January 16, 2016 – ex-WRC driver Mikko Hirvonen scored his maiden Dakar stage win in the event’s 12th and penultimate stage, while Stephane Peterhansel maintained his massive lead in the overall standings.
Hirvonen, making his Dakar Rally debut with X-raid Mini, was just nine seconds quicker than teammate Nasser Al-Attiyah at the end of the 481-km stage, while Toyota’s Leeroy Poulter hung on to third ahead of teammate Giniel de Villiers.
Peterhansel lost 11 minutes to Al-Attiyah and currently holds a 41-minute advantage as Dakar enters its final 180km stage.
Teammates Cyril Despres and Sebastien Loeb were slightly quicker than Peterhansel, with Loeb completing the stage as the top-placed Peugeot eight minutes off the pace.
Overall standings after Stage 12:
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Car | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 302 | Stephane Peterhansel | Peugeot | 43h27m42s |
| 2 | 300 | Nasser Al-Attiyah | Mini | 40m59s |
| 3 | 301 | Giniel de Villiers | Toyota | 1h07m6s |
| 4 | 315 | Mikko Hirvonen | Mini | 1h11m42s |
| 5 | 319 | Leeroy Poulter | Toyota | 1h36m16s |
| 6 | 304 | Nani Roma | Mini | 1h46m16s |
| 7 | 321 | Cyril Despres | Peugeot | 1h55m05s |
| 8 | 307 | Vladimir Vasilyev | Toyota | 2h04m49s |
| 9 | 314 | Sebastien Loeb | Peugeot | 2h22m46s |
| 10 | 323 | Harry Hunt | Mini | 3h08m58s |
