Peterhansel still in front: “It’s an all-out attack”

On the Dakar 2021 records, Stéphane Peterhansel and Édouard Boulanger (Mini) have not yet achieved stage success during the first four stages. However, the Team X-Raid duo has been leading the general classification since the second day!

Regularity pays off for “Monsieur Dakar” and his 13 victories in the event. This Wednesday, January 6, between Wadi Ad-Dawasir and Riyadh, the 55-year-old Frenchman held down the house, conceding only 11 tiny seconds to Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel (Toyota), leurs plus proches rivaux au général.

But to say that the native of Échenoz-la-Méline (Haute-Saône) voluntarily kept some underfoot so as not to have to open the road the next day, there is a world of difference. “It's not so much observation, it's all-out attack, and in the end we finish in the same times! Apart from a small navigation error at the end, I don't feel like I can attack much more.", explains the former biker.

Stéphane Peterhansel's tactics in the following days were rather simple. “To stay in contact, we have to attack as hard as we can, and for the moment we're not making too many mistakes so things are going pretty well. »

The experienced driver finally notes a change in the appearance of the Dakar, he who is making his 32nd start in the rally-raid. “Previously, 50% of the contenders for victory left the race due to driving errors or technical problems, but iThere is less and less waste. So you have to hang on. »