still third at the „Dakar“

Three-O-One style: Mr. and Mr. Reliable still third at the „Dakar“

Arica, 9th January 2013

The Quotes

„Compared to the previous legs, this was a rather unspectacular stage – but one on which you still had to pay attention. We tried, and managed, to avoid getting a puncture on the very rocky section at the start. Unfortunately our brakes overheated in the canyons and we had to let them cool down. We also lost time in Guerlain Chicherit’s dust. We only found our rhythm again once we had overtaken ‚Chichi‘.“

Giniel de Villiers über Etappe 04

„After three tough legs in the last few days, today was, as expected, a little easier. The route took us over a lot of rocks and through canyons early on. Apart from the standard minor problems, we found a good rhythm today and did well. We now have Peru behind us and are now faced with a short sojourn in Chile before we head over the Andes to Argentina.“

Dirk von Zitzewitz über Etappe 04

Results: Dakar Rally overall classification after leg 05

• 01. Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-Paul Cottret (F/F), Mini, 10:55.32 Std.
• 02. Nasser Al-Attiyah/Lucas Cruz (Q/E), Buggy, 11:05.26 Std.
• 03. Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D), Toyota, 11:29.22 Std. 
• 04. Leonid Novitzkiy/Konstantin Zhiltsov (RUS/RUS), Mini, 11:33.07 Std.
• 05. Joan „Nani“ Roma/Michel Périn (E/F), Mini, 11:33.15 Std.

Coming up: Preview Stage 06

Arica–Calama
(Connection: 192 km, special stage: 229 km, connection: 96 km, special stage: 129 km, connection: 22 km) Day six – all-out attack. The special stage between Arica and Calama, which is split into two parts, takes the competitors back into familiar territory, where they are reunited with the spectacular dunes in Iquique and the Atacama Desert. The „Dakar“ penetrates deep into the driest region on the planet. There is a bit of everything: „The first half of the special stage is dominated by sand and dunes, while the second heads through a lot of Fesh Fesh into the Atacama with its rolling hills and many rocks,“ says Dirk von Zitzewitz. Giniel de Villiers sees another major issue that could cause problems: „We are expecting a lot of dust, which will affect visibility. Particularly in the second half, the dust hides rocks that could damage tyres or the suspension. The Navigator is under particular pressure in the dunes – there are a lot of large and deep valleys between the dunes around Iquique. These can easily result in an error or heading off in the wrong direction.“ In short: one of the key stages on the 2013 Dakar Rally.

Three-O-One, in the driving seat: Giniel de Villiers

Giniel de Villiers
If awards were given out for versatility in motorsport, Giniel de Villiers would be a hot favourite to pick up the special prize for lifetime achievement. The likeable, down-to-earth racing driver from Stellenbosch in South Africa won five national touring car titles in South Africa, defeating his subsequent Team Principal in the Volkswagen works team Kris Nissen and other top European stars on the way, before switching to marathon rallying. Giniel de Villiers describes himself as an „outdoorsy person“, who loves being in the fresh air. Whether on a jet ski or a mountain bike, de Villiers is always looking for action. However, in both his sporting and private lives, intelligent discretion is one of the real hallmarks of „Ginny“. As such, his second career away from tarmacked roads and permanent racetracks has also been a distinguished one: together with his co-driver at the time, Tina Thörner (S), he finished second at the 2006 Rally Dakar with Volkswagen – a milestone, as this was at the time the highest place ever achieved by a pair in a diesel-powered vehicle. His big breakthrough came when the Rally Dakar made its debut outside of the Black Continent in 2009: with co- driver Dirk von Zitzewitz at his side, the pair achieved a historic success: the first victory by an African, the first in a diesel car, and the first ever win in South America.

Three-O-One, calling the shots: Dirk von Zitzewitz

Dirk von Zitzewitz
Dirk von Zitzewitz has literally been at home in the navigator’s seat since he took his first breath: the German was born in precisely the spot, in which he has enjoyed his greatest sporting success: in the passenger seat. The co-driver from Ostholstein is regarded as one of the best in his profession. In 2009, he and his driver Giniel de Villiers won the first Dakar ever to be held in South America. New territory? For Dirk von Zitzewitz, the terrain away from tarmacked roads is the perfect place to demonstrate his natural, instinctive talent for finding the right way. His success and reputation are no fluke: even as a teenager, Zitzewitz used to play ‚Dakar‘ with a friend and a rickety old moped. Back then, the event was still establishing itself and was yet to develop the international prestige it enjoys today. Despite this, it still cast a spell on the off-road enthusiast from north Germany. Dirk von Zitzewitz won the German Enduro Championship title on 15 occasions, before going on to compete in three Dakars on a motorbike. As a co-driver to a number of different drivers, he has competed in the mother of all desert rallies every year since 2002. In 2012 Zitzewitz came full circle: it was ten years since he made his first appearance in a car – again a privately run Toyota. In 2013 the De-Villiers- von-Zitzewitz-Toyota combination enters the next round. In the meantime, he has achieved great success: this is reflected in ten podiums – five of which were victories – 33 stage wins and 31 days leading events in a car. As such, Dirk von Zitzewitz is already one of the most successful co-drivers of all time on the marathon rally scene.

„Dakar“ on TV

Dakar Newsletter

Abonnieren Sie jetzt unseren Dakar Newsletter und verfolgen Sie Dirk von Zitzewitz und sein Team bei der Dakar 2013.

[ALO-EASYMAIL-PAGE]

Weitere News

← Vorherige News:
Weiter „Dakar“-Dritte

→ Nächste News:
Gnadenlose Atacama