Peterhansel not comfortable with his teammate: “Frankly not easy”

As a couple as in rally-raid, communication is a key to success. Stéphane Peterhansel (Mini Buggy JCW) experiences it on the 2020 Dakar. The Frenchman was to ride with his partner Andrea Peterhansel as co-pilot, before the latter gave up for health reasons. 

The German gave way to the Portuguese Paulo Fiuza as co-driver. The understanding is good but the fluidity of the work is complicated by the use of English. “For me, it’s frankly not obvious, recognizes the record holder for Dakar victories (14). All communication in the cabin is done in English, although I have always driven with co-drivers who spoke French. 

(The most difficult are) the headings, when they are given to me in French in the headset I instantly know where I have to go, but now I have to think a little. I'm having a little trouble translating. »

And to bring out a concrete example of these difficulties, encountered during the first step. “We toured a bit. We lost five minutes looking for a hidden waypoint. It is a crossing point which is validated when you pass over it but we have no indication as to the distance from the car. 

We looked for it too early but we were on the right track. We probably made a mistake with the mileage. So this will be a setting to fine-tune in the car. »

During the second day, the mechanics acted up. “Navigation is getting more complicated, and English is not improving. We toured but we weren't the only ones. 5 km from the finish, the steering column disconnected from the steering wheel!

I had a heat stroke, but we repaired it quietly, which took a few more minutes. We had a puncture at the start of the stage and we were a little more careful because we only had a spare wheel, but in that respect it went well."​

In the general classification, “Monsieur Dakar” is in eighth place, 13′ from the Argentinian leader Orlando Terranova (Mini 4×4). Nothing is lost for the Frenchman.