Germany's Jutta Kleinschmidt, driving a Mitsubishi, edged out Jean-Louis Schlesser in a Schlesser Megane to take the ninth special stage of the Dakar Rally in Mauritania. Kleinschmidt took just shy of five-and-a-half hours to negotiate the 518 km stage around El Ghallaouyia, the course including several dune crossings as unofficial times put her one minute 19 seconds ahead of Schlesser yesterday.
The german nipped in at the third passage control (pc), leaving Schlesser to demand the application of race article 10.1 which forbids racers to stray more than five km off the official track. The two-time winner explained: “I was leading after the third pc without anyone having overtaken me - and I'm then behind at the finish line.”
Schlesser has already suffered the misfortune of a one hour penalty after a rule infringement on Sunday when he got a push from Spanish teammate Jose Maria Servia at the second checkpoint after his car stalled. Race officials were to assess later yesterday whether Kleinschmidt had infringed any rules in this the first of eight stages in Mauritania.
Bureau Report