Al Attiyah wins eighth stage to rein in Dakar leader Peterhansel
11 Jan 2021 - 16:23
Toyota Gazoo Racing s Nasser Al-Attiyah and Co-Driver Matthieu Baumel in action during stage 5 (Reuters / Hamad I Mohammed)
Reuters
Qatar s Nasser Al-Attiyah won the eighth stage of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia on Monday to claw back more than three minutes from leader Stephane Peterhansel in the car category.
The Toyota Hilux 4x4 driver, chasing his fourth Dakar title, dominated the 375km eighth stage from Sakaka to Neom with Frenchman Peterhansel third and his lead cut to four minutes and 50 seconds.
It was Al-Attiyah s fifth stage win of this year s event, including the prologue, and 40th of his career.
Dakar rally 2021, stage 8: Sebastian Buhler finishes in top 10, Joaquim Rodrigues and Harith Noah co
Dakar rally 2021, stage 8: Sebastian Buhler finishes in top 10, Joaquim Rodrigues and Harith Noah continue form
In the concluding half of the marathon stage, Sebastian Buhler turned in a stellar performance to finish the stage in 10th place, his first-ever top 10 stage finish in the Dakar Rally.
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UPDATED: January 11, 2021 20:57 IST
It was the turn of Sebastian Buhler to lead the team’s charge in stage 8 of the rally.
HIGHLIGHTS
Joaquim Rodrigues, battling pain and discomfort, managed to finish the stage in 25th place.
Harith Noah rode steadily to finish at 29th position, crossing the line at 3 hours 46 minutes.
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Toyota s Saudi driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi took the Dakar Rally marathon seventh stage honours on Sunday, the home hope denying Stephane Peterhansel, who nevertheless stretched his lead as he pursues his 14th title.
Mini driver Peterhansel was on target to cross the line first at the end of the arduous 453km timed special featuring sand mountains between Ha il and Sakaka.
But Al-Rajhi had other ideas, and with the benefit of his experienced co-driver Dirk Von Zitzewitz, an 18-Dakar veteran, he took command around 100km out.
He secured his first stage win in the event since 2015 and his Dakar debut with 48sec to spare over Peterhansel, with Carlos Sainz third at 1min 15sec.
11 Jan 2021 / 01:18 H.
Jan 10 (Reuters) - Frenchman Stephane Peterhansel extended his Dakar lead to nearly eight minutes in Saudi Arabia on Sunday as the rally mourned the passing of former champion Hubert Auriol, the first to win on both two wheels and four.
Organisers said former race director Auriol, who triumphed on a motorcycle in 1981 and 1983 and in the car category in 1992 when the rally was held in Africa, had died after a long illness. He was 68.
Peterhansel, winner of the gruelling event a record 13 times with six of those victories on a motorcycle before switching to cars, finished the 453km seventh stage from Ha il to Sakaka in second place.