Blog Lisbonne Dakar 2008 - Luc Alphand - Par Sandy Divelec

On the occasion of the official presentation that was held late in the afternoon at the Théâtre Marigny in Paris, Patrice Clerc, President of Amaury Sport Organisation and Étienne Lavigne, director of the Dakar, have unveiled the main lines of the course of the next edition in the presence of Carlos Enrique Meyer, Argentina’s State Secretary for Tourism and of Jaime Pizarro Herrera, State Secretary for Sports of Chile. Returning from a series of reconnaissance taking place in both countries of South America that will be welcoming the Dakar for the first time, Étienne Lavigne gave out some information on the event that will take place from the 3rd to the 18th of January 2009.

On the vast Argentinean and Chilean territories, a large loop of 9 000 kilometres including around 6 000 kilometres of specials, will have to be covered by the competitors to reach Buenos Aires, start and finish place of the race. By first of all heading south towards the landscapes of Patagonia, the drivers and riders will then have to cross the Andes Mountains before enjoying a rest day at Valparaiso on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. The return trip will then take them to the Atacama Desert and notably to the Argentinean provinces of Catamarca, of Rioja and of Cordoba.

The Dakar that has a vocation to discover unknown territories for off-road rally amateurs will cross over the Atlantic Ocean for its 2009 edition. The calendar has therefore been adapted in order to allow the shipping of the vehicles to Argentina’s capital: a first phase of technical and administrative scrutineering will take place on the 26th and 27th of November at Le Havre where the European vehicles will be boarded on ships. The organisers of the rally have announced the opening of the period to send registration files as of the 15th of May. During a month, the competitors that had registered for the 2008 edition of the Dakar will benefit from a priority.

The major dates of the 2009 Dakar

• 15th of May - 30th of June 2008: reception of registration files
• 26th - 27th of November 2008: first phase of technical and administrative scrutineering at Le Havre.
• 31st of December 2008 - 2nd of January 2009: second phase of technical and administrative scrutineering at “La Rural” Palace in Buenos Aires.
• 3rd of January 2009: start of the first stage from Buenos Aires, on the “Plaza de la Republica”.
• 10th of January 2009: rest day at Valparaiso.
• 18th of January 2009: finish in Buenos Aires

Luc Alphand, Gilles Picard, Dominique Serieys, and several members of the Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart team had the privilege to visit the Valeo Veszprem production site in Hungary.

They discovered the factory and spent time for pictures and signature sessions.

The team was warmly welcomed by the employees...and they were impressed by the professionalism and the working methods of Valeo's production site.

The research and development department was very interesting. The testing methods are very strict and controlled. Nothing is left to chance!

A big thank you to all of the Valeo Veszprem employees for having taken the time to welcome us as we had a wonderful afternoon!

Maybe we'll see each other once again for the second edition of the Central Europe Rally in Hungary next year?!

A magnificent sunny day welcomed 70 guests of the team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart.

Members of Valeo, Repsol and journalists came from 9 am till 12 am to the army ground of Veszprém for a co-drive in one of the MPR13 racing cars. Luc, Stéphane and Nani gave much pleasure creating strong sensations with all the people who sat in their sides. With a smile on their faces, every individual was enchanted with this unique experience…

The adrenalin was at its maximum!

Mitsubishi Pajero 14_2704
Vidéo envoyée par Sandy_Dakar

During the Sunday morning co-drive, Hiroshi Masuoka continued to work and test the MPR 14 diesel car. The Veszprem military camp served as the training base for the Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart team as the diesel engine still requires slight improvements before the 2009 Dakar.

Between sportsmen, the mutual respect is high. Carlos Sainz and his co-driver, Michel Perrin, did not hesitate to come to the Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart team's hospitality after the last stage of the Central Europe Rally.

Of course, the morning's race was the heart of the subject. The competitors appreciate each other and do not hesitate to talk to about their feelings of the race and other subjects. This image will be shown on M6 as the most sporting attitude of the day.

Numerous spectators came to applaud the competitors of this first Central Europe Rally of the Dakar Series.

The prize giving, of all the categories, was held in the center of Balatonfüred. The ceremony began with sunny weather however the rain was also not far off. When it was Stéphane Peterhansel's turn to climb up the steps of the podium, he slipped from the top to the bottom of the podium which made everyone laugh including himself!

The race is now over and the crew members have still some events programmed. This evening there is a gala dinner which is held by the race organizer, A.S.O. There will be no sleeping in the next day as a co-drive will be held in the assistance park of Veszprem for journalists and VIP's.

Let us not also forget the tour of the VALEO factory on Monday where the employees will have the opportunity to meet with Luc, Gilles, and some members of the Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart team.