Dakar Stage 13
17/01/09 07:44
Stage 13 was almost all rally terrain and was shortened to 220km. Both crews took it easy on this stage to conserve their position.

327
Ivar and Quin had a very steady run through to ensure they retained their position. They were perhaps a little too conservative coming in 12th, but they now have 4th position firmly cemented with a gap of over 30 minutes to next car (their teammate’s car 317).

317
Despite not pushing to hard Krzysztof and Jean-Marc managed to take the second fastest time on stage.

Dakar Stage 12
15/01/09 18:37
Stage 12 was possibly the most difficult leg of the event. It included two very tough sections in the dunes Dunes and only 14 cars managed to complete the full course.

327
After getting stuck in sand for over 30 minutes in the first section, excellent navigation allowed Quin and Ivar to pass more than 20 cars in the dunes to finish in a fantastic 6th position - a real Dakar success. Following incidents from Carlos Sainz and Nanni Roma the crew moved to 4th overall.

317
Krzysztof and Jean-Marc had a decent run coming in 7th, but after falling foul of dunes and some poor roadbook notation, they lost a chunk of time to 327 despite not being stuck in the early section. The crew hold the fantastic overall position of 5th Place.

News from Stage 10
14/01/09 11:11
As expected Stage 10 threw up a number of big challenges - the dunes for one were monumental! There were several severe accidents on the stage involving both bikes an cars, leaving one rider in a critical condition. There were certainly few crews that boast a totally trouble free run.

The Dunes themselves were truly immense, the Bivouac being at 500m altitude, the last dune towered over it at nearly 2,000m. This was the last dune over which all but the truck competitors would cross before (slowly and carefully) picking their way back onto the plain again.

The stage was shortened slightly due to very low cloud obscuring the dunes from dawn until nearly 10am - forcing the stage to be held until the safety helicopters could take off (as they neither have all-weather or night time functionality). This still left an impressively long stage of 485km, which took most well over 7 hours to complete (and the majority tackling the final dunes in the dark).

327
A relatively clean run despite problems with tyres puncturing and not re-inflating (mainly valves) left Quin Evans and Ivar Tollefsen in 8th place on the stage and 6th place overall maintaining their run of top ten performances. Dunes were in two places on the course which required inflation and deflation on two occasions. On each of these occasions a tyre refused to re-inflate and a puncture was picked up whilst trying to pick a route through rocks between bands of dunes.

Only on the last dune of the day was progress halted briefly when the car just got stuck on the crest. Some swift digging and a couple of pushes from the Jacks saw the car safely off the top and on the final short but technical section to the bivouac.

317
Kristoff and Jean Marc were not so lucky. They progressed 300km through the stage clearing the first dunes, but suspecting a problem with the car just a short distance into the second set of dunes -trouble struck and Kristoff was forced to apply his mechanical knowledge. After an interlude in the heat of the afternoon sun, they were able to start making progress and again and comfortably reached the finish and bivouac to take a time that put them just behind Quin and Ivar in the overall standings.

The Nissan Navarra continues to perform amazingly - putting many of the far more expensive vehicles to shame.

Stage 11
It has been decided to cancel stage 11 as weather may prove difficult and the progress from Chile back to Argentina must be tightly controlled. The night of stage 11 will still be without assistance (race crews sleeping alone and cars receiving only their attention) before stage 12 back in Argentina.

News from Stage 9
13/01/09 09:20
A tough one for many, navigation challenges abounded and the terrain was a real mix of traditional Dakar.

Despite car 327 of Tollefsen / Evans being in 3rd at 96km, a couple of wrong turns, punctures and minor damage to the car slowed progress and the crew clocked 9th fastest time at the finish. Catching Robby Gordon and team mates Kristoff and Jean Marc early, turned into a deficit later in the stage. The crew maintain their 7th overall and look at Stage 10 to carry a clean run through.

Car 317 was also beset with a few minor problems, following the leading three cars up into a dead-end valley lost some time and a later puncture further lost time against the leaders - once again however 6th place was cemented.

Stage 10 will be the toughest of the event so far. It presents extra challenging navigation and tough, soft dunes. Both crews will be hoping to make it through cleanly and quickly.

News from Stage 8
12/01/09 08:59
This was a tricky stage, with a couple of traps, and a complete arm full of opposite lock for nearly every moment of driving efforts. The tracks for the day were nearly 300km of tight twisty technical tracks requiring the highest possible concentration (a much larger scale of 'Des Cimes' for those in the know) with serious drops a common feature. The stage was also very dusty, which took its toll on many.

Car 327
Catching 3 cars on stage (in the top ten) despite this terrain not being ideal for them Quin and Ivar found the finish a welcome sight - coming in 9th (with Rally ace Dieter Depping catching them on stage). Another very consistent performance from the Nissan with very little work to do on the car in service. This is a fantastic feature of the Navara which just keeps going without a moments complaint.

Car 317
Stage 8 was almost as clean for Jean Marc and Kristoff . They made a slightly faster time than car 327, but as this is definitely their terrain, they were in their element. Running slightly higher up the running order they suffered a brief navigational uncertainty after CP1, but were soon on their way again to post a very respectable time.

Car 339
Following a struggle through the dunes before rest day, the Loomans car is now out of the race. They are now following on behind in support of the other cars.

Rest Day: Crews perspective after half a Dakar
11/01/09 00:50

So what is the crew’s perspective on a Dakar on a new continent?

Heat – Being in the southern hemisphere it is summer and days are long, with the sun at its highest for most of a days stage, heat plays a significant factor. During most stages both crew members are drinking at least their in-car reserve of 3 litres well before the end of a stage. Heat in the car itself approaches 50 degrees C, and there is little respite from its stifling nature.

Dust – incredible amounts of dust, on stage, on liaison, in bivouac - every member of the crew can be heard coughing throughout the day trying to clear their lungs. Visibility on stages can often be limited to the extent that even with a minute gap between cars (a luxury afforded to only the top twenty starters) the hanging dust even on plains is still too heavy to see the upcoming dangers. Air filters literally become blocked, restricting the performance well before the end of a stage.

Dunes – The dunes in South America appear tougher in many ways to those in Africa, partly the altitude has played a part, but the height and steepness of climb is certainly a constant challenge seen nearly everywhere in South America and only in pockets in small pockets Africa. The dunes have certainly created perhaps the biggest challenge for competitors this year.

People – thousands and thousands of them; so enthusiastic and passionate the race for the spectators sometimes seems more important than life itself. Certainly for those that stand in the track as you approach them at 100mph with camera fixed to their eyes, nothing seems to be more important...
The streets are so crowded when passing through cities that in most cases you cannot see which way through a junction to go as there is in fact little clear tarmac visible. Crowds that simply stop traffic to a huge section of a city – People on a scale that is difficult to imagine.

Speed – Many of the stages have included tracks that see speeds approaching 120mph, with notes that have little detail, this Dakar has seen average speeds well in excess of most previous years - on some stages the average has been as high as 80mph...

News from Rest Day
10/01/09 13:17
The engineers are hard at work fully stripping the car and replacing parts as planned to ensure the second half of the race goes to plan

The crossing of the Andes yesterday has brought slightly cooler weather by the coast, a blessing whilst working in the midday sun.

Work continues with the aim of fixing any minor niggles and making sure that the vehicles are in the best condition possible, for what may be the toughest stages of the rally... still to come.