Day's CourseMar del Plata - Santa Rosa
- 01/01/2012 01. Mar del Plata - Santa Rosa
- 02/01/2012 02. Santa Rosa - San Rafael
- 03/01/2012 03. San Rafael - San Juan
- 04/01/2012 04. San Juan - Chilecito
- 05/01/2012 05. Chilecito - Fiambala
- 06/01/2012 06. Fiambala - Copiapo
- 07/01/2012 07. Copiapo - Copiapo
- 09/01/2012 08. Copiapo - Antofagasta
- 10/01/2012 09. Antofagasta - Iquique
- 11/01/2012 10. Iquique - Arica
- 12/01/2012 11. Arica - Arequipa
- 13/01/2012 12. Arequipa - Nasca
- 14/01/2012 13. Nasca - Pisco
- 15/01/2012 14. Pisco - Lima
- Sunday. 1January.
Map
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Quads
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Bikes
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Profile
Trucks
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Cars
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Quads
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Bikes
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Photos
Start Special
Finish Special
Refuelling
Finish 
Waypoint*
Waypoint reached*
*Click on the WayPoints on the map to display the Ranking
Informations
| Special | Cars | Bikes | Quads | Trucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | 07:58 | 05:45 | 05:45 | 10:35 |
| Connection | 763km | 763km | 763km | 763km |
| Special stage | 57km | 57km | 57km | 57km |
| Number of participants | ||||
| from start | ||||
| have left | - | - | - | - |
| WP1 | - | - | - | - |
| at arrival | - | - | - | - |
| WPF | - | - | - | - |
Live Comments
19:23 Trucks: Ardavichus cracks the Top 5
Kazakh Artur Ardavichus has just posted the fifth best time of the special, 1'16' behind winner Marcel van Vliet (Man), which also places him fifth in the cumulated classification. Ardavichus and his Kamaz are ahead of Stacey (NET, 6th) and his Iveco and Van den Brink (NET, 7th) and his Ginaf.
18:25 Trucks: Van Vliet takes the lead
Now that the first ten competitors in the truck category have crossed the finish line of the 2012 Dakar's first special stage, the duo who led the race until now has been toppled by Dutchman Marcel van Vliet's Man. Fellow Dutchman Gerard de Rooy (Iveco) and German Franz Echter (Man) now lie second (+26') and third (+56') respectively. The former double Rally World Champion, Italian Miki Biasion, has brought his Iveco close to the virtual podium, knocking Dutchman Hans Stacey (Iveco) down to the provisional fifth place, 1'19' behind the leader. Dutchman Martin van den Brink's Ginaf lies sixth, 1'28' back.
18:04 Trucks: De Rooy sets the benchmark!
At the wheel of his Iveco, the Dutchman has posted the best time so far despite starting the stage in third place. He was 30 seconds quicker than German Franz Echter (Man), followed by Czech Ales Loprais (Tatra) and Russian Eduard Nikolaev (Kamaz).
17:57 Cars: Blangino's Polaris succumbs to the flames
Fortunately, the crew has emerged unscathed. Argentina's José Antonio Blangino and Adriana Andreani were trapped at the exit of the zone with little dunes which makes up the second third of special no. 1, roughly 30 km into the stage. They have just been picked up by an organisation vehicle.
17:34 Trucks: The trucks have started!
Now it is the trucks' turn to rev their engines in the 2012 Dakar. The first one to set off for the special no. 1 was the Kamaz manned by Nikolaev, Savotin and Rybakov, followed by the Tatra at the command of Loprais, Almasi and Ernst. A total of 74 trucks are going to tackle this sector.
17:29 Quads: Just a reminder
Although Lukasz Laskawiec (3rd in the 2011 Dakar) finished second behind Uruguay's Sergio La Fuente on the race course, one should not forget the measures taken after the technical scrutineering regarding him and six other quad drivers: Josef Machacek (5-time winner), Christophe Declerck (4th in 2011), Rafal Sonik, Antoine Leconte, Norberto Cangani and Maciej Albinowski. Their vehicles were too different from the production models they were supposed to represent, so they were allowed to start the race but are not eligible for the general classification. Therefore, the Top 3 in this category at the end of the first special is made up of race leader Sergio La Fuente, Marcos Patronelli (ARG, 54' back) and Tomás Maffei (ARG, 1'07' back).
16:22 Cars: Alfie Cox out of the race
The former South African motorcycle rider, participating at the wheel of a Volvo XC60-based Pewano, has been the victim of a fire which has destroyed his vehicle. Both the driver and his German teammate Jürgen Schröder emerged unscathed.
16:16 Cars: Are the Hummers in trouble?
Nasser Al-Attiyah and Robby Gordon's Hummers (numbers 300 and 303) are reported to have stopped on the liaison route to Santa Rosa de la Pampa. Both of them appear to have been struck by mechanical issues a few kilometres after the end of the first special. The two crews are reportedly trying to solve these hitherto unspecified problems.
16:00 : Novitskiy takes the scratch!
Leonid Novitskiy (RUS) has started the year with a strong performance, posting the best scratch time in the rally and leading a Mini 1-2-3 at the finish of the inaugural stage. At the moment, he lies 5' ahead of Poland's Holowczyc and 9' ahead of France's Peterhansel.
15:41 Cars: Holowczyc takes the lead!
The fifth driver to set off on the first special of the Dakar 2012, Pole Krzysztof Holowczyc with his Mini All4 Racing, has posted the best time, beating Stéphane Peterhansel by 4 seconds at the end of the 57-kilometre timed sector. Carlos Sousa (Great Wall) posted the fifth best time, 47' back, followed by Christian Lavieille and his Dessoude prototype in provisional sixth, 55' behind the leader. Nani Roma finished the special 2'15' behind the reference time set by his teammate.
15:34 Cars: First gaps in the car category
Giniel de Villiers was the first driver to exit the special stage despite starting two minutes behind the 2011 Dakar champion, Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah, first on the road. But right now it is France's Stéphane Peterhansel who holds the best provisional scratch time in this opening stage: 32'27'. He leads De Villiers (SAF) by 6 seconds, and the Hummers driven by Gordon (USA) and Al-Attiya (QAT) by 40'.
15:25 Bikes: Schneider gets going again
French motorcycle rider Charles Schneider (race no. 133) has been able to restart his Sherco, which suffered from an electrical problem during the special. He appears to be making his way towards the end of the special at low speed
15:23 Quads: La Fuente surges ahead
Uruguay's Sergio La Fuente has beaten the previous best time in the quad category with a time of 40'13', 33 seconds ahead of the previous leader, Poland's Lukas Laskawiec. Argentina's Marcos Patronelli lies third, 54 seconds behind the leader.
15:08 Cars: The cars have started the special!
Today's special stage has begun for cars after a 143-kilometre liaison from Mar del Plata. On this 57-kilometre course, drivers will power along the seaside for roughly 30 km, with a few little sand dunes in the middle part, before heading for the hinterland. The defending champion, Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah, and his Hummer were the first to set off, followed two minutes later by South African Giniel de Villiers and his Toyota Hilux. Then came Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA), followed by American Robby Gordon (Hummer), Pole Holowczic (Mini) and Spaniard Nani Roma (Mini).
14:41 Quads: First gaps opening among the quads
The first quads have exited the special stage. Alejandro Patronelli was the first quad driver to start, but it is Poland's Lukasz Laskawiec who commands the provisional classification. His time of 40'46' has placed him ahead of Marcos Patronelli (ARG), Josef Machacek (CZE) and Alejandro Patronelli (ARG).
13:59 Bikes: Technical problems for Schneider
Pilot no. 133, the French motorcycle rider Charles Schneider (Sherco SR 450), has stopped 12 km into the special stage, reporting a sudden engine shutdown. Schneider is trying to solve the problem on the spot and hopes to be able to get going again
13:55 Bikes: Pizzolito on the podium of the special?
Argentina's Javier Pizzolito (Honda) lies third in the provisional classification after finishing the first special stage in 33'04'. Pizzolito was 27' slower than the current leader, Chile's Francisco López (Aprilia), and 13' slower than the second-placed rider, Spain's Marc Coma (KTM).
13:52 Bikes: Cody gets his strength back
After his big pre-race scare, after his Honda motorcycle was shipped by air from the USA to Peru by mistake, American Quinn Cody has started the rally in a spectacular fashion, climbing to a provisional third place in the GC of the 2012 Dakar. Since the last time check, positions have changed behind the Top 3, with López and Coma at the helm. The American's no. 9 Honda, currently in third, is immediately followed by the KTMs of Kuba Przygonsky (POL) and Ruben Faria (PRT). Cyril Despres lies seventh, ahead of Portugal's Hélder Rodrigues (Yamaha) and Paulo Gonçalves (Husqvarna).
13:31 Bikes: Francisco 'Chaleco' López shows his form!
Chile's Francisco López (Aprilia) commands the motorcycle classification at the end of the first special stage. The rider with race number 4 crossed the finish line with a time of 32'37' seconds, besting the 2011 Dakar champion, Spaniard Marc Coma (KTM), by 14', Norwegian Ullevalseter (KTM) by 1'41', Frenchman Cyril Despres (KTM) by 1'48' and Portuguese Hélder Rodrigues by 1'51'.
13:25 Bikes: Coma faster than Despres
The first motorcycle riders have reached the finish of the 57-kilometre special which inaugurates the 2012 Dakar. Spaniard Marc Coma covered the distance in 32 minutes and 51 seconds. The first ten pilots entered the timed section in two-minute intervals, but Cyril Despres reached the flying finish a bit later, clocking a time of 34 minutes and 25 seconds.
12:50 Bikes: Motorcycle riders tackling the special
Spaniard Marc Coma and his KTM started the first special of the 2012 Dakar at 8:25 (local time) and he is now tackling a 57-kilometre timed course along the Argentinean coast. His French teammate Cyril Despres is hot on his heels, followed by Portugal’s Hélder Rodrigues (Yamaha) and Chile’s Francisco López (Aprilia).
12:14 Cars: The first cars are underway
All the motorcycles and quads have now left uneventfully the secure enclosure on the beach of Mar del Plata and are on their way to the start of the special stage. Meanwhile, competitors in the car category began the liaison from the Argentinean spa resort a few minutes ago. The first one to go was the defending champion, Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah, with his Hummer. He was followed by the Toyota of South African Giniel de Villiers and the Mini of Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel. Today's menu includes a 143-kilometre liaison section followed by a 57-kilometre special, before heading to Santa Rosa de la Pampa, 620 long kilometres away. The first cars are expected to start the special stage at 10:38 (local time).
10:52 Bikes: The first stage has started!
The first motorcycles have set off! The pilot with race number 1, Marc Coma, and his KTM have just kicked off the rally in Mar del Plata, Argentina, and are covering the first liaison section of the 2012 Dakar. The Spaniard and the 178 motorcycles, 30 quads, 161 cars and 74 trucks on today’s starting list are in for a “light” first stage in which they will face a 57-kilometre-long special in seaside landscapes, with a few little dunes in the middle part, before setting off on a long liaison to Santa Rosa de la Pampa. This warm-up stage will allow pilots and their vehicles to get up to speed or to face the first problems of the 2012 edition.
Virtual Standings
WPS
WP1
WPA
WPF
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Overall WPA
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Stage
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