Project impianku : DAKAR ARGENTINA-CHILE-PERU 2012

DAKAR ARGENTINA-CHILE-PERU 2012 SCHEDULE

Over the last few years, the Dakar has been on its travels between two editions, to go and meet competitors and the media. The Dakar World Tour enables a direct link to be maintained and offers rally raid enthusiasts in many countries the opportunity to meet the people behind the race. In 2011, nine dates have been scheduled.

12 APRIL

Dakar World Tour – Peru (Lima)

13 APRIL

Dakar World Tour – Chile (Santiago)

19 APRIL

Dakar World Tour – Argentina (Mar del Plata)

19 APRIL

Dakar World Tour – Spain (Barcelona)

20 APRIL

Dakar World Tour – Belgium (Brussels)

21 APRIL

Dakar World Tour – The Netherlands (Eindhoven)

28 APRIL

Dakar World Tour – Central Europe (Prague)

5 MAY

Dakar World Tour – Italy (Milan)

16 MAY

Enrolment opens

17 MAY

Dakar World Tour – China (Beijing)

29 OCTOBER

Dakar training day in Paris for the european competitors

8 NOVEMBER

Presentation of the Dakar 2012 route in Paris

12 NOVEMBER

Dakar training day in Buenos Aires for the european competitors

21 - 22 NOVEMBER

Shipping of European vehicles

27 - 28 DECEMBER

Collection of vehicles

29 - 31 DECEMBER

Technical and administrative scrutineering at Mar del Plata

1 JANUARY

Briefing, starting ceremony and 1st special of the rally

8 JANUARY

Rest day in Chile

15 JANUARY

Last special stage, before the arrival ceremony in Lima

DAKAR 2012: ITS PERU!

As the condor (rather than the crow) flies, almost 5,000 kilometres separate Mar del Plata from Lima. In 2012, the Dakar will be staging a pan-American adventure of more than 9,000 kilometres in total. Unlike previous year’s loops, the route will transport the rally from the shores of the Atlantic Ocean to those of the Pacific, enabling its competitors to discover new lands and another aspect of South America. The scale of this challenge has also led to a change in the race’s format, which will include 14 days of racing in 2012. Constantly guided by the Andes Mountain range, the drivers and riders will be crossing the Atacama, and will experience in particular the diversity of the dunes as they head into Peru.

TREE COUNTRIES: ARGENTINA - CHILE - PERU

THE WINNER

DAKAR ARGENTINA - CHILE - PERU 2012

Competitors Car :

Stephane Peterhansel (FRA)

and

Jean Paul Conttret (FRA)

IT IS CRUCIAL FOR US TO NOT THINK THE RACE IS ALREADY WON

Teenage skateboard champion, Stéphane Peterhansel began his learning period in rally-raid, which led him to victory on the 1991 Dakar. With his trusty blue bandana, Peterehansel won six times in eight years aboard a Yamaha. His motorcycle experience quickly paid off in his re-conversion to four wheels with a 7th place result in his first go and was followed by a runner-up finish the following year alongside co-driver Jean-Paul Cottret. In 2004 it all came together and “Peter” joined Hubert Auriol as only the second competitor to triumph both in the motorcycle and car divisions. The “Mitsu” story continued with two more victories, in 2005 and then again in 2007. After the withdrawal of the Japanese carmaker, Peterhansel joined X-Raid, but the 10th title he was chasing seemed out of reach. To erase the frustration of two consecutive 4th place finishes, he is now counting on a Mini that he hopes will be reliable on a route expected to feature more sand.

"Ever since the Dakar has been held in South America, we have been a lot less lucky, but it has nothing to do with the terrain. It's the race and you have to accept that you are not systematically in contention. In any case, this does make me want to get my revenge and it pushes me to be even more attentive to all aspects. This year we made the car a lot better. It is faster and it is also stabilized. We won in Abu Dhabi but we experienced some problems on the Silk Way Rally with a fuel system problem. But everything that didn't work right has been repaired and we found the solutions. We hope no new issues arise. But in 25 years of motor racing, I have lost many races due to a 15 cent part. Maybe we are the favourite, but I often think back to 1998 when Yamaha pulled out of the motorcycle class, apparently leaving KTM to dominate. And in the end, it was BMW that won. So, it is crucial for us not to think the race is already won.”