Toyota keep their chins up

Local team Toyota Gazoo Racing SA kept their chins up yesterday, despite losing further ground on stage four of the Dakar Rally, insisting they could claw their way back into contention in the twoweek battle.

All three of the squad’s drivers picked up multiple punctures on Tuesday’s fourth leg, and team principal Glyn Hall admitted they had been pushed back by technical difficulties.

“It was a very tough day for us,” Hall said. “Setting up the cars for a mix of surfaces is always tricky, especially in terms of tyre pressures.”

Dutch driver Bernhard ten Brinke was the fastest on the day for the local team, taking eighth place, though he was more than 40 minutes off the pace of Frenchman Sebastien Loeb (Peugeot) who was fastest over the 330km timed section in Peru.

Ten Brinke climbed to fifth place in the general classification, while Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar took 11th position on the stage, slipping to fourth place overall after getting stuck.

Al-Attiyah was nearly an hour behind race leader Stephane Peterhansel, who was spearheading the charge for the Peugeot outfit ahead of the fifth stage which was set to be held late yesterday.

“We still feel that we are part of the fight,” Al-Attiyah said.

“This race is far from over, and we’ll just keep pushing on.”

It was also a tough day out for South African team-mate Giniel de Villiers, who settled for 17th spot on the stage, dropping to eighth overall.

De Villiers remained confident in his vehicle, however, despite multiple puncture delays.

“We’re still in the game, and the Hilux never missed a beat, which boosts our confidence in the car,” he said.