Giniel flies SA flag in Dakar
TOYOTA: TOUGH DAY AT THE OFFICE
Wesley Bo on
Though he admitted he and German co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz had battled to navigate the dunes at the weekend, South African contender Giniel de Villiers was satisfied with his performance in the opening stages of the Dakar Rally.
After taking sixth place in the prologue, De Villiers finished fourth on Sunday’s 267km looped second stage in Peru, settling in third place overall ahead of yesterday’s third leg.
He was more than five minutes behind French driver Cyril Despres, who took the lead as the Peugeot team secured early control of the race.
“Difficult day with lots of navigation,” De Villiers posted on social media after stage two.
“Kept it clean with no major mistakes! All good!”
While De Villiers climbed the rankings, however, Toyota Gazoo Racing SA team-mate Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar slipped back after a great start for the local outfit.
The two-time former winner, who won the prologue, was lying fifth overall on Sunday evening after co-driver Matthieu Baumel fell ill during the special stage.
There was also disappointment for South African navigator Robert Howie after Argentine driver Lucio Alvarez rolled their Toyota Hilux and their early challenge was crushed as they tumbled to 43rd position, losing more than six hours on the leaders.
“It was clear that the Peugeots were looking strong and I was feeling a bit concerned,” said Toyota Gazoo team principal Glyn Hall.
“But then Giniel and Dirk came through ... and it was an exciting day of racing.”
While the rest of the SA contingent were already out of contention for the podium, all six competitors were still in the race in the car and bike divisions.
David Thomas was the leading South African on the bikes ahead of the third stage to be held late yesterday, lying 61st overall on his Husqvarna, though he was more than an hour behind Honda rider Joan Barreda of Spain.