Sainz shakes Al-Attiyah with a blow to the general classification in the queen stage of Dakar

Frenchman Sébastien Loeb (Prodrive) won the queen stage of Dakar, a 48-hour time trial that crossed the Rub al-Jali desert, the world’s largest sand desert, and joined the Swede. Mattias Ekström (Audi) is Sainz’s biggest rival in the second week of the Dakar Rally.

So Sainz spent the remaining days of his rally raid. 20 minutes 21 seconds He overtook Ekström by 29 minutes and 31 seconds over Loeb, who won his twenty-fifth stage in the Dakar this Friday and will try to get his first Touareg by taking the first place from the Madrid driver in the second week of the rally.

However, the Madrid player dealt an authority blow to the rally. Last Wednesday he decided to lose more than eight minutes in the fifth stage. To be able to start from the back on the sixth day of the rally and thus be able to pick up the pace of the drivers I had in the afternoon. It was a risky decision and until this Friday he didn’t know whether it was “a mistake or a success” but today he already knows it was a huge success.

It was the opposite strategy for Al-Attiyah, who won the fifth stage but had to open the track on Thursday. In the end, it hurt Qatar. Going slower and experiencing navigation problems when crossing untrodden sand.

Al Rajhi and Al-Attiyah, out of combat

But if he had problems on Thursday, the situation got worse on Friday for Al-Attiyah, who has two Dakar races in a row and is looking for a new title. The Qatari was stopped for more than two hours for the repair of his vehicle. stranded in the middle of the desert It makes one forget that he could struggle for the general classification due to a mechanical problem.

The person who couldn’t even come to the tent camp this Thursday was Saudi Arabia Jazid Al Rajhi (Overdrive Racing) came into this sixth stage as the leader, nine minutes ahead of Al-Attiyah and eleven minutes ahead of Sainz. However, a somersault in the sand at the 51st kilometer last Thursday forced him to give up.

Unlike Sainz and Ekström, Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel (Audi) did not have much luck either, as he suffered a mechanical problem at the 225th kilometer last Thursday and lost his chance to win the fifteenth Dakar and complete a magnificent race.

Sainz ‘will continue to enjoy his days’

At the end of the stage, Sainz announced that he would call. “Continue to spend the days without making big mistakes” during the second week. The Madrid native emphasized that this stage was a “tough special” but that they “survived” and therefore reached “the lead on the rest day”, which was a good balance of the first week.”

Everything turned out for him in these two days covering the sixth stage: he became the virtual leader in the general classification after the abandonment of Al Rajhi, and on Thursday he took first place despite almost finishing with the great pace he showed all day. day. Beyond luck Sainz’s plan Those who decided to waste time going further back last Wednesday did so perfectly.

It will therefore be difficult for both Ekström and Loeb to take much time away from the enthusiastic Carlos Sainz. exhibited at this stage and vindicated himself in his quest for a fourth Dakar. It’s a week away, but he’s got it.