Stage 13 Winner : 301 - Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-paul Cottret - X-Raid - BMW X3 CCStage 13 - January 15, 2010 : San Rafael to Santa Rosa : Connection 76 km / Special 368 km / Connection 281 km
Two Volkswagen Race Touareg fighting for victory are keeping the 2010 Dakar Rally exciting and the result open up until the last minute: On the desert classic’s thirteenth and penultimate stage Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D) took 2 minutes 32 seconds from their team mates Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E).
Stage 13 - Overall leader : 303 - Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz - Volkswagen Race Touareg 2The Spanish duo's lead over their team mates in the overall standings shrunk as a result to only 2 minutes 48 seconds. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA) completes the Volkswagen trio at the head of the leader board.
The two leading drivers and co-drivers have kept the Dakar fans on tenterhooks for days: During a remarkable chase Al-Attiyah/Gottschalk reduced their deficit from 10 minutes 6 seconds (stage 10) to 4 minutes 28 seconds the following day (stage 11). The gap then climbed to 5 minutes 20 seconds (stage 12) and following today's stage between San Rafael and Santa Rosa in Argentina, it is only 168 seconds – so, the tension will rise all the way to the finish in Buenos Aires. Victory on today's leg of 725 kilometres went to Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-Paul Cottret (F/F) in an X-raid BMW ahead of Al-Attiyah. Sainz and Miller were fourth and fifth. Peterhansel in fourth position overall is also the closest challenger to the three leading Race Touareg. Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D) are a further three positions behind in the fourth Volkswagen Race Touareg within the top seven best teams.
The penultimate "Dakar” day was characterised by two different sections. Around the start location the 368 kilometre long stage provided the rally's final dune sections with soft sand. Fast sections across fields and farm tracks were on the agenda in the final part.
Victory in the world's hardest rally will be decided on Saturday's final 206 kilometre long stage, which leads the teams to the Argentine capital Buenos Aires. The victorious crew receive the winners' spoils on Sunday after having been greeted enthusiastically on the drive across the podium.
Stage 13 Result : January 15, 2010 : San Rafael to Santa Rosa : Connection 76 km / Special 368 km / Connection 281 km
Pl | No. | Driver | Car | Time | Variation | Penalty |
| 1 | 301 | PETERHANSEL (FRA) COTTRET (FRA) | BMW | 02:58:25 | 00:00:00 | |
| 2 | 306 | AL-ATTIYAH (QAT) GOTTSCHALK (DEU) | VOLKSWAGEN | 02:59:46 | 00:01:21 | |
| 3 | 307 | CHICHERIT (FRA) THOERNER (CHE) | BMW | 03:02:10 | 00:03:45 | |
| 4 | 303 | SAINZ (ESP) CRUZ (ESP) | VOLKSWAGEN | 03:02:18 | 00:03:53 | |
| 5 | 305 | MILLER (USA) PITCHFORD (ZAF) | VOLKSWAGEN | 03:05:54 | 00:07:29 | |
| 6 | 300 | DE VILLIERS (ZAF) VON ZITZEWITZ (DEU) | VOLKSWAGEN | 03:06:38 | 00:08:13 | |
| 7 | 311 | TERRANOVA (ARG) MAIMON (FRA) | MITSUBISHI | 03:09:41 | 00:11:16 | |
| 8 | 302 | GORDON (USA) GRIDER (USA) | HUMMER | 03:10:46 | 00:12:21 | |
| 9 | 351 | BALDWIN (USA) WALCH (USA) | HUMMER | 03:12:02 | 00:13:37 | |
| 10 | 314 | SOUSA (PRT) BAUMEL (FRA) | MITSUBISHI | 03:15:25 | 00:17:00 | |
| 11 | 322 | SPINELLI (BRA) PALMEIRO (PRT) | MITSUBISHI | 03:16:05 | 00:17:40 | |
| 12 | 310 | NOVITSKIY (RUS) SCHULZ (DEU) | BMW | 03:17:13 | 00:18:48 | |
| 13 | 317 | VAN DEIJNE (NLD) ROSEGAAR (NLD) | MITSUBISHI | 03:26:33 | 00:28:08 | |
| 14 | 332 | BARBOSA (PRT) RAMALHO (PRT) | MITSUBISHI | 03:27:09 | 00:28:44 | |
| 15 | 315 | KAHLE (DEU) SCHÜNEMANN (DEU) | Fast - Speed | 03:45:55 | 00:47:30 | |
| 16 | 336 | LEAL DOS SANTOS (PRT) FIUZA (PRT) | BMW | 03:53:03 | 00:54:38 | |
| 17 | 327 | SOLOVYEV (RUS) ZHILTSOV (RUS) | SMG | 03:59:31 | 01:01:06 | |
| 18 | 323 | ERRANDONEA (AND) GARCIN (FRA) | SMG | 04:05:25 | 01:07:00 | |
| 19 | 321 | DE AZEVEDO (BRA) CAVASSIN (BRA) | MITSUBISHI | 04:10:01 | 01:11:36 | |
| 20 | 341 | MITSUHASHI (JPN) CATTARELLI (FRA) | TOYOTA | 04:11:40 | 01:13:15 | |
| 21 | 339 | FOJ (ESP) JATON (ARG) | TOYOTA | 04:16:04 | 01:17:39 | |
| 22 | 389 | ZHOU (CHN) PONCET (FRA) | GREAT WALL HOVER | 04:17:23 | 01:18:58 | |
| 23 | 325 | HENRARD (BEL) BEGUIN (BEL) | VOLKSWAGEN | 04:24:40 | 01:26:15 | |
| 24 | 330 | SIREYJOL (FRA) WISSMANNS (FRA) | BOWLER | 04:26:48 | 01:28:23 | |
| 25 | 383 | JIANG (CHN) BARTHOLOME (BEL) | CHERY | 04:28:14 | 01:29:49 | |
| 26 | 382 | LU (CHN) DI PERSIO (ITA) | CHERY | 04:28:57 | 01:30:32 | |
| 27 | 353 | SCHOTT (DEU) SCHMIDT (DEU) | MITSUBISHI | 04:33:58 | 01:35:33 | |
| 28 | 359 | CHAVIGNY (FRA) BRUCY (FRA) | NISSAN | 04:35:27 | 01:37:02 | |
| 29 | 379 | POTTIER (FRA) GOSSELIN (FRA) | BUGGY MD | 04:42:01 | 01:43:36 | |
| 30 | 365 | VAN DER BEEK (NLD) HOOGENDIJK (NLD) | KIA | 04:44:14 | 01:45:49 |
Stage 13- Overall Standing
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Images : 2010 Dakar : Stage 13 Hi-Light
[Source : 2010 Dakar - Official, VOLKSWAGEN, X-Raid]
