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18th
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The mood must be frosty in MINI X-Raid's area of the 2014 Dakar paddock, after Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel took the lead over from his teammate Nani Roma yesterday, going against strict orders from team boss Sven Quandt.
A week ago, after a horrible first few legs, Peterhansel was languishing some 30 minutes behind his teammate Nani Roma. It seemed then as though nothing could stop the Spaniard, a 2004 winner of the bike category, from taking his first victory on four wheels.
That is, only until Peterhansel's incredible comeback, which got the Frenchman back within striking distance of Roma by last Wednesday. Forecasting a potentially dangerous fight between his two top drivers, Quandt issued strict team orders to freeze the positions and stop the comeback.
But on Friday, as drivers neared the Chilean towns of El Salvador and La Serna, Peterhansel seemed to have forgotten the team orders. With a second place finish behind another of his teammates, Nasser Al-Attiyah, Peterhansel now laid 36 seconds... ahead of Roma in the overall classification, with one more stage to go.
Will team boss Quandt ask Peterhansel to hand over the lead back to Roma, or will he give them both permission to fight?
In any case, this affair has sparked rumours of Peterhansel's potential departure from the team, possibly to join Peugeot, which is said to be preparing a return to the famous rally-raid for as soon as next year.
A week ago, after a horrible first few legs, Peterhansel was languishing some 30 minutes behind his teammate Nani Roma. It seemed then as though nothing could stop the Spaniard, a 2004 winner of the bike category, from taking his first victory on four wheels.
 |
| Nani Roma (Photo: BMW Sports Communications) |
That is, only until Peterhansel's incredible comeback, which got the Frenchman back within striking distance of Roma by last Wednesday. Forecasting a potentially dangerous fight between his two top drivers, Quandt issued strict team orders to freeze the positions and stop the comeback.
But on Friday, as drivers neared the Chilean towns of El Salvador and La Serna, Peterhansel seemed to have forgotten the team orders. With a second place finish behind another of his teammates, Nasser Al-Attiyah, Peterhansel now laid 36 seconds... ahead of Roma in the overall classification, with one more stage to go.
 |
| Stéphane Peterhansel (Photo: BMW Sports Communications) |
Will team boss Quandt ask Peterhansel to hand over the lead back to Roma, or will he give them both permission to fight?
In any case, this affair has sparked rumours of Peterhansel's potential departure from the team, possibly to join Peugeot, which is said to be preparing a return to the famous rally-raid for as soon as next year.