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Friday, March 29, 2024

Peugeot wins 2016 Dakar Rally

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Some 26 years after its previous success on the epic event, Peugeot has won the Dakar Rally for the fifth time in the French marque’s history. The two-wheel drive Peugeot 2008 DKR has triumphed with its most illustrious crew on the event: Stéphane Peterhansel and Jean-Paul Cottret.

• Peugeot has won the Dakar on just its second participation in the South American event.

• The Peugeot 2008 DKRs claimed nine stage wins out of a possible 12, including seven one-twos and two one-two-threes.

• Exactly 25 years since his first victory (on a bike), Stéphane Peterhansel has sealed his 12th Dakar success (six on a bike, and six in a car together with co-driver Jean-Paul Cottret.

• Cyril Despres/David Castera and Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena were the big surprises of the Dakar. They finished seventh and ninth respectively.

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• Three of the four Peugeot 2008 DKRs entered have reached the finish. Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz were the leaders with just four days to go, but were not able to join their team mates on the finish ramp—having made a key contribution however to the result.

This victory is the latest chapter in a compelling story of motorsport success for Peugeot, which includes four Dakar wins in Africa between 1987 and 1990, as well as success in various other events that include the Le Mans 24 Hours, Pikes Peak and the World Rally Championship.

This win will go down in history for Peugeot, which triumphed at only its second participation in South America. A total of three PEUGEOT 2008 DKRs reached the finish ramp.

An overall result like this would never have been possible without all the team members helping each other, or without those real heroes in the shadows: the indefatigable mechanics. Cyril Despres, who drove an excellent rally in only his second participation on four wheels and contributed to one of Peugeot’s seven one-twos, also became a guardian angel for his team mates, helping them out of trouble on more than one occasion. These made for powerful images, which have contributed to the Dakar’s legend of sportsmanship and fraternity.

The duo of Stéphane Peterhansel and Jean-Paul Cottret in the number 302 Peugeot 2008 DKR called upon all of their experience to seal another win at the finish ramp in Rosario. This is not only their sixth win together, but the 12th win in total for Peterhansel—a six-time Dakar motorbike winner—25 years after his debut triumph. The Frenchman has further extended his winning record and ensured that his status as ‘Mr Dakar’ is beyond doubt.

A CRACK TEAM

With a 9500-kilometre route in two weeks through Argentina and Bolivia, taking in extremes of weather and altitudes that peaked at 4800 metres, Team Peugeot Total took on a fearsome challenge with one of the most accomplished line-ups ever seen in Dakar history. With 17 Dakar victories between them, the crews of Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-Paul Cottret, Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz and Cyril Despres/David Castera were joined by nine-time world rally champions Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena, making their debut on the event.

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