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Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah Wins Dakar Rally for Fourth Time

Qatar

QNA

Qatari Rally champion  Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (Toyota) was crowned the champion of the Dakar Desert Rally for the fourth time in his career after the years 2011, 2015 and 2019, at the conclusion of the twelfth and final stage that took place in the Saudi city of Jeddah today  27 minutes and  46 seconds ahead of the French driver Sebastien Loeb, the driver of the "Bahrain Ride Extreme" team. 

Al-Attiyah, who ran with French navigator Mathieu Baumel in his Toyota Hilux T1+, succeeded in winning two stages during the rally in addition to the preliminary stage, to become  equal in  the number of titles in the Dakar Rally with Finn Ari Vatanen, but he is still far from the record set by Peterhansel/8/ titles. The first result was decisive for Al-Attiyah, and he was able to find a tricky passing opportunity, including the Audi / Carlos Sainz driver, and French Loeb emerged as the closest pursuer of Al-Attiyah, but Sebastian came close. He carries his car in the third stage, especially with the breakage of the conveyor in the third stage. 

The rate reached about 50 minutes, then after the completion of the final stage, successfully, the implementation of the control of competitions successfully. 

The four-time winner completed the last day's stage in ninth place, which was 164 km long between Bisha and Jeddah, to snatch his first victory in Dakar since his move to Saudi Arabia. 

The Frenchman Sebastien Loeb, who is still dreaming of achieving the title to add to his nine WRC titles, finished second, after 6 participations in the most difficult rally in the last seven years, while Saudi driver Yazid Al-Rajhi finished third on the podium. In front of the Spaniard Orlando Terranova. 

Al-Attiyah became the first Arab driver to win in Saudi Arabia, knowing that his last victory dates back to 2019 with the Toyota team. 

In the motorcycle category, Englishman Sam Sunderland won the competition title, after completing the last stage of the race, which took place over 164 kilometers between Bisha and Jeddah, with a difference of nearly seven minutes in front of his nearest competitor, Chilean Pablo Quintania, cyclist (Honda). 

Despite completing the second stage, he did enough to ensure that his advantage remained in the general standings until the end, to win the title by 3 minutes and 27 seconds against Quintania, which gave Sunderland his second title in Dakar, where he won his first title in the 2017 edition, which is his first title in Saudi Arabia. In favor of the "KTM" team, ending Honda's winning streak, which lasted for two years. Matthias Walkner finished the podium behind Quintanilla, seven minutes 23 seconds behind Sunderland. 

The English driver dominated the course of the 2022 edition in the bicycle category, as his advantage began to appear from the second stage, and he managed to maintain Frenchman Adrian van Beveren was able to form a strong competition for the English Sunderland after the tenth stage, but he fell in the 11th stage by 15 minutes, which put him in fourth overall in favor of Yamaha, while Juan Barreda completed the arrangement of the top five places for Honda. 

Sunderland, driver of the Gas team, won his first title in the famous race in South America in 2017, and Sunderland finished the race three minutes and 27 seconds ahead of Chilean Pablo Quintania in Honda, while Austrian Matthias Walkner in KTM finished third. A small difference in front of the runners with the arrival of the day of rest in the middle of the rally. 

Frenchman Adrian van Beveren was able to form a strong competition for the English Sunderland after the tenth stage, but he fell in the 11th stage by 15 minutes, which put him in fourth overall in favor of Yamaha, while Juan Barreda completed the arrangement of the top five places for Honda. 

Sunderland, driver of the GASGAS team, won his first title in the famous race in South America in 2017, and Sunderland finished the race three minutes and 27 seconds ahead of Chilean Pablo Quintanya in Honda, while Austrian Matthias Walkner in KTM finished third. 

The Dakar Rally, in its 44th edition since its establishment, and the third in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, spanned a track of more than 8,000 kilometers, and this edition witnessed the competition of 1,065 participants on board 578 vehicles in the most difficult Desert Rally, and a historic participation is the first of its kind for three "Hybrid" cars, new under the banner of the manufacturer /Audi/. 

Saudi Arabia has decided to host the rally race in 2020 on its soil, in a partnership that will last 10 years until 2030.