RALLY DAKAR 2018

Dakar, Stéphane Peterhansel: "Being in La Paz with 27 minutes of advance is much more than I expected"

It was a long day behind the wheel for all teams as the Dakar 2018 Rally entered Bolivia's demanding high-altitude stages. Peugeot was in control of the race, reaching its fourth victory in stages in this edition, this time through Carlos Sainz - his first this year - reinforcing the position of the team with a double in this special, a result similar to that in the General Standings.Stéphane Peterhansel and Jean-Paul Cottret also avoided setbacks and, in a combination of consistency and reliability, they finished Special with the 2nd fastest time and consolidated 1st place in the Overall standings. Its current advantage is about 30 minutes, at a time when there is a week of intense competition ahead of us: "It was a completely different day, in a simpler special and easier to navigate. The main problem was the altitude, which obviously sucks a bit of power to the engines, apart from that the brain also works a bit like that in slow motion, so it was a bit tricky. It was a day of transition, between desert and mountain. For my part, I did not take any risks, because the most important thing was to get to safety in Bolivia. Being in La Paz with 27 minutes of advance is much more than I expected "said Stéphane Peterhansel.

José Luis Abreu, direto de Portugal