Umgibeli waseFrance uqede isigaba sokugcina endaweni yesi-9, ngaphezudlwana kwemizuzu eyi-7 kusukela kumnqobi u-Sébastien Loeb.
Ku-Stéphane Peterhansel, njengasesikhethekile sayizolo, obekudingeka nje kwakuwukulawula ubungozi nokuphatha inzuzo ezuzwe ezigabeni ezedlule. Umshayeli ophethe i-Peugeot 2008 DKR16 waqeda "kuphela" nge-9 isikhathi esingcono kakhulu, esanele ukuvikela ukunqoba kwakhe kwe-12 eDakar.
U-Sébastien Loeb uzikhulule evikini lesi-2 elinesizotha futhi wawina isipesheli se-180km, ngenzuzo engu-1m13s kuno-Mikko Hirvonen, ocishe wangakwazi ukukhuphuka inkundla ekuhlanganyeleni kwakhe kokuqala. Ngale nhlanganisela yemiphumela, uNasser Al-Attiyah (Mini) noGiniel De Villiers (Toyota) babambe indawo yesibili neyesithathu ngokwehlukana kwabo. Umshayeli waseQatar uqede ngokubambezeleka okungu-34m58s kuPeterhansel, kwathi owaseNingizimu Afrika wabhalisa umehluko ongu-1h02m47s kumaFrench.
Naphezu kokubusa kukaPeugeot evikini lokuqala lomncintiswano, u-Stéphane Peterhansel waqala i-Dakar ngendlela ehlakaniphile, ngokungafani nowakubo uSébastien Loeb. Umshayeli ongumFulentshi, owavela okokuqala eDakar, wamangaza umncintiswano ngokuwina izigaba ezi-3 kwezi-4 zokuqala.
Kodwa-ke, u-Loeb akakwazanga ukuzivumelanisa nezimo ezinesihlabathi esiningi futhi wabona umSpanishi uCarlos Sainz, ophumelele isiteji sesi-7 nesesi-9, ehola. Kodwa esigabeni se-10, uPeterhansel waphakamisa ijubane futhi wenza umjaho ocishe uphelele, edlula ozakwabo esigabeni esijwayelekile. Ukusuka lapho, umFulentshi wagomela ngokungaguquguquki kwakhe futhi waphatha kwaze kwaba sekupheleni, ewina esinye isicoco ukuze anezele ohlelweni lwakhe olukhulu lwezifundo.
FUNDA OKUNYE: Yileyo ndlela i-Dakar yazalwa ngayo, i-adventure enkulu kunazo zonke emhlabeni
Emabhayisikili, akukho okumangalisayo noma: Umgibeli wase-Australia u-Toby Price uqede endaweni yesine kwezikhethekile zanamuhla, wathola iwini yakhe yokuqala neye-15 ilandelana ye-KTM eDakar. U-Hélder Rodrigues ube ngumPutukezi okleliswe phezulu, ngemuva kokuthi u-Paulo Gonçalves, intandokazi yokunqoba kokugcina, ethathe umhlalaphansi ngenxa yengozi. Umgibeli we-Yamaha ube ngowesithathu ekufikeni kwakhe e-Rosario futhi waqeda ukubamba iqhaza kwakhe kweshumi endaweni yesihlanu ekumeni okuphelele.Ngakho-ke, olunye uhlelo lwe-Dakar luphela, olufana nabanye abaningi, lwalunakho konke okuncane: imizwa enamandla, ukusebenza okumangazayo nokunye ukudumazeka. Kwaphela amasonto amabili, abashayeli bezindiza nemishini bahlolwa futhi bakwazi ukukhombisa ubuhlakani nokuzimisela kwabo ezinhlotsheni ezihluke kakhulu zesimo sezulu nesimo sezulu. “I-World’s Greatest Adventure” iyaphela namuhla, kodwa ungakhathazeki, unyaka ozayo uphelile!