Up to 50 kilometres before the end of the 418-kilometre leg her team-mate Carlos Sainz was in front. A broken bolt on the exhaust system caused Volkswagen's new signing to drop to third by 15 minutes behind Mitsubishi driver Luc Alphand and Volkswagen works driver Jutta Kleinschmidt. In pouring rain Bruno Saby, also at the wheel of a new Race Touareg 2, finished in fourth place. Volkswagen's new signing Mark Miller came sixth.

Prof Wilfried Bockelmann (Corporate Coordination Technical Development Volkswagen AG)
"We are satisfied, but not happy, with the way the day went. Conditions, with heavy rain and a slippery, soapy course, were extremely difficult. Carlos Sainz showed an impressive performance, but lost the lead due to a minor defect. Yet it is important for us that in the new Race Touareg's debut we learn for the Dakar Rally."

#306 - Jutta Kleinschmidt (D), 2nd place overall
"We had the lead for a long time on the first special stage but then had to stop briefly to repair a malfunction of a windscreen wiper. It was incredibly slippery, I'm glad we're still in the race. The turnout of spectators despite the bad weather is really impressive."

#305 - Carlos Sainz (E), 3rd place overall
"A turbulent day. On the first special stage we lost a lot of time because we had to open the course. On the second special stage we pushed harder, things were going very well. But just before the end of the stage we lost power, that's why a warning lamp went on. To be on the safe side, we stopped, talked to the team on the phone and then continued. Altogether, I'm very satisfied, the new Touareg's potential is encouraging for the ‘Dakar'."

#301 - Bruno Saby (F), 4th place overall
"In pouring rain the windows kept fogging up, vision was extremely poor. My co-driver constantly had to wipe the windows clear. From a technical point of view the new car was perfect."

#310 - Mark Miller (USA), 6th place overall
"An incredibly difficult leg. After 60 kilometres we hit a tree and damaged the door. After this incident my co-driver had to hold the door with one hand and turn the pages of the roadbook with the other. Before that, we had already lost two minutes because we had to stop to change a tyre after suffering a puncture. On the second special stage we had another puncture after a driving mistake."

Standings after leg 2, Portalegre – Portalegre (P); 418/443 km SS/total

Pos., Team, Vehicle, Total time
1. Luc Alphand/Gilles Picard (F/F), Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution, 5:38,45.4 h
2. Jutta Kleinschmidt/Fabrizia Pons (D/I), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 + 4,28.8 m
3. Carlos Sainz/Andy Schulz (E/D), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 + 11,57.6 m
4. Bruno Saby/Michel Périn (F/F), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 + 15,31.9 m
5. Joao Ramos/Vitor Jesus (P/P), Toyota RAV 4, + 15,34.7 m
6. Mark Miller/Dirk von Zitzewitz (USA/D), Volkswagen Race Touareg + 20,04.1 m

Further information: http://www.volkswagen-motorsport.info