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After 31 years, an African - Giniel de Villiers - has finally won the Dakar Rally.
On Saturday, De Villiers completed the final gruelling stage of 227km, to win the 30th Dakar Rally in his Volkswagen Touareg II. De Villiers finished second in 2006 and was leading outright in 2007 when a turbocharger problem robbed him of victory on stage nine of the race.
Deeply ironic is the maiden African victory being achieved in South America, as the race was moved across the Atlantic for security reasons this year, away from its spiritual home in North West Africa.
Tragedy and triumph, typical Dakar
De Villiers won the race with Americans Mark Miller and Robby Gordon finishing second and third – neither of them particularly happy with their result.
“It is a bit frustrating not to have been able to race till the last Stage but Giniel De Villiers is a great guy. That’s the raid. It was a team decision and I had to abide by the order,” was Giniel’s VW team mate Miller’s retort.
Gordon, an abrasive Nascar and Indy racer and son of off-road racing legend ‘Baja Bob’ lamented his four-flat tyres during the raid.
“Looking back on the raid, I know we could have won but we lost. We had four flat tyres during this Dakar; next year, we must make sure we don’t get flat tyres. But one thing is sure, tonight our party will be wilder than the party at Volkswagen.”
Marc Coma, the consistent Spaniard, was outstanding on his KTM to win the bike category, whilst the masochistic quad riders were led home by Czech Republic hardman Josef Machacek (52).
Unsurprisingly, Machacek is now considering a move to cars, after five Dakar quad victories he has little left to prove and being the wrong side of 50, he surely deserves a slightly less severe Dakar racing experience in future...
Russian Firdaus Kabirov won the lumbering truck category in his Kamaz, after a Dakar which saw team mate Vladimir Chagin and him exchange the lead many times over. A lack of team orders allowed Kabirov to triumph at the finish line in Buenos Aires.
Racing through the pain barrier
A serious back injury nearly destroyed De Villiers’s dream of participating in this year’s rally after Giniel crashed his mountain bike during training.
“We visited a neurosurgeon shortly before his departure and he strongly advised Giniel not to participate, but he pulled through,” said Giniel’s father Smittie.
Giniel sometimes lost feeling in his left arm because of the injury. The pain became severe and De Villiers senior believes it was only adrenaline that saved his son.
“One of his best attributes is that he never gives up. I think Lance Armstrong’s message that you’ll forget the pain, but never the loss, also spurred him on.”
In five previous Dakar outings, De Villiers, teased by teammates for his resemblance to pop star Robbie Williams, had been agonisingly close to the title. He was second in 2006 while in 2007 he dominated before his Volkswagen Touareg slipped back to 11th place after a turbocharger problem.
"We became hungrier and hungrier," said De Villiers at the start of the 2009 race here two weeks ago.
He thrived in the testing South American conditions while his closest rivals slipped up.
Teammate, and former double world rally champion, Carlos Sainz let victory slip away when his Touareg tumbled into a donga on Thursday.
Defending champions Mitsubishi, who had won the previous seven races, fared even worse with Stéphane Peterhansel, Luc Alphand and Hiroshi Masuoka all retiring in the first week.
The Dakar was an unmitigated disaster for the Japanese team, the new turbodiesel racing Lancer proved unreliable and unable to threaten the VW Touaregs.
South African racing royalty
Considered too small for the traditional South African contact sports farm boys are expected to thrive on, De Villiers inherited a keen enthusiasm for motorsport from his father, Pieter – a keen rally racer.
The Stellenbosch resident started his career in the domestic touring car championship, a series he dominated from 1997-2000.
He then turned his attentions to off-road racing in South Africa, before joining the Dakar as a Nissan driver from 2003-2005 with a best-placed fourth spot in his final season. In 2006, he moved to VW and on Saturday handed the German manufacturer its first Dakar title.
"Racing is in my blood," De Villiers says. "When it comes to desert rallies, you have to overcome new challenges every day, be incredibly flexible and be focused all the time - all of which I love."
De Villiers was joined on the podium by countryman Ralph Pitchford, who finished second as co-driver for American Mark Miller, also running in a VW Touareg.
The Midrand built Nissan Navara racing bakkies finished fourth and fifth place overall in the car rankings, piloted by Norwegian Ivar Erik Tollefsen and Poland’s Krzysztof Holowczyc. It’s been a great showcase for the local engineering talent of Glyn Hall’s Nissan motorsport team, who nurtured De Villiers during his early Dakar racing days.
Despite a 204 hour penalty, South African Dakar motorcycle racing legend, Alfie Cox, managed to bring home his SMG buggy to finish in 72nd place.
During its history the Dakar has claimed many lives, staying true to its billing as the greatest rally raid of all – and most forbidding. This year French motorcyclist Pascal Terry (49) was found dead three days after disappearing while racing in the second stage - between Santa Rosa and Puerto Madryn. Investigators concluded Terry died from a pulmonary oedema.
VW’s WRC future?
VW’s motorsport director, Denmark’s Kris Nissen, confirmed a rumoured decision on VW’s WRC future would come imminently.
“We have looked at the World Rally Championship and we have been keen to investigate whether (the WRC) would be possible as well as the Dakar or instead of Dakar,” he said
Nissen added that a continued global motorsport programme was vital for Volkswagen.
“VW is one of the world’s biggest car manufacturers,” he commented. “International competition is really important and sure, the Dakar is international competition, but so is the WRC.” Giniel in a WRC car – hold on to that though…
Car Results – Overall Standings:
1. De Villiers/Von Zitzewitz VW 48:10:57
2. Miller/Pitchford VW 48:19:56
3. Gordon/Grider Hummer 49:57:12
4. Tollefsen/Evans Nissan 54:15:31
5. Holowczyc/Fortin Nissan 54:48:46
Bike Results – Overall Standings:
1. Coma KTM 52:14:33
2. Despres KTM 53:40:11
3. Fretigne Yamaha 53:53:29
4. Casteu KTM 54:32:27
5. Rodrigues KTM 54:36:44
On Saturday, De Villiers completed the final gruelling stage of 227km, to win the 30th Dakar Rally in his Volkswagen Touareg II. De Villiers finished second in 2006 and was leading outright in 2007 when a turbocharger problem robbed him of victory on stage nine of the race.
Deeply ironic is the maiden African victory being achieved in South America, as the race was moved across the Atlantic for security reasons this year, away from its spiritual home in North West Africa.
Tragedy and triumph, typical Dakar
De Villiers won the race with Americans Mark Miller and Robby Gordon finishing second and third – neither of them particularly happy with their result.
“It is a bit frustrating not to have been able to race till the last Stage but Giniel De Villiers is a great guy. That’s the raid. It was a team decision and I had to abide by the order,” was Giniel’s VW team mate Miller’s retort.
Gordon, an abrasive Nascar and Indy racer and son of off-road racing legend ‘Baja Bob’ lamented his four-flat tyres during the raid.
“Looking back on the raid, I know we could have won but we lost. We had four flat tyres during this Dakar; next year, we must make sure we don’t get flat tyres. But one thing is sure, tonight our party will be wilder than the party at Volkswagen.”
Marc Coma, the consistent Spaniard, was outstanding on his KTM to win the bike category, whilst the masochistic quad riders were led home by Czech Republic hardman Josef Machacek (52).
Unsurprisingly, Machacek is now considering a move to cars, after five Dakar quad victories he has little left to prove and being the wrong side of 50, he surely deserves a slightly less severe Dakar racing experience in future...
Russian Firdaus Kabirov won the lumbering truck category in his Kamaz, after a Dakar which saw team mate Vladimir Chagin and him exchange the lead many times over. A lack of team orders allowed Kabirov to triumph at the finish line in Buenos Aires.
Racing through the pain barrier
A serious back injury nearly destroyed De Villiers’s dream of participating in this year’s rally after Giniel crashed his mountain bike during training.
“We visited a neurosurgeon shortly before his departure and he strongly advised Giniel not to participate, but he pulled through,” said Giniel’s father Smittie.
Giniel sometimes lost feeling in his left arm because of the injury. The pain became severe and De Villiers senior believes it was only adrenaline that saved his son.
“One of his best attributes is that he never gives up. I think Lance Armstrong’s message that you’ll forget the pain, but never the loss, also spurred him on.”
In five previous Dakar outings, De Villiers, teased by teammates for his resemblance to pop star Robbie Williams, had been agonisingly close to the title. He was second in 2006 while in 2007 he dominated before his Volkswagen Touareg slipped back to 11th place after a turbocharger problem.
"We became hungrier and hungrier," said De Villiers at the start of the 2009 race here two weeks ago.
He thrived in the testing South American conditions while his closest rivals slipped up.
Teammate, and former double world rally champion, Carlos Sainz let victory slip away when his Touareg tumbled into a donga on Thursday.
Defending champions Mitsubishi, who had won the previous seven races, fared even worse with Stéphane Peterhansel, Luc Alphand and Hiroshi Masuoka all retiring in the first week.
The Dakar was an unmitigated disaster for the Japanese team, the new turbodiesel racing Lancer proved unreliable and unable to threaten the VW Touaregs.
South African racing royalty
Considered too small for the traditional South African contact sports farm boys are expected to thrive on, De Villiers inherited a keen enthusiasm for motorsport from his father, Pieter – a keen rally racer.
The Stellenbosch resident started his career in the domestic touring car championship, a series he dominated from 1997-2000.
He then turned his attentions to off-road racing in South Africa, before joining the Dakar as a Nissan driver from 2003-2005 with a best-placed fourth spot in his final season. In 2006, he moved to VW and on Saturday handed the German manufacturer its first Dakar title.
"Racing is in my blood," De Villiers says. "When it comes to desert rallies, you have to overcome new challenges every day, be incredibly flexible and be focused all the time - all of which I love."
De Villiers was joined on the podium by countryman Ralph Pitchford, who finished second as co-driver for American Mark Miller, also running in a VW Touareg.
The Midrand built Nissan Navara racing bakkies finished fourth and fifth place overall in the car rankings, piloted by Norwegian Ivar Erik Tollefsen and Poland’s Krzysztof Holowczyc. It’s been a great showcase for the local engineering talent of Glyn Hall’s Nissan motorsport team, who nurtured De Villiers during his early Dakar racing days.
Despite a 204 hour penalty, South African Dakar motorcycle racing legend, Alfie Cox, managed to bring home his SMG buggy to finish in 72nd place.
During its history the Dakar has claimed many lives, staying true to its billing as the greatest rally raid of all – and most forbidding. This year French motorcyclist Pascal Terry (49) was found dead three days after disappearing while racing in the second stage - between Santa Rosa and Puerto Madryn. Investigators concluded Terry died from a pulmonary oedema.
VW’s WRC future?
VW’s motorsport director, Denmark’s Kris Nissen, confirmed a rumoured decision on VW’s WRC future would come imminently.
“We have looked at the World Rally Championship and we have been keen to investigate whether (the WRC) would be possible as well as the Dakar or instead of Dakar,” he said
Nissen added that a continued global motorsport programme was vital for Volkswagen.
“VW is one of the world’s biggest car manufacturers,” he commented. “International competition is really important and sure, the Dakar is international competition, but so is the WRC.” Giniel in a WRC car – hold on to that though…
Car Results – Overall Standings:
1. De Villiers/Von Zitzewitz VW 48:10:57
2. Miller/Pitchford VW 48:19:56
3. Gordon/Grider Hummer 49:57:12
4. Tollefsen/Evans Nissan 54:15:31
5. Holowczyc/Fortin Nissan 54:48:46
Bike Results – Overall Standings:
1. Coma KTM 52:14:33
2. Despres KTM 53:40:11
3. Fretigne Yamaha 53:53:29
4. Casteu KTM 54:32:27
5. Rodrigues KTM 54:36:44