by Mike K-H

The show ain’t over till the fat lady sings. Frenchman Stephane Peterhansel, six times Dakar winner on bikes, lost the overall lead of the car class when he crashed into a large rock 45 km from the finish, shearing off the entire mounting on the front wheel of his Montero Evolution. 

The 2003 Dakar was the first to cross early into northern Africa and traverse from West to East, starting in Libya and ending at Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt. This grueling 8550 km race over breathtaking desert landscapes has also had the highest incidence of damage to vehicles and contestants for many years. Among the experienced contenders who fell victim to the desert were South Africans Vicus van Deventer and Alfie Cox.

South Africa’s Giniel de Villiers in a Nissan Hardbody was exceptional and, although he got lost with teammate Ari Vatanen, finished third in the cars. Devilliers and Pascal Maimon were trying hard to take the fifth place overall, but the detour cost them the best part of 20 minutes and they start the final stage more than five minutes adrift of Sousa.s Mitsubishi L200. They were however, the highest finishing Nissan in the race, amongst the Pajeros  and ahead of the VW and BMW teams.

That left only the 34 km final stage, which should have been a polite procession. 

It wasn't. Ari Vatanen won it, but Giniel de Villiers had a nasty surprise, just managing to limp  home and complete the stage. That still gave him 5th overall in the Rally, and made him the highest-placed Nissan driver - he's a very happy man. Both men have promised to be back for next year's race - Giniel looking for his first stage win, and Ari for his 50th.

I'll let the Nissan Team tell you the story on their own site Reports & Results - Nissan Rally Raid Team - Dakar 2003 . This site also shows all the stage results, neatly tabulated.