Spaniard pilot Joan "Nani" Roma (Mitsubishi) won on Friday the 13th stage on cars of the Dakar Argentina-Chile Rally, after he recovered from the inconvenience he suffered on Thursday and gave his team the first partial triumph of the Rally.
Roma timed 22:33:48 in the 220km of the trail held in the Argentine province of Cordoba, where the south African De Villiers arrived on 8th place and U.S. pilot Mark Miller (Volkswagen) arrived on 7th place.
Roma won his first stage in this Rally, which for the first time was raced outside Africa. The favorites on the trail Spaniard Carlos Sainz (VW) and French Stephane Peterhansel (Mitsubishi) have abandoned the Rally, while Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah (BMW) was excluded.
After Roma arrived Polish Krzyszt of Holowczyc (Nissan) at 7:18 later, French Guerlian Chicherit (BMW) at 7:27 later, German Dieter Depping (VW), at 10:00 later; Russian Leonid Novitzkiy (BMW), at 10:33 later; and French Eric Vigouroux (Hummer), at 10:33 later.
With 13 of the 14 stages competed, following is the general board on cars:
1-Giniel de Villiers (SUD/VW), 46 hours 35 minutes 13 seconds
2-Mark Miller (USA/VW), at 2m20s
3-Robby Gordon (USA/Hummer), 1h27m13s
4-Ivar Tollefsen (NOR/Nissan), 5h55m01s
5-Krzysztof Holowczyc (POL/Nissan), 6h37m32s
6-Joan Roma (ESP/Mitsubishi), 7h27m08s
7-Dieter Depping (ALE/VW), 8h28m55s
8-Miroslav Zapletal (CZE/Mitsubishi), 10h52m26s
9-Leonid Novitzkiy (RUS/BMW), 13h15m11s
10-Guerlain Chicherit (FRA/BMW), 14h48m59s
(Xinhua News Agency January 19, 2009)
