RIYADH: Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah moved into the overall lead of the Dakar Rally after a commanding victory in the sixth stage across the Saudi Arabian desert on Friday. The five-time champion overturned a deficit of more than three minutes to edge ahead of South African rival Henk Lategan as the rally heads into its second and final week.
Competing for the Dacia Sandriders, Al-Attiyah dominated the 326km timed stage from Hail to Riyadh, finishing with a six-minute-and-10-second advantage. He claimed the stage win by two minutes and 58 seconds from teammate and nine-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb, marking Dacia’s first-ever Dakar one-two. Toyota’s American driver Seth Quintero completed the stage podium.
The overall standings see Al-Attiyah leading from Toyota’s Lategan, with Ford’s Nani Roma in third—his first appearance on the virtual podium since 2019.At 55, Al-Attiyah continues to rewrite Dakar history, securing his 49th career stage win in the car category, just one short of the all-time record shared by Ari Vatanen and Stephane Peterhansel.
The rally pauses for a rest day on Saturday before resuming in Riyadh on Sunday, with seven stages remaining before the finish in Yanbu on the Red Sea coast on January 17.
