Dakar: de Villiers boosts Nissan
Giniel de Villers boosted the Nissan camp with a win on stage 12 of the Dakar Rally as the event rolled into the Mali capital of Bamako

The Nissan Pickup driver, the only team member left in the chase nwo that of all its leading lights (including Colin McRae) have hit problems, came home just over three minutes ahead of event leader Stephane Peterhansel after one of longest sections of the event - the special stage was 586km long!
Peterhansel and Mitsubishi team-mate Luc Alphand are understandably winding back the pace now that they are over 40 minutes clear of Jutta Kleinschmidt's works VW. Nevertheless they still came in second and third fastest.
Bruno Saby moved up to fifth overall at the expense of Nani Roma, but behind de Villiers, with the fourth best time on the stage.
Robby Gordon's eventful Dakar continued in characteristic fashion. This time the American was forced to stop to repair damaged shock absorbers on his factory VW after 100km. His woes were not as bad as those of Josep Maria Servia, who has dropped to tenth overall after ending up in a tree.
The Schlesser buggy driver had to flag down a fellow competitor to help him free the Ford-powered vehicle before he could carry on.
Latest news
New social media study shows striking swings in MotoGP's popularity
An analysis of the social networks of MotoGP riders and teams confirms that Marc Marquez has taken over from Valentino Rossi as the series' most popular figure.
Cosworth: F1 return not on radar despite Ford's comeback
Cosworth is not considering a future return to Formula 1 despite former partner Ford’s comeback with Red Bull in 2026, saying it “hasn’t been a focus.”
Ekstrom joins World RX as sporting director for 2023 season
One-time World RallyCross Championship title-winner Mattias Ekstrom will join the series promoter as sporting director ahead of its second season of its full-electric regulations.
FIA president Ben Sulayem steps back from day-to-day F1 operations
The FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has stepped back from the day-to-day running of Formula 1 ahead of the new season.
The 2022 Autosport Awards winner using Esports as a launchpad
A trail blazed in Esports has inspired a revamp of the annual prize that aims to discover the best young engineering talent. Autosport met Autosport Williams Engineer of the Future winner Michael Preston
The plug in and play stand-ins who got their timing just right
Nyck de Vries’s Italian GP exploits weren’t the first post-eleventh-hour call-up in motorsport history, and won’t be the last either. Here are some offbeat tales from the past
Porsche’s hopeful Le Mans future meets its illustrious past
Rising sportscar star Adam Smalley had to pinch himself when offered the chance to drive the car that won the world’s most famous enduro in 1987
Why romanticism isn't the key factor in Lola’s racing return
The iconic Lola name is being relaunched after it was taken over by new ownership. Part of that reboot is a planned return to racing, though the exact details of this are still to be finalised - though its new owner does have a desire to bring the brand back to the Le Mans 24 Hours. But romanticism doesn't appear to be the driving force behind this renewed project...
Rating the best drivers of the century so far
Autosport's Top 50 feature has been a staple of the magazine for the past two decades since its first appearance in 2002. Here are the drivers that have featured most prevalently during that time
The best motorsport moments of 2021
Motorsport produced one of its greatest years of all-time in 2021 despite a backdrop of ongoing COVID-19 challenges and an ever-changing racing landscape. Through the non-stop action Autosport has collected the finest moments from the past 12 months to highlight the incredible drama and joy motorsport generates
The racing comeback artists who resurrected long-dormant careers
Making it in motorsport can be tough, and sometimes drivers move elsewhere before their best chance arrives. Here are some of those who made it back
The hidden racing gem attracting ex-F1 heroes
It’s rarely mentioned when it comes to assessing the best national contests, but the Brazilian Stock Car series that reaches its climax this weekend has an ever-growing appeal. Its expanding roster of ex-Formula 1 names has helped to draw in new fans, but it's the closeness of competition that keeps them watching
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.