After three stages, it is turning out to be a Volkswagen vs. BMW X-Raid race. We know this is way early but these guys have been trading times and places over the past 9 hours. Team X-raid GmbH’s Stephane Peterhansel had a record breaking run to win the stage and take the overall by 04:33min.
Last years champion, Giniel de Villiers did not have a good day. The #300 Race Touareg hit a deep hole and managed to flip. They eventually were uprighted with the help of a Mitsubishi. Later they were to hit a rock damaged the underside and had to wait for the truck to tow them in. (continue reading…)
With a stage victory to the top – the Volkswagen factory duo Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D) decided the second stage of the Dakar Rally in their favour.
After coming fourth today, Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E) in another one of the 300-hp Race Touareg cars powered by TDI diesel engines are ranking in second place overall with a gap of just 1m 19s. (continue reading…)
A solid team performance on the first “Dakar” day: Volkswagen accomplished the first special stage of the 2010 Dakar Rally with a good team result – all five Race Touareg vehicles are among the top ten at the beginning of the rally. Continue reading ‘Successful start for Volkswagen in the 2010 Dakar Rally’
Volkswagen started to the Dakar Rally in Argentina and Chile in front of an inspiring audience.
More than 300,000 fans celebrated the title defenders Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D) and their Volkswagen team-mates Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E), Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA), Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D) and Maurício Neves/Clécio Maestrelli (BR/BR) in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires. After the requisite drive across the starting ramp, the route took the five Race Touareg vehicles powered by TDI diesel engines to Colón where the first special stage in open terrain will start on Saturday. (continue reading…)
You know who won in 2009. You know who will win in 2010. Here’s a great video to get ya going with 3 days to go! Unfortunately, in the U.S. we will have very limited coverage (30min) on Versus.
With 4 days until the 2010 Dakar Rally, we sit back wait for one of the most amazing motorsport events to take place. With the DTM, ALMS and other series ending in late October, it gives us a nice break and a great kick-off to the new year’s racing season. Read on for a nice list of historical facts and figures.
At the turn of the New Year the Dakar Rally spellbinds millions of people around the planet. From 1 January 2010 when the Volkswagen factory drivers Carlos Sainz, Giniel de Villiers, Mark Miller, Nasser Al-Attiyah and Maurício Neves attempt to defend the first historical diesel victory from last year during the marathon event in Argentina and Chile they set off on a magnificent journey. Interesting figures about the “Dakar”. (continue reading…)
They are the unsung heroes of a Dakar Rally: The engineers and mechanics who, thanks to the daily service stop, always provide their drivers and co-drivers with the best material. Volkswagen relies on a team of approximately 80 people including the driver/co-driver squads of Giniel de Villiers, Carlos Sainz and company to field the five Race Touaregs between 2 and 16 January in Argentine and Chile. Seven people maintain daily each of the powerful near 300 hp “Dakar” prototypes. “Only those who have top material can also deliver a top performance,” says Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. “This not only applies to the drivers and co-drivers but also for their mechanics. This is why the service crew has access to first-class tools and is prepared for every situation.” Continue reading ‘Volkswagen team perfectly equipped for the Dakar Rally’
A crucial task: Without Lucas Cruz, Timo Gottschalk, Clécio Maestrelli, Ralph Pitchford and Dirk von Zitzewitz the Volkswagen “Dakar” successes would have been unthinkable. The five co-drivers in the Race Touareg cockpits must, like their team mates in the race trucks, navigate their drivers perfectly for exactly 9,030 kilometres during the 2010 Dakar Rally otherwise they would be lost. The route is secret throughout, must not be practised and the use of navigational aids is limited. Continue reading ‘Volkswagen navigators guide the Race Touaregs to success in 2010 Dakar’
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