Jan 9th, 2016 Dakar Rally Stage 7 Race Info & Discussion

Join in and discuss all the action from Stage 7 of the 2016 Dakar Rally. Robby Gordon finished 50th in Stage 5, and his teammate, Sheldon Creed, finished 37th. The special section of Stage 7 is 353km. Robby Gordon start time: 8:23am/et, Sheldon Creed start time: 8:45am/et.

STAGE 7 TRACKING

STAGE 7: UYUNI > SALTA

Connection 440km | Special Stage 353km | Total 793km

COURSE OVERVIEW

The end of the first week of racing is always a decisive intermediate objective. This year, anyone who has put in the ground work during their preparation and who has respected the major recommendations of the discipline will be able to reach it. However, they still need to get to the end of this exhausting day, which will involve getting their feet wet crossing rivers. It is likely that half of the vehicles will arrive in Salta after nightfall… but perhaps before their assistance teams, who also have a long road ahead of them.

The GREEN section of the route is the connection , the RED is the Special Section of the stage.

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Permalink Reply by TOG on January 8, 2016 at 11:20pm

Robby will use a mulligan for stage 7 and start 16th

Stage 7 Start Times

Robby Gordon - 8:23am/et (Starts 16th)

Sheldon Creed - 8:45am/et (Starts 38th)

Stage 7 Starting Times

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Permalink Reply by Mike Kenyon on January 9, 2016 at 12:01am

Stephane rolls off at 4:44am PT / 7:44am ET, see you all than

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Permalink Reply by Arda on January 9, 2016 at 1:14am

Sheldon at 0:40 Mark

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=414zFbNVJ2w

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Permalink Reply by Levi Pal on January 9, 2016 at 3:09am

As much as I hate seeing this Pug domination, I must admit that the PSA concern (Citroen, Peugeot) takes their racing programmes very seriously.
I also follow WTCC (World Touring Car Championship), where they are racing Citroen C-Elysse-s. In their debut year, 2014, without any prior track racing experience, they've humiliated the whole field. Citroens took 17 victories out of 23 races, 10 of 12 fastest laps, and finished 300 (710 - 1003) championship points ahead of Honda, the next manufacturer, with all 3 Citroen team cars on the Championship podium. Sometimes the Citroens were 1 sec faster a lap than the rest of the field... All this in their debut year.
They sorta repeated the feat last year, but this time they took 1-2-3-4 in the Championship (now racing 4 cars instead of 3).
Recently the team boss of Citroen admitted in an interview that they kinda ruined the WTCC championship by setting the bar too high. Rumors say the Citroen team has a budget 2 or 3 times bigger than the next manufacturer's....
Needless to say I kinda hate Citroen right now for this. Starting to hate Peugeot too...

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Permalink Reply by yano on January 9, 2016 at 3:49am

exactly like back in vatanen days when their budget was equal to the combinated budgets of all the others participants !
they come and nail it .
pikes peak was also quite a demonstration .
oh well .

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Permalink Reply by Mark Reeves on January 9, 2016 at 3:52am

It should be remembered though that they spent the entire 2013 testing the cars on a scale unseen before. This included sessions deliberately driving into each other to see the damage caused. So 2014 was the most tested and prepared a team has ever been particularly bearing in mind that completely new rules and cars came in for 2014. Whilst Citroen spent a whole year readying their car for the new rules package the others including Honda were still running the old car whilst trying to design, build and develop a new car. I believe a good number of staff from Peugeot's previous Le Mans/prototype programme were involved with WTCC programme too. Just to put that programme in perspective.

Having said that, fair play to Peugeot on Dakar, they have clearly gone away from last year's rally and put serious work in. Driver line up is pretty mint too. I don't think anyone, especially Mini themselves, expected Mini to get their backsides handed to them this year. Most of the cars filling out lower reaches of top 20 on stages and overall is a disaster. Some clean runs for the Gordinis and they'll be all over the Minis too.

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Permalink Reply by joseph on January 9, 2016 at 8:16am

100,000,000+++ $$$$$ first Mercedes then Mitsubishi then Volkswagen then BMW and Toyota now Peugeot.. just a tradition. i guess we got to sell more girl scout cookies