This archive report was first published on 8 January 2020.
Stephane Peterhansel, a Frenchman with 13 Dakar Rally victories, made a triumphant return to the top of the podium on Wednesday's stage 4 of the 2020 Dakar Rally. The 672-kilometer stage from Neom to Al Ula saw Peterhansel and his Portuguese navigator Paulo Fiuza take the lead, finishing in 4 hours, 14 minutes, and 34 seconds.
Despite making a wrong turn that cut away some of their lead, Peterhansel and Fiuza still managed to come in 2 minutes and 26 seconds ahead of defending champion Nasser Al-Attiyah in his Toyota.
Al-Attiyah, who began the day with a three-minute penalty for not letting a rival through on stage 3, showed a defiant response to the setback.
"It feels good after all that trouble in the first few days, even though we had a flat tyre and got lost once," Peterhansel said in an interview.
Overall leader Carlos Sainz, who pulled off a stunning drive to win on Tuesday, finished third, more than seven minutes behind Peterhansel.
"Leading the charge was hard and Carlos lost some time, but he did an amazing job because it didn't take him long to get back on track," Peterhansel added.
Former Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso couldn't replicate his impressive drive on stage 3, finishing 26 minutes behind Peterhansel.
"This new Dakar is brilliant," Peterhansel said. "It has all the ingredients - superb landscapes, tricky navigation, and enough difficulties to make a selection. The organisers have been perfect so far."
Published on January 8, 2020, by AFP.
