This is the Statt Mann, Baby. It’s time to Scatt a Little Bit…

This year’s Dakar Rally seemed lackluster. I watched several of the television shows but saw little drama in the categories that interested me.

Nasser Al-Attiyah won handily. He led most of the event and was unchallenged in his Mini.  American Robby Gordon showed speed the first day but had a mechanical issue on sage two and spent the rest of the two weeks trying to stay in the top 20. Hard to get that NASCAR thinking out of his mind, I guess.

Gordon won the final stage, his tenth in the Dakar.  Gordon goes Beast Mode when he can at the rally.  Wish he’d get a proper car so he could compete for overall wins instead of stage wins.

Domination by the Minis made it tough on Peugeot. The French team was making a return visit to Dakar but admitted Sunday that its car was rough and not ready.

2010 Dakar winner Carlos Sainz crashed out on stage five in a Peugeot. Teammate Stephane Peterhansel  finished eleventh complaining the car lacked oomph.

Still, the adventure of the event is an incredible fascination for me. Wish Gordon could do better.

Peace.