Dakar Rally: Al Attiyah Maintains Leadership After Conclusion of Nineth Stage

Riyadh, January 11 (QNA) - Qatari driver Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah maintained the overall lead in the Dakar Desert Rally in Saudi Arabia for the third year in a row after came in third place with the conclusion of the nineth stage which was held in Wadi Al Dawasir at a distance of 491 km, including 287 special stages. Al Attiyah, three times winner of the title, with French navigator Mathieu Baumel in Toyota Hilux T1+, came behind South African Giniel de Villiers, a Toyota driver, who succeeded in advancing to the lead at the third crossing point, and he managed to maintain his lead to score his first victory in the Dakar 2022, recording two hours 23 minutes and 8 seconds, only 9 seconds behind his compatriot and teammate Henk Latigan. Al Attiyah, the leader in the general standings, with a time of 30:10:04, seeks to achieve his fourth victory in the Dakar Rally and to become the first Arab driver to win in Saudi Arabia, knowing that his last victory dates back to 2019 with the Toyota team in particular, to return and occupy second place four times in the last six years. (QNA)