Dakar: Stage 15 Louxor - Abu Rish notes

The track is well signaled, fast with soft sand and rocky portions. Not a lot of details and quite a few changes in direction. The special is done wihout the help of a GPS system. The special goes from canyon to canyon where everything looks alike. It'll be important not to miss out on the right crossing at the end of the special close to Abu Rish.

Giniel De Villiers and Pascal Maimon.

Photo by Nissan Europe.

Stage 15: Louxor - Abu Rish
Friday 17th January 2003

Liaison: 75 km - Special stage: 477 km - Liaison: 24 km - Total: 576 km

Motobikes:
09:34 - At CP1, (km180), Fabrizio Meoni (KTM - n.1) has the best time. Second is PG Lundmark (KTM - n.16) at 5sec followed by Coma (KTM - n.10) at 1min34, Brucy (KTM - n.9) at 2min33, Sainct (KTM - n.3) at 3min14 and Despres (KTM - n.7) at 3min21.

Cars:
10:18 - At CP1, (km180), Ari Vatanen (Nissan - n.204) has the best time. Second is Fontenay (Mitsubishi - n.202) at 2min47, followed by Masuoka (Mitsubishi - n.200) at 3min52, alphand (BMW - n.221) at 4min02, Peterhansel (Mitsubishi - n.206) at 5min08.

10:19 - At around km 200, Jean Pierre Fontenay (Mitsubishi - n.202) has just punctured a tyre.

Motobikes:
10:23 - At CP2, (km252), PG Lundmark (KTM - n.16) has the best time. Second is Fabrizio Meoni (KTM - n.1) at 1min05sec followed by Coma (KTM - n.10) at 1min38, Despres (KTM - n.7) at 3min35, Sainct (KTM - n.3) at 3min43 and Brucy (KTM - n.9) at 5min.

Cars:
10:23 - At CP1, (km180), Ari Vatanen (Nissan - n.204) has the best time. Second is Biasion (Mitsubishi - n.207) at 2min06 followed by Fontenay (Mitsubishi - n.202) at 2min47, Masuoka (Mitsubishi - n.200) at 3min52, Alphand (BMW - n.221) at 4min02, De Villiers (Nissan - n217) at 4min20, Peterhansel (Mitsubishi - n.206) at 5min08.

Truck:
10:35 - At km 201, Firdaus Kabirov (Kamaz - n.412) has just punctured a tyre.

General Notes:
11:02 - On the start line of the day's stage between Louxor and Abu Rish 102 bikes, 62 cars and 28 trucks are still in the race. Has pulled out: Yves Loubet (n.228).

Cars:
11:33 - At CP2, (km252), Ari Vatanen (Nissan - n.204) still has the best time. Second is Biasion (Mitsubishi - n.207) at 3min01 followed by De Villiers (Nissan - n217) at 4min48, Masuoka (Mitsubishi - n.200) at 6min16, Alphand (BMW - n.221) at 7min56, Peterhansel (Mitsubishi - n.206) at 9min23 and Fontenay (Mitsubishi - n.202) at 10min17.

11:35 - At km 305, Luc Alphand (BMW - n.221) has punctured a tyre.

Motobikes:
11:35 - At CP3, (km396), Fabrizio Meoni (KTM - n.1) has the best time. Second is PG Lundmark (KTM - n.16) at 5sec followed by Coma (KTM - n.10) at 2min20, Despres (KTM - n.7) at 3min18, Sainct (KTM - n.3) at 4min37, Brucy (KTM - n.9) at 6min25 and De Azevedo (KTM - n.25) at 8min05.

12:39 - On the finish line of the stage between Louxor and Abu Rish (477kms), Fabrizio Meoni (KTM - n.1) wins the special. Second is PG Lundmark (KTM - n.16) at 1min47sec followed by Coma (KTM - n.10) at 3min56, Despres (KTM - n.7) at 4min32, Sainct (KTM - n.3) at 5min23, Brucy (KTM - n.9) at 6min50 and De Azevedo (KTM - n.25) at 9min29.

In the overall, Sainct has a 10min29 lead on Despres and 33min58 on Meoni.

Cars:
12:42 - At CP3, (km396), Ari Vatanen (Nissan - n.204) still has the best time. Second is Biasion (Mitsubishi - n.207) at 4min50 followed by De Villiers (Nissan - n217) at 9min43, Fontenay (Mitsubishi - n.202) at 10min44, Peterhansel (Mitsubishi - n.206) at 10min49, Masuoka (Mitsubishi - n.200) at 11min28, Alphand (BMW - n.221) at 16min.

13:38 - On the finish line of the stage between Louxor and Abu Rish (477kms), Ari Vatanen (Nissan - n.204) has won his third special of the rally. Second is Biasion (Mitsubishi - n.207) at 6min23 followed by De Villiers (Nissan - n217) at 12min49, Fontenay (Mitsubishi - n.202) at 13min12, Masuoka (Mitsubishi - n.200) at 13min30, Peterhansel (Mitsubishi - n.206) at 14min53 and Alphand (BMW - n.221) at 18min51.

In the overall Peterhansel leads by 25min50 on Masuoka and 2h23min47 on Fontenay.

Truck:
14:39 - On the finish line of the stage between Louxor and Abu Rish (477kms), Firdaus Kabirov (Kamaz - n.412) has won his third straight special of the rally. Second is Tchaguine (Kamaz - n.407) at 13min57 followed by De Azevedo (Tatra - n.410) at 15min23.

In the new overall, Tchaguine has a 1h12min27 lead on De Azevedo and 2h08min44 on Kabirov.

-aso-