‘Consistency’ was not an appropriate adjective for Robby Gordon’s final week. The American’s shot at victory – aided by top three times on the first three stages – was derailed when his Hummer H3 was disqualified from the event for ‘technical non-compliance’, an illegal tyre re-inflation system the culprit. Racing under appeal, the NASCAR race winner lost another hour repairing a broken CV joint before a spectacular roll on the penultimate stage dropped him to fifth in the standings.
The UAE’s Mohammed Balooshi fared little better. Following a tough opening week, lady luck continued to swing against Balooshi when event organizers inadvertently directed his KTM-UAE rally bike into unchartered territory. Damage sustained after a heavy impact off-route meant that, like his Emirati compatriot Nasser Al-Attiyah, the reigning Arabian Motorcycle Champion was forced to withdraw from the event.
Holding his trophy aloft, Peterhansel’s smile said it all: 4216km almost without incident. The Frenchman has now won the event an astonishing ten times, on both four wheels and two. Few can be sure just how far this unprecedented record will stretch. But with his drive to succeed never stronger and a young, ambitious Mini team eager to repeat the fairytale, only the foolish would assume the 2012 Dakar winner’s day in the sun is heading for the shadows.
Source – dakar.com. x-raid.de, ktmuae.wordpress.com