DAKAR, 17 January 2005 — France’s Stephane Peterhansel wrapped up his second successive Dakar Rally title yesterday while compatriot Cyril Despres made it a double French celebration by taking the motorcycle honors in the grueling event.
The 39-year-old Peterhansel, driving a Mitsubishi, finished comfortably ahead of countryman and former world skiing champion Luc Alphand, also in a Mitsubishi, with ex-champion Jutta Kleinschmidt in third in a Volkswagen.
Peterhansel, who won four of the 16 stages on this 27the edition of the marathon race, has now added his two car wins to the six motorcycle crowns he picked-up in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997 and 1998.
Despres, riding a KTM, clinched the motorcycle title for the first time with Spain’s Marc Coma second overall, 9min 17sec behind with South Africa’s Alfie Cox, taking third place, 11min 29sec off the lead.
Sunday’s last stage was a 31km dash around the Senegalese capital and brought the curtain down on this year’s tragedy-hit event which claimed the lives of five people.
Riders Fabrizio Meoni, a two-time winner, and Jose Manuel Perez both died during the event.
Italian Meoni suffered a fatal heart attack after a crash just one day after the death of Spanish rider Perez.
A five-year-old Senegalese girl also died after being crushed beneath the wheels of an event assistance lorry while two Belgian motorcyclists, following the race, were killed in a crash east of Dakar.
American rider Kellon Walch, on a KTM, won yesterday’s last stage in a time of 17min 17sec with Spain’s Isidre Esteve Pujol, 52sec behind and Dutchman Eric Verhoef, in third, a further 55sec back.
