2007 Dakar Results
It's beginning to sound like a broken record--Volkswagen led the first half, but Mitsubishi won again--for the seventh successive time. However, VW faced the toughest challenge yet as its team was firmly in the lead until the ninth stage, when misfortune befell both leading Race Touaregs. They suffered engine problems within a few miles of each other and had to be towed to the bivouac by the race trucks. Although the mechanics were able to get them running by the next morning, they'd lost so much time neither had any chance of winning.
That left American Mark Miller as the leading VW driver in sixth position. Gradually, he managed to pick up some time and was close to overtaking Nasser Al-Attiyah in a BMW X3 on the penultimate day. But Al-Attiyah got caught speeding through a village on a special stage for the second time and was given a 90-minute penalty. This moved Miller to fourth overall--equaling the best ever finish for an American in the 29 years of the Dakar race. Volkswagen had proved the dominant team as it won 10 out of 14 stages. Yes, Mitsubishi finished first and second overall, but none of its four cars won a single stage.
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