ABU DHABI: Qatar’s Nasser Al Attiyah and co-driver Mathieu Baumel won the third stage at the 2022 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in their GR DKR Hilux T1+.
The pair brought the Dakar-winning car home in first place on Stage 3 of the 5-stage event, despite starting in first position and opening the route.
The pair completed the stage in a time of 3hr 32min 44sec and beat their nearest competitors by 5min 16sec.
The 255 km-long stage started and finished near the bivouac at Qasr al Sarab, to the south of Abu Dhabi, and consisted of sandy tracks and dunes in equal measure.
The stage win brought the crew another 5 points in the FIA’s World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC), of which the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge serves as Round 2.
The pair scored maximum points for their win at the Dakar Rally in January this year, but each stage now contributes to the championship points, and as such it is important for the Toyota pairing to score as many stage wins as possible.
(Source: newsroom.toyota.eu)
