will be special, long and hard.”
Loeb, meanwhile, was runner-up last year, 12 months after finishing ninth on his debut.
“We will see,” Loeb said when asked of his title prospects this year. “It’s difficult to predict as there are lots of factors. — AFP