Volkswagen: nothing's won yet

Volkswagen have scored five stage wins so far and have led the event since day one.

The German squad's main rivals Mitsubishi, the reigning champions, are yet to win a stage in this year's edition, but their drivers are still in contention.

South African Giniel de Villiers is the current leader, less than two minutes ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz. Eight-time Dakar winner Stefan Peterhansel is in third place in the Mitsubishi, albeit over 24 minutes behind de Villiers.

But with half the rally still to run, Nissen knows it is too early to to get carried away.

"At the rally's halfway point we're right on target," said Nissen. "We're very happy with the results and the way things are running within the team. We've achieved a lot so far, but nothing's won yet.

"The rally has really just started now because in Mauritania some extremely long and difficult stages are awaiting us, putting the drivers and co-drivers to the test for hours on end.

"That's why it's a welcome aspect that the evolution of the Race Touareg has not only made the vehicle faster but more comfortable as well.

"The chassis is more comfortable, and the steering and gearshift are more operator-friendly, while the engine has a wider speed band. The drivers can keep a good pace with less effort.

"The bottom line: we're going to give everything to continue running in front and, hopefully, win in the end as well."

De Villiers, second behind Luc Alphand in last year's rally, reckons Sunday's and Monday's stages will be crucial to decide the winner.

"The first two stages after the rest day will probably be the decisive ones for this year's Dakar," said de Villiers. "The special stages are very long and, what's more, the marathon leg is on the agenda. This is where a preliminary decision could in fact occur."