Plaza de Armas was the loudest location in Lima as the 2012 Dakar Rally came to rest in Peru’s capital city. All of the 249 vehicles that successfully navigated the 9000km from Mar del Plata were given a hero’s reception as the desert classic reached its conclusion...
Stage Fourteen – Pisco to Lima
Cyril Despres received the day’s biggest cheer as he got his hands on his fourth Dakar title after an intense two weeks of competition.
“This is without a shadow of a doubt the toughest Dakar I have ever raced in. It was very demanding physically but also such an intense psychological battle. Every day, I had to rise to the challenge and that takes its toll on the mind. It’s definitely a marathon and not a sprint because even when you do a good job one day you have to go out there and repeat it tomorrow and the next day for two tough weeks.” – Cyril Despres
Cyril also had a special word of thanks for his team-mate and support rider Rubin Faria who backed him up over every single kilometre of the race.
“The only way to be sure I have done the job I came here to do is to see Cyril win the race. It was tough this year with lots of distance not only to race but also to cover between the stages. I’m looking forward to heading to the Red Bull party in Lima tonight and rewarding myself with a chance to enjoy the team’s victory.” – Rubin Faria
The reason Cyril had such a tough job to win the 2012 Dakar Rally was not just because of the tricky terrain he had to cover in Argentina, Chile and Peru. Cyril was chased every step of the way by Marc Coma who eventually had to settle for second place.
“I gave it my all on every single day of the race but in the end I have to congratulate Cyril because he is the champion. My attention now switches to next year’s race and I’ll be back to try and win my title back. This is the seventh year that the title has been won by Cyril or myself and if we keep alternating like this it should be my turn again in 12 months. However, I know it will take lots of hard work because nothing is ever easy at the Dakar."
The third biker on the podium is Portugal’s Helder Rodrigues and he continues to hope that one of these years he will finally break-up Cyril and Marc’s stranglehold on the race.
“Making it to the end of the Dakar is always a terrific achievement and finishing on the podium is an incredible feeling. Marc and Cyril are both great riders and very tough nuts to crack. I lost 20 minutes on them on stage four and 20 minutes a few days later. When you lose 40 minutes on those guys at the Dakar it’s not easy to get that time back. For me to win the Dakar, I need to have perfect preparation all year round and then ensure everything goes well during the race. I’m going to start working on this as soon as I get home to Portugal.” – Helder Rodrigues
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There was an historic win for Stephane Peterhansel in the car race but joining the Frenchman on the podium was South Africa’s Giniel de Villiers.
“Our trump card was the reliability of the Toyota Hilux because we never had to stop to fix any major problems on any stage of the race. That’s why we are able to finish on the podium. Now I’m already looking forward to next year’s race because the playing field will be a lot more level. Every car will be required to run with the standard engine that we used this year and hopefully it’ll benefit us to be one step ahead of the game. There’s no doubt that next year we’ll be coming to the race to try and win. – Giniel de Villiers
Giniel’s confidence of an improvement in next year’s race is backed up by his co-pilot and buddy Dirk Von Zitzewitz.
“It was an excellent rally for Giniel and myself, for our car and the entire team we have had behind us the whole way. To come here with a car that had never been tested at the Dakar and finish on the podium is absolutely brilliant. Next year we’re going to pack even more Red Bull on the back seat and I think that will give us the push we need to take first place.” – Dirk Von Zitzewitz.
There was an upset in the truck race of the 2012 Dakar Rally with Team Kamaz losing their vice-like grip on the top spot. Seven-time trucking champion Vladimir Chagin may now be retired but he still has plans to reassert his influence on the race next year.
“We suffered lots of problems in the first week of the race but we still finished with three Kamaz trucks in the top five. It was not always easy for me to be a spectator instead of out on the stages driving the truck but I still managed to learn a lot from my first trip to the Dakar as a coach to our young drivers. I have no doubt that next year the whole podium will be blue once again.” – Vladimir Chagin.
In the quad race, Argentinian Alejandro Patronelli has managed something that still eludes both Cyril Despres and Marc Coma, back-to-back Dakar Rally victories.
Dakar Digit: 249
Of the 443 competitive vehicles that started the 2012 Dakar Rally only 249 managed to make it to the end of the race in Lima. In total 97 motorcycles, 12 quads, 78 cars and 60 trucks successfully completed the 9000km path to the Peruvian capital.
Want more?
- Check out Cyril Despres' profile page
- Check out Marc Coma's profile page
- Visit redbull.com's Dakar 2012 event page
- More Red Bull motor sports
- Dakar 2012: Ones to Watch | Bikes
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