Dakar: Problems with the English of a French champion and his Portuguese co-driver

The French pilot Stphane peterhansel (Mini). the most laureate of Dakar with 13 titles, of them six by bike and seven by automotive, has had a discreet rally begin in Saudi arabia that blames the English indications of your co-pilot, the Portuguese Paulo Fiuza.

That is the first time that Peterhansel, teammate of Spanish Carlos Sainz, has a co-pilot who doesn’t converse French, and that has change into a downside to face the first two phases of this Dakar, the place navigation and good communication between pilot and co-pilot have been key to not losing time.

“In 21 editions of the Dakar, I’ve by no means contacted the English co-pilot, so must get used“stated Peterhansel at the finish of the first stage of the second rally, simply two minutes from Lithuanian Vaidotas Zala, winner of that stage.

The case it was worse on Sunday once I misplaced greater than 22 minutes in the second stage between the cities of Al Wajh and Neom, on the banks of the Purple Sea. For a second they ended up misplaced and in one other the steering column was disconnected, which additionally influenced the unhealthy day of the French.

“Navigation is difficult and my english doesn’t enhance“, he commented upon arriving at the camp 'Monsieur Dakar', as he’s recognized inside the rally caravan.

Though the French pilot has good notions of navigation and studying of the “roadbook” (highway map), he had at all times been accompanied by professional fellow countrymen of his, akin to David Castera, present director of the Dakar, or Jean-Paul Cottret, who additionally has intervened in the design of the phases of this version.

On this version he deliberate to take part in the rally with his spouse Andrea Peterhansel as a co-pilot, a dream that each wished to meet for a very long time, and for what they’d skilled in current months, however a last-minute harm prevented the German from taking the rally out.

Collectively, Stphane and Andrea They acquired this yr the world cup of off-road rallies, which demonstrated the complicity of each additionally inside the automotive.

Nevertheless, at the final minute the X-Raid Mini workforce, the place Peterhansel is driving one of his buggies, introduced that the Portuguese Fiuza would sit to the proper of 'Monsieur Dakar' for this version of the raid held solely in Arabia Saud.

The Dakar takes place from January 5 to 17 leaving in Jeddah and ending in Qiddiya, the metropolis of leisure that’s constructed on the outskirts of Riyadh. In whole the rally has a route of virtually 8,000 kilometers, of which greater than 5,000 are timed.