Exclusive: Peterhansel doubtful about new Dakar marathon stage

With 14 overall wins, Stephane Peterhansel knows how to approachthe Dakar Rally. The Frenchman has achieved success after successon the motorcycle and in the car, and is taking part for the thirdtime in an electric Audi. That car has so far failed to deliver thesuccesses desired, but Peterhansel is confident after a lot oftesting that this could be Audi's year. "The preparations were thesame as in previous years," Peterhansel said in an exclusiveinterview with RacingNews365 . "We did some tests and rallies. Westarted in Saudi Arabia. That took five to six days. The plan wasto test the new tires from BF Goodrich and it was necessary toadjust the suspension accordingly. "That test was quite interestingbecause it was the first time we had driven in Saudi Arabia duringpreparation. Last year we had a lot of punctures and problems. Thenwe tested in Spain and Morocco and we think we found a good set-upnow." Navigator Boulanger is back to top fitness Peterhansel hasbeen referring to last year, when he crashed hard and his navigatorEdouard Boulanger suffered serious injuries to his back. TheFrenchman admits that he did walk around with some trepidation fora while. "The first test I drove with Lucas Cruz, the navigator ofCarlos Sainz Sr. In Spain, Edouard was back. At the beginning I wasstill a little scared, because with such surgeries it might not beso good to fully attack bumpy sections. But after a few kilometresand days it went very well." The relationship between a navigatorand driver is very important in rally events, something Peterhanselwas keen to point out when it comes to success. "That goes forresults, but also for the human aspect. We spend a lot of timetogether. First of all, we obviously want to get good results, butit's also important to be safe. I'm very close with Edouard. Weshare many passions, including on the bike, and he is really afriend of mine." "Is it a good idea? I don't know." The organizersof the Dakar Rally have come up with something new for the 2024edition: a 48-hour marathon stage. On days six and seven, theparticipants will have to cover as much as 818 kilometers aroundShubaytah, receiving no help from mechanics. Several bivouacs willbe built on the course, where the drivers, if they arrive before4:00 p.m. local time, will decide for themselves whether to stop ornot. From 16:00, it is mandatory to stay in the bivouac until 7:00in the morning, before continuing your way to the finish line. Yourfinishing time over two days will count toward the overallstandings. Peterhansel does not know if he is a fan of the idea:"That will become clear this month, but I know David Castera [thedirector and course builder] is keen to try something different. Isit a good idea? I don't know. We do need a different strategy,because it's also two days where we can't follow tracks for thebikes. So the cars open up the road and the sand, which means youneed a different strategy one or two days before." To thesuggestion that Peterhansel thus does not want to win the stagebefore the marathon stage, the driver responded affirmatively: "Youunderstand quickly. The day before the marathon stage is alsopretty short, so I don't know what the rules are. It's prettyconfusing right now. We never know if it's going to be the key tosuccess, because two days before the end we have another long stagethrough rocky areas. Sebastien Loeb lost two hours there last year.Anything can happen in that place." So who will be his biggestcompetitors? "I always start with last year's winning team: Toyota.I have to say that Yazeed Al-Rajhi is starting to become moreconsistent and we know Toyota has a fast car. They are definitelyone of the potential winners." Toyota did see Nasser Al-Attiyah,last year's winner, leave for Prodrive Hunter. According toPeterhansel, that team, which Loeb also drives for, is also capableof winning, although he foresees some problems for them. "Sebastienand Nasser are definitely competing for the overall win, althoughthe Hunter is not as reliable as the Toyota. The car and thedrivers are fast, though. Indeed, they are the fastest at themoment, but it is not easy to manage two captains on one ship. Withus [Audi], Sainz and Mattias Ekstrom are also capable of winning."Why is it so difficult to win the Dakar? Ekstrom and Loeb switchedfrom other racing and rally classes, but so far they have not beenable to win the Dakar Rally. So what makes this rally so different?"It's complex because it doesn't take two or three days, like inthe WRC. You can make mistakes for 12 to 15 days, but for Sebastienand Mattias it's a matter of time before they win the Dakar Rally.They are very intelligent and fast, but so far all the puzzlepieces have not yet fallen together." "Sebastien competed with meat Peugeot," Peterhansel continued. "But he wasn't ready to winthen. He lacked some experience. Then he switched to another teamand they were not ready because the car was not strong enough. Ifeverything falls right, Sebastien will win the Dakar. And so willMattias."