Latest update: 08/01/2009 

- Dakar rally - rallying


STAGE 2: 'We're at the same level as the Volkswagens'
STAGE 2: 'We're at the same level as the Volkswagens'
Stéphane Peterhansel, Mitsubishi’s defending champion, clocked the fastest second time of the second stage behind Spanish rival Carlos Sainz (Volkswagen). Yet, the result fulfills the team’s boss expectations.
By FRANCE 24 (text)
On board with Mitsubishi : every day until the crossing of the finish line on January 17, a member of the Repsol-Mitsubishi team, winner of the last seven editions of the Dakar, gives an inside glimpse into the main events of the day.

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Dominique Serieys, 47, is Mitsubishi Motors' general director. He won the Dakar in 1993 as rally champion Bruno Saby’s co-pilot.

Waiting for a stage victory. “We could have won today…(Stéphane Peterhansel finished second in the stage). Anyway, the first part of the race isn’t really strategic. There’s much more to lose than to gain. We feel no pressure. We are sticking to the strategy that helped us win over the last years.”
 

Satisfaction. “We are very happy about the new model, the Racing Lancer. So far, we are at the same level as the Volkswagens. If they claim the final win in Buenos Aires, we will be fair play and recognise their superiority. But they have been using diesel engines for five years and it’s our first time with diesel. Anyway, the finish line is still far.”


Feel the heat. “We send you some sun…It’s 38°C here, and we’ve heard you're far from that in Paris.”

STAGE 1: 'With all that dust, there are risks of hitting a motorcycle'
D-1: 'Go to sleep and rest for tomorrow'
D-2: 'Pilots are ready to get started'

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