GRANADA-DAKAR 1999
Communique 15
LEG 13: TICHIT - ATAR
Distance: 615 KM
Stage distance: 579 KM


ATAR, MAURITANIA
Thursday, January 14, 1999

DAKAR BATTLE REACHES FEVER PITCH AS PRIETO
FIGHTS ON FOR MITSUBISHI

The battle for victory in the 1999 Granada Dakar reached fever pitch in Mauritania today as Spaniard Miguel Prieto/Montero, driving a Mitsubishi Pajero, swapped the lead several times with France's buggy driver Jean-Louis Schlesser. They ended the 579 km stage between Tichit and Atar only a few minutes apart, with Schlesser marginally in the lead.


German lady driver Jutta Kleinschmidt, co-driven by Swede Tina Thorner, won the 13th leg in her Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero, keeping her comfortable in third place, but all eyes were on the front two runners, Prieto and Schlesser, as they battled neck-and-neck across the Sahara Desert in blazing sunshine and oppressive heat. Initially, Prieto made his bid for


glory when Schlesser became stuck in the sand near the start, and by the oasis village of Tidjikja the Mitsubishi, co-driven by Dominique Serieys, was five minutes in front. There was only a minute between them, however at the 339 km mark before hitting the sand dunes, but Prieto began to fall behind after 500 km when he picked up two punctures.

Said Prieto: "It was disappointing for us. For the first 500 km everything was going well and we were comfortable when we had two punctures within 20 km of each other."

Kleinschmidt was much happier, stating: "Today, many cars lost their way because the navigation was very difficult. But Tina, my co-driver, did a great job and we won the stage."

Driving the Team Mitsubishi Oil Ralliart Pajero/Montero, Japanese ace Kenjiro Shinozuka and his French co-driver Henri Magne, looked secure in fourth place at Atar after finishing fourth fastest. Fellow countryman Hiroshi Masuoka, co-driven by German Andreas Schulz, remains ahead of Peterhansel's and De Lavergne's Nissans, holding sixth place in his Team Ralliart Pajero Sport/Montero Sport, with Peterhansel in seventh and De Lavergne in eighth. Jose Maria Servia is fifth in his buggy.

Sixty-one motorbikes, 41 cars and 16 trucks started the 13th leg, despite an organised hold-up by armed robbers on the route to Tichit the night before, 50 km outside the remote village. Several cars, trucks and a motorbike were stolen, but all rally personnel and competitors involved managed to reach Tichit safely.

Tomorrow, Friday, January 15, 1999
LEG 14: ATAR - NOUAKCHOTT
Distance: 504 KM
Special Stage: 433 KM

The final long desert stage of the Dakar, taking the surviving competitors from the depths of the Sahara to the cooling breezes of the Atlantic at the Mauritanian Capital Nouakchott, will be the sting in the tail of this year's event. Even though two more short stages will remain along the coast, this leg will decide the event. The route starts in the mountains and winds its way along a dry riverbed, before the competitors blast their way across open desert with tough navigation, plenty of dune crossings, and lots of hidden hazards.