Dakar - Daily results for cars

Yehaaaaa ! - A Mitsubishi 1 - 2

Quote

Stephane Peterhansel cruised to victory in the Dakar Rally on Sunday, taking it easy on the 15th and final stage around the Senegalese capital.

The 41-year-old Frenchman beat his Mitsubishi team-mate and compatriot Luc Alphand by an eventual 7:26, despite neither driver winning a stage of the event.

Peterhansel's victory was his third in the last four years in the car section and his ninth overall, as he has also taken six wins in the bike category. It was also Mitsubishi's seventh straight Dakar win and their 12th in total.

Stage 15 was won by Volkswagen driver Giniel de Villiers, who was two seconds faster than his team-mate Carlos Sainz on his way to 11th.

It took de Villiers' number of stage wins to four this year and Volkswagen's to nine, proving the diesel-powered Touareg had the pace, if not the reliability, of the Mitsubishis.

Jean-Louis Schlesser finished third overall in his self-built Ford buggy - 94 minutes behind Peterhansel - as French drivers filled the podium places.

Qatari driver Nasser Al-Attiyah and American Mark Miller were fourth and fifth for X-Raid BMW and Volkswagen, while Hiroshi Masuoka was sixth for Mitsubishi.

Seventh was former leader Carlos Sousa in his Phoenix Volkswagen, while Robby Gordon made it two Americans in the top ten by finishing eighth in his Hummer. Spaniard Sainz - who won five stages in total - and Belgian Stephane Henrard completed the top ten.

Eurosport - Jamie O'Leary - 21/01/2007 19:25

Congratulations to Stephane Peterhansel on winning, to Luc Alphand on second place, Mausoka on fith place and Roma in thirteenth !

As well as to all of the support and logistics team that made it all work so well.

Now I have to go change my windscreen sticker - it only says 11 times winner Roll Eyes