Desert test bed for new buggy

The German Jutta Kleinschmidt does not expect to repeat her Dakar Rally victory of 2001 in the 25th running of the annual race which started in Marseilles yesterday.

Kleinschmidt made history when she became the first women to win the race two years ago, but she does not expect her new Volkswagen buggy to beat the likes of Japan's defending champion Hiroshi Masuoka in a Mitsubishi, his French team-mate Stephane Peterhansel and his fellow countryman Jean-Louis Schlesser in a Ford-engined buggy.

With the buggy still at the experimental stage in its development, Kleinschmidt expects to be down the field when the leaders cross the finish line after 5,314 miles (8,552km) of mostly arduous desert terrain at Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt on 19 January.

"The buggy is an experimental car and it's not conceived especially to meet the demands of the Dakar," said Kleinschmidt, who was among 28 cars, 165 motorcycles and 49 trucks which set out from the southern French port on the 180 mile (291km) first stage to Narbonne. "That's why we also don't regard it as a winning car. This race is a training session for the newly formed Volkswagen team.

"The goal is to get accustomed to competition as soon as possible, to sample the opposition and put ourselves to the test under the pressure of the very toughest desert competition. For this year, fifth place would be a super result."

Kleinschmidt still expects to enjoy the experience. "The appeal for me is in that special combination of race and adventure – the speed and the unexpected," she said.

"On the one hand is the fact that you're driving your car at the absolute limit, really on the edge. On the other hand there's the excitement factor. You don't know the route in advance. You keep getting into situations that you've never experienced before and you have to make split-second decisions."

Going into her 13th Dakar, she added. "Every stage has its own challenges. The landscape of the three countries we'll be crossing [Tunisia, Libya and Egypt] is characterised by sand dunes.

"With a rear-wheel-drive car like the buggy, this is going to be difficult terrain. There's always the fear that your car will break down. You also worry about getting lost."

This year's Dakar "caravan" will be made up of more than 1,000 people, including organisers, reporters, medical teams and other officials, supported by 10 helicopters and 17 planes.