SS12 showed us a big fight in the trucks which ended in the return of Russian Eduard Nikolaev as overall leader - with only 1 second. The stage was also good for the Dutch Riwald Racing Team with their MKR Renault 4x4. Gerd Huzink finished 9th in the stage which also means a 9th position in the overall rankings. Huzink fought up to the podium position, but he had to change the tire before the last way point. "This was a very fast stage, especially in the second part. I´m happy with the result," said Huzink after the race.

"This is really a hard luck," said Mario Kress of MKR Racing. "We could have taken another podium this year, what is more, in the longest stage, but getting this valuable score was set back by a punctured tire. On the other hand, we were lucky that it was really just a tire, as Dakar this year is a real scrapyard. There will be yet two difficult days, but everyone is incredibly looking forward to Córdoba."

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