• Second place on stage two for Peterhansel and Boulanger
• Ninth place for Vladimir Vasilyev in the MINI JCW Rally

Stéphane Peterhansel and Edouard Boulanger (both FRA), in the MINI JCW Buggy, finished second behind Nasser Al-Attiyah on leg two of the Dakar 2021, from Bashi to Wadi Ad-Dawasir. Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz (both ESP) ended the day in third place. The two MINI JCW Buggy crews are currently first and second in the overall standings.

Vladimir Vasilyev (RUS) and Dmitry Tsyro (UKR) were once again in the top ten today, finishing ninth in their MINI JCW Rally. Argentineans Orlando Terranova and Ronnie Graue came home in eleventh place.

Peterhansel started the stage from second place and was the fastest driver in the early stages. Later in the day, he took over as the first car on the route, which made navigation more difficult and slowed him down a little. His rivals benefitted from the Frenchman’s tracks and caught up. Peterhansel ended the stage in second place and consequently climbed into the overall lead.

The 457-kilometre stage did not pass without a few problems for Carlos Sainz. For a long time, the Spaniard was the second-fastest man on the route, but then lost time searching for a waypoint. Sainz then had power issues and was unable to make up the deficit. He finished third on today’s stage and now lies second overall.

Sven Quandt: “That was a good day for us. It was clear that today would be tough for us, as it was not an easy route and navigation was difficult. That makes it easier for the drivers starting further down the order.”

Stéphane Peterhansel: “The start of the stage was not easy, as the fuel tank was still full in the first dunes, which made the Buggy pretty heavy. The most important thing was not to get stuck. Edouard did a very good job today. We perhaps drove a few hundred metres more than necessary, but that is ok when you consider how tough the leg was. The drivers who started behind us definitely had an advantage, as we opened the route and did the navigation for them.”

Carlos Sainz: “We had a few problems at one waypoint. Then we lost a bit of power in the last 100 km, due to a loose seal.”

Orlando Terranova: “I had decided to take a steadier approach today. Yesterday was really tough for me, as I was driving with the seat in the wrong position. As such, today’s plan was not to stop and not to take any risks. After a long time without any rallies, I am feeling better with every kilometre. It looks as though we all have a tough Dakar ahead of us.”

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Result of SS2
1. N. Al-Attiyah (QAT) / M. Baumel (FRA) – Toyota – 4h 03m 14s
2. S. Peterhansel (FRA) / E. Boulanger (FRA) – MINI JCW Buggy – 4h 05m 49s
3. C. Sainz /ESP) / L. Cruz (ESP) – MINI JCW Buggy – 4h 12m 31s
4. Y. Al-Rajhi (KSA) / D. von Zitzewitz (GER) – Toyota – 4h 13m 38s
5. M. Serradori (FRA) / F. Lurquin (BEL) – Century – 4h 13m 41s
…
9. V. Vasilyev (RUS) / D. Tsyro (UKR) – MINI JCW Rally – 4h 23m 52s
…
11. O. Terranova (ARG) / R. Graue (ARG) – MINI JCW Rally – 4h 28m 02s
…
23. G. Spinelli (BRA) / Y. Haddad (BRA) – MINI ALL4 Racing – 4h 48m 05s
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31. V. Khoroshavtsev (RUS) / A. Nikolaev (RUS) – MINI JCW Rally – 4h 54m 34s
…
37. D. Krotov RUS) / O. Uperenko (RUS) – MINI JCW Rally – 5h 05m 39s

Overall standings after SS2
1. S. Peterhansel (FRA) / E. Boulanger (FRA) – MINI JCW Buggy – 7h 17m 18s
2. C. Sainz /ESP) / L. Cruz (ESP) – MINI JCW Buggy – 7h 23m 55s
3. N. Al-Attiyah (QAT) / M. Baumel (FRA) – Toyota – 7h 26m 32s
4. M. Serradori (FRA) / F. Lurquin (BEL) – Century – 7h 31m 39s
5. J. Przygonski (POL) / T. Gottschalk (GER) – Toyota – 7h 41m 45s
…
12. O. Terranova (ARG) / R. Graue (ARG) – MINI JCW Rally – 8h 02m 12s
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14. V. Vasilyev (RUS) / D. Tsyro (UKR) – MINI JCW Rally – 8h 04m 31s
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28. G. Spinelli (BRA) / Y. Haddad (BRA) – MINI ALL4 Racing – 8h 35m 54s
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33. V. Khoroshavtsev (RUS) / A. Nikolaev (RUS) – MINI JCW Rally – 8h 50m 31s
…
42. D. Krotov RUS) / O. Uperenko (RUS) – MINI JCW Rally – 9h 35m 06s

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