Peterhansel consolidates his lead as Gordon’s Hummer fades
X-Raid’s Stephane Peterhansel and Jean Paul Cottret extended their lead as the 2012 edition of the Dakar rally crossed into Peru.
X-raid Mini All4s finished one-two-three on Thursday’s special stage, with Peterhansel/Cottret first, Nani Roma/Michel Périn second, and Ricardo Leal dos Santos/ Paulo Fiuza third. Roma finished second despite taking several wrong turns and getting stuck briefly in a sand dune. (Text continues after photo)
Until two days ago, Robby Gordon in his Hummer was closing in on Peterhansel, but a combination of off-course excursions and mechanical woes have left him fourth overall, over two hours behind the leader. To make matters worse for Gordon, he is running under an appeal, as he was disqualified for running an illegal tire inflation system.
Roma is second overall, 22 minutes behind, while Toyota’s Giniel de Villiers is third, one hour and eleven minutes off Peterhansel’s pace.
Three stages remain in the rally, which finishes in Lima, Peru, on Sunday, January 15. The NBC Sports Channel is providing daily updates at 1:30 AM eastern time.—Brian S. Morgan, motorsports editor, bmwcca.org
