Dakar
Dakar: Volkswagen stage 11 report
Volkswagen in the top ten -- set back for Kleinschmidt. Just before the rest day the Rallye Telefonica Dakar was influenced by considerable turbulence. As Stephane Henrard and co pilot Bobby Willis remain in the overall classifications top ten ...
Edited: Jan 14, 2003, 2:00 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Volkswagen in the top ten -- set back for Kleinschmidt.
Just before the rest day the Rallye Telefonica Dakar was influenced by considerable turbulence. As Stephane Henrard and co pilot Bobby Willis remain in the overall classifications top ten with a Volkswagen Tarek, only a part of all teams and service teams crossed the eleventh stage finish line in Siwa. One of the leading teams in the truck competition drove over a landmine when crossing the Libyan-Egyptian border. All three crewmembers were uninjured -- according to the organisers' information there was only damage to vehicle components. In cooperation with Egyptian authorities, the rally organising committee has suspended the movement of all competitors and service crews across the border zone.
Service on the Volkswagen Tareks.
Photo by Volkswagen Racing.
Stephane Henrard reached the finish, however Jutta Kleinschmidt and the entire Volkswagen service crew have been affected by the interruption. After a thrilling fight back that had brought the Volkswagen works driver from 64th place, at the rally's beginning, to a respectable fourth overall, the German and her co driver, Fabrizia Pons, suffered a serious setback on today's eleventh stage. After 276 of the 438 special stage kilometres from Sarir in Libya to Siwa in Egypt, Jutta Kleinschmidt diagnosed a drive train problem on her Volkswagen Tarek. Being towed by Volkswagen's service vehicle in the competition, with the start number 440, the Tarek passed all checkpoints and was provisionally classified in 66th position at the stage finish. As a result, Jutta Kleinschmidt slipped to eleventh place, two positions behind her team colleague Stephane Henrard.
"As Jutta has not yet reached the stage finish in Siwa, and a lifting of the cordoning off of the border zone by the organiser is not expected, we cannot foresee when we can start with an exact analysis of the damage", explained Rudolf-Helmut Strozyk, director of Volkswagen Racing. "Therefore, it is not possible to comment on whether Jutta and Fabrizia can continue in the competition. Only tomorrow's rest day will enable us to give a more precise diagnosis."
-vw-
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Dakar: Mitsubishi stage 11 report
Next article Dakar Motobikes overall standings after stage 11
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Stéphane Henrard
Can the Beetle beat the dunes? - video
Dakar
Dakar
Dakar
Can the Beetle beat the dunes? - video
Holowczyc Stays On Top In Silk Way Dakar Rally Stage 3
Cross-Country Rally
Cross-Country Rally
Holowczyc Stays On Top In Silk Way Dakar Rally Stage 3
Marc VDS 2010 launch notes
Endurance
Endurance
Marc VDS 2010 launch notes
Latest news
Frankie Muniz "a little sore" but released from hospital after Daytona crash
General
Misc General 6 min
Frankie Muniz "a little sore" but released from hospital after Daytona crash
Frankie Muniz transported to hospital after Daytona practice crash
General
Misc General 4 h
Frankie Muniz transported to hospital after Daytona practice crash
Ford unveils new Mustang body for 2027 NASCAR Cup season
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup 4 h
Ford unveils new Mustang body for 2027 NASCAR Cup season
IndyCar 2026 season review: Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 8 h
IndyCar 2026 season review: Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe