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Peugeot boss hits back at "stupid" Toyota tyre gripe

Peugeot Sport director Bruno Famin says the Toyota drivers' complaints over not having an on-board tyre inflation/deflation system are "stupid".

Hilux drivers Nasser Al-Attiyah and Giniel de Villiers both blamed regulations prohibiting on-board tyre pressure systems in four-wheel-drive vehicles for losing time to the Peugeots through the soft sand dune stages, after struggling with punctures and stoppages during the fourth stage.

Peugeot boss Famin has now hit back at the complaints, calling them 'stupid' given what he perceives as a distinct technical advantage aimed at Toyota.

"It's stupid, really," he said when asked about the complaints by Motorsport.com.

"With the advantage that they get from this year in terms of weight, of suspension, of everything, they cannot say that.

"You have to see their power; they have a big restrictor of 38mm, they have more than 400 horsepower at sea level, where all the dunes were.

"They should work more on the car and blame less."

Both Al-Attiyah and de Villiers dropped more time during the fifth stage, and now sit fourth and fifth respectively after being leapfrogged by the Toyota of Bernhard ten Brinke.

Zdroj: motorsport.com