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Dakar 2022: Al Attiyah confident after World Cup triumph
Bengaluru, December 15: Triple Dakar champion Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah is in a buoyant mood as he warmed up for the most demading and greulling off-road rallies of all times by winning the Hail Rally in Saudi Arabia recently, a victory that helped ace the Qatari clinch the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies for a record fifth time.
Rally wins in Andalucia, Morocco and Abu Dhabi had brought Al Attiyah and his French co-driver Mathieu Baumel to the cusp of their fourth FIA World Cup winning season as a pair.
Despite Al Attiyah and Baumel driver only needing a handful of points at the Hail Rally, the duo blasted their way to victory at the season finale.
"It was fantastic and we are obviously very happy with the result. I am so happy to win this race and to win the World Cup title," a beaming Al Attiyah was quoted as saying by Red Bull Media.
The next appointment for the daring duo is also in Saudi Arabia as the country hosts its third Dakar Rally from January 2 to 14, 2022.
Al Attiyah and Baumel's dominance in Saudi deserts saw them win three of the four stages in Hail.
The only other race crew to record a stage win was Kuba Przygonski of Poland and his German co-driver Timo Gottschalk. A rollercoaster ride in Saudi Arabia eventually saw this pair park their MINI JCW Buggy in sixth place overall.
It was also a useful trip to Dakar territory for Spaniard Laia Sanz as she switches to racing on four wheels.
After completing 11 consecutive editions of the Dakar on a bike, Sanz will race the Dakar 2022 in a MINI ALL4 Racing. Sanz guided her new vehicle to an eighth place finish at the Hail Rally alongside co-driver Maurizio Gerini of Italy.
Daring duo
The Toyota Gazoo Racing pair will be at the controls of the all-new T1+ version of their Hilux when the Dakar departs from Hail on January 2. This was the last time for me in this car. The next step will be the T1+ in Dakar," Al Attiyah added.
Al Attiyah and Baumel's dominance in Saudi Arabia saw them win three of the four stages in Hail.
Star-studded podium
Next up for the best desert racers on the planet is the 2022 Dakar, departing from Hail on January 2 and finishing in Jeddah on January 14. For the records, Stephane Peterhansel is the defending Dakar champion. Thirty years after his maiden victory at the Dakar Rally, Peterhansel was on the top step of a star-studded podium again as he won the 2021 edition held in Saudi Arabia, beating the challenge of Al Attiyah and Carlos Sainz.
Not enough
Starting the shortened final day 15m31s clear of Al Attiyah, Peterhansel finished third behind stage winner Sainz and the ace Qatari.
Despite winning six stages in his Toyota Hilux at this Dakar it was still not enough to give Al Attiyah his fourth overall victory at the rally.
Duel in the desert
Al Attiyah, who had won Dakar in 2011, 2015 and 2019 pushed Peterhansel all the way, eventually settling for second overall and a ninth podium finish at the Dakar 2021. Now it's time to pay back. All roads lead to Saudi. Buck up guys!
Over two weeks at the Dakar, the cars will race 8,500km across the deserts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, starting in Ha'il and finishing in Jeddah, with a mid-event rest day in Riyadh. T1+ cars run on larger tyres, with increased suspension travel and a wider track. The car now benefits from 37" tyres on 17" rims, with suspension travel increased from 280mm to 350mm and the body width increased from 2m to 2.3m to accommodate this.
Story first published: Wednesday, December 15, 2021, 12:10 [IST]
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