GRANADA-DAKAR 1999
Communique 14
LEG 12: NEMA - TICHIT
Distance: 490 KM
Stage distance: 490 KM


TICHIT, MAURITANIA
Wednesday, January 13, 1999

PRIETO STILL HOPEFUL OF VICTORY FOR
MITSUBISHI AND T-1 WITH ALPHAND

Spanish rally star Miguel Prieto, co-driven by French navigator Dominique Serieys, is still on track to take the lead in the 1999 Granada Dakar after the 12th stage which finishedin Tichit, Mauritania today. He currently holds second place in his Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero and is just 20m 27s behind rally leader Jean-Louis Schlesser as the event forges through the Sahara Desert.


Both Prieto and Schlesser ran literally neck-and-neck through the stage from Nema to the remote desert outpost of Tichit. In a scene more reminiscent of Formula One motor racing, they were driving flat out through the desert when they both crashed into each other after getting caught in the ruts in the sand! Later, Prieto lost a little ground when he became stuck on one of the huge clumps of camel grass, the sparse vegetation that grows on large, hard mounds of sand.


Prieto said: " A very difficult day for us. We started well, passing Schlesser and Servia, but at 120 km, Schlesser and my car touched. We could not see each other in dust. Our rear left hit his rear right. It was an accident - no problem between us. We shook hands afterwards. I later had three problems in the sand. First, I didn't lake air out of the tyres. Just before CP3 we were following the bike tracks and got stuck. Later we met very soft sand, and became stuck twice in 30 metres, which cost us maybe 30 minutes. Otherwise we had no punctures, no problems ,we were just angry with ourselves for making mistakes".

45 cars, 62 bikes and 18 trucks attempted the 12th stage held in searing heat across sand and camel grass hoping to get to Tichit, a Ninth Century village which has never seen cars except for infrequent visits by the high-tech competition machinery of the Dakar!

German Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero driver Jutta Kleinschmidt and her Swedish navigator Tina Thorner are still secure in third place despite suffering four punctures and getting stuck in the sand several times. Meanwhile Japanese ace Kenjiro Shinozuka, co-driven by France's Henri Magne, is in fourth in his Team Mitsubishi Oil Ralliart Pajero/Montero. He said: "Much of today was very slow because the piste was very rocky and stoney. It was not so difficult today, and not too hot. The navigation was also easy. Tomorrow will be different , over 600 km and nine hours. I will need all my rest." Hiroshi Masuoka, also from Japan, and his German co-driver Andreas Schulz, dropped to sixth today in their Team Ralliart Pajero Sport/Montero Sport, just behind Jose Maria Servia's buggy in fifth. But the Mitsubishi driver is still comfortably ahead of Stephane Peterhansel's Nissan in seventh and Thierry De Lavergne's similar machine in eighth.

Kleinschmidt reported: "We had four punctures so we had no spare tyres, which is very worrying in the stage. But thankfully, Jean-Pierre Fontenay stopped to help us and very generously gave us one of his spares so we could continue with confidence."

Portuguese driver Carlos Souza completes the top 10 after finishing 15th fastest today in the Mitsubishi L200. Fontenay meanwhile was still running well after stopping to help Kleinschnidt in his Team PIAA Ralliart Pajero/Montero.

Former world ski champion Luc Alphand of France is back in control of the T1 category for standard production vehicles, leading in his Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero and is holding an amazing 15th overall.

Tomorrow, Thursday, January 14, 1999
LEG 13: TICHIT - ATAR
Distance: 615 KM
Special Stage: 579 KM

Another very long and testing competitive section will challenge the surviving competitors of the Dakar to the limit between the remote Saharan village of Tichit and Atar. The first 100 km will be very spectacular, running along a dry riverbed bordered on either side by high cliffs. From there the route will be rocky and rough, and the cars will have to be careful to avoid punctures which could transform the leader board.