DAMMAM, Saudi Arabia – Nasser Al-Attiyah won a second straight Dakar Rally just kilometres from his Qatar homeland.
His fifth Dakar title eclipsed Ari Vatanen’s total and was second only to Stephane Peterhansel, the Dakar’s greatest champion with 14 wins, eight in the premier car category.
The 52-year-old Al-Attiyah led the Dakar for the last 13 of its 15 days in Saudi Arabia, from the Red Sea to the Arabian Gulf. “We just finished and I’m so happy. It was a difficult Dakar for everyone,” said Al-Attiyah.
Frenchman Sebastien Loeb, the nine-time world rally champion chasing his first Dakar success, was second in successive years, more than 80 minutes behind.
Lucas Moraes of Brazil was third, the first rookie on the podium in 35 years. He was 98 minutes back but nearly an hour ahead of fourth place.
Nobody else could avoid trouble like Al-Attiyah and French co-driver Mathieu Baumel in their Toyota. In nine Dakars together, they have won four, been runner-up four times, and abandoned once.
“To beat them, you have to have a perfect race,” Loeb said.
“After the beginning of the Rally we had we could not hope for better than this,” added Loeb according to AFP.
“Nasser was so consistent that he was unbeatable, he produced a brilliant performance without any mistakes.”
Peterhansel, Yazeed Al Rajhi and Carlos Sainz, the only drivers within 55 minutes of Al-Attiyah, crashed within kilometers of each other. Peterhansel’s co-pilot Edouard Boulanger was taken to hospital with a back injury. Al Rajhi and Sainz were stuck for hours.
Sainz hung on until a second crash on stage nine, which was overshadowed by a spectator dying from injuries after being hit by a truck competitor. It was the fifth death on the Dakar since its move to Saudi Arabia in 2020.
Local driver Al Rajhi, third last year, finished 37th and 37 hours behind Al-Attiyah. Al-Attiyah’s lead ballooned to more than an hour and he no longer had to push hard.
“We didn’t have to attack like crazy,” he said. “We managed to get through the second week and win, that’s what really matters. I’m very happy to win five times”.
Loeb was left to win six consecutive stages, a record for an elite car driver, and seven in all, the most since Sainz in 2011. Loeb was runner-up for a second straight year and third time.
Argentine rider Kevin Benavides won his second motorbike title by beating KTM teammate Toby Price by 43 seconds after more than 4,000 kilometres in one of the closest finishes in the rally’s history.
They were the last riders to start the 136-kilometres 14th stage on the coast east of Al-Hofuf.
Nobody else could avoid trouble like Al-Attiyah and French co-driver Mathieu Baumel in their Toyota. In nine Dakars together, they have won four, been runner-up four times, and abandoned once.
Al-Attiyah led the Dakar for the last 13 of its 15 days and beat Loeb by 80 minutes – the biggest margin in 20 years – but it wasn’t comfortable for the Qatari until his three biggest chasers were effectively knocked out on stage six.
Stephane Peterhansel, Yazeed Al Rajhi and Carlos Sainz, the only drivers within 55 minutes of Al-Attiyah, crashed within kilometres of each other. Peterhansel’s co-pilot Edouard Boulanger was taken to hospital with a back injury. Al-Rajhi and Sainz were stuck for hours.
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