Trouble never strays far from the Paris-Dakar Rally. In 1982, the son of then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher sparked a six-day rescue mission when his rally-prepared Peugeot 504 strayed nearly 50 kilometres off-course. Now in its 33rd year of competition, the pitfalls are no smaller.

Following the withdrawal of Mitsubishi and VW from this year’s line-up (with the latter preparing instead for its inaugural World Rally Championship campaign), the X-Raid team’s fleet of Mini Countrymen remain favourites for the winner’s laurels. Having locked out the podium on day one – with Russian rally raid specialist Leonid Novitskiy sealing his first stage victory ahead of Polish regular Krzysztof Holowczyc and team leader Stephane Peterhansel – a cheeky bet on Mini seemed like money in the bank, as did each driver’s turn at the top of the table.

But ‘The Dakar’, a notorious car breaker, is anything but a foregone conclusion. The rug was whipped from under Novitskiy’s Goodrichs after just one night, the lead yo-yoing between Peterhansel and Holowczyc over the next three stages. The battle lines drawn between these Mini team-mates– save six minutes lost for Peterhansel on day three repairing not one but two punctures, and a somewhat lethargic second outing for Holowczyc – allowed fellow- X-Raid pilot Nani Roma to grab the fourth stage victory and Team (Robby) Gordon’s fleet of Hummer H3 machinery to close the gap.

The NASCAR race winner is no new boy on the dunes, his podium strike rate on the stages thus far rubberstamping that. Despite a string of mishaps on stage four, a superb time on day seven – beaten only by team-mate Nasser Al-Attiyah – leaves the American third overall, splitting Holowczyc and Roma.

Out in front is Dakar Rally legend Peterhansel, a former winner on both two wheels and four. From 1991 to 1998, the Yamaha rider only lost twice. From 2004 to 2007, the Mitsubishi driver was beaten only once. Though The Dakars’ move from its traditional African base to South America – following terrorist activity that caused the 2008 event to be cancelled – has stunted the Frenchman’s momentum, Peterhansel holds an 11 minute advantage in his pocket.

All eyes at the moment, however, lie on 2011 Dakar Rally winner Al-Attiyah. Memories of the champagne atop last year’s podium both glimmer faintly and shine brightly in this rollercoaster event for the Qatari driver. Oil pressure problems and a 9 minute deficit from the get-go were immediately offset by a storming second day, as Al-Attiyah leapt from 38^th to 6^th in the overall standings with a stage time 54 seconds faster than his nearest rival. A similarly rocket-fuelled performance on the fifth stage was enough to grab the overall lead (briefly), before radiator problems cost the Olympic clay pigeon shooter over half an hour. Team Gordon’s resounding one-two just before the rest day, however, suggests the event has now entered Hummer hunting ground.

Victory for Al-Attiyah would make him only the second driver to win consecutive Dakar Rallies for different marques, the first being Ari Vatanen in 1991. In the two-wheeled paddock, fellow Middle East racer Mohammed Al Balooshi cemented his place in the history books by becoming the first UAE national to enter the event. Ignition issues and altitude sickness (not to mention losing his passport over the Andes!) are just some of the ‘highlights’ of the KTM-UAE Rally Team rider’s event.

As the engines tick themselves cool, six drivers remain in contention for overall victory. Amidst the chaos suffered ahead, Giniel de Villiers has remained steadfastly amongst the top five aboard his Toyota Hilux. And as the winner of the 2009 event, the South African knows how to get the job done.

The sixth stage has already fallen by the wayside, atrocious weather leaving most of the route impassable. It’s more than just fragile sidewalls and overheating sparkplugs that the drivers need concern themselves with. Out of Argentina and into Chile, far worse awaits the weary traveller. >>>

Source – dakar.com, redbull.com