The 358km drive by wadis, canyons and dunes noticed Toyata driver Al-Attiyah, 52, end 11min 8sec adrift of the stage winner, nine-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb.
Some motion pictures of Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel on Stage 5 of #Dakar2023. Picture: Twitter/@TGR_W2RC
RIYADH – Qatari driver Nasser Al-Attiyah’s technique of taking part in it protected noticed him transfer a step nearer to retaining his Dakar Rally title however Tuesday’s ninth stage was overshadowed by the death of an Italian vacationer.
The spectator was standing “behind a sand dune” on the rally observe when the accident occurred, and died on the switch by helicopter to hospital, race organisers Amaury Sport Organisation (AMO) mentioned in an announcement.
The 358km drive by wadis, canyons and dunes noticed Toyata driver Al-Attiyah, 52, end 11min 8sec adrift of the stage winner, nine-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb.
However, the stress additional eased on Al-Attiyah as his closest pursuer in a single day, the South African driver Henk Lategan, suffered a mechanical drawback and misplaced 40 minutes.
Al-Attiyah holds a lead of 1hr 21min over one other Toyota driver, Brazil’s Lucas Moraes, with Loeb an additional 19min in arrears.
“Today we did a really good job without any mistakes, without any problems,” mentioned Al-Attiyah, bidding to grow to be the primary again to again winner since ‘Mr Dakar’ Stephane Peterhansel in 2016/17.
“We need to take it day by day like this without any problems. We have a big gap now and I hope to finish and to win this Dakar.”
Three-time Dakar Rally automotive champion Carlos Sainz confirmed gritty willpower in ordering a helicopter ambulance to show round and return him to his stricken automotive however the Spaniard was compelled to tug out of the race.
The 60-year-old’s Audi got here to grief simply six kilometres into the stage and as a precaution he and his co-pilot Lucas Cruz have been airlifted to hospital.
“The Spaniard wished to have a chance of resuming the race and demanded that the helicopter ambulance turn round and drop him back at his car,” ASO mentioned in an announcement.
The two-time world rally champion had misplaced all hope of a fourth title final Friday when a entrance wheel got here off in an accident.
Despite affected by chest ache as a results of the mishap he insisted on carrying on and began Tuesday’s stage languishing in one centesimal spot, over 29 hours in arrears of Al-Attiyah.
“Unfortunately, in today’s accident, the car was seriously damaged and cannot be repaired,” Sainz later posted on Twitter.
“It is with great regret that we have to abandon the Dakar, but the important thing is that nothing serious has happened.”
‘MORE AND MORE CHALLENGES’
Earlier Argentinian rider Luciano Benavides, youthful brother of title contender Kevin, received the stage within the motorcycling class.
The 27-year-old Husqvarna motorcyclist secured his second stage win of this yr’s race as he timed 1min 2sec quicker over the 358-kilometre particular than Australian Toby Price on a KTM.
Overall chief Skyler Howes of the United States was third, 2min 57sec off the tempo set by the stage winner.
Howes retains the general lead for a fifth successive day however he enjoys a razor-thin benefit over Price of three seconds as the final word check of endurance enters its decisive phases with the climax on Sunday.
“It was a demanding stage, for sure, with lots of water,” mentioned Howes.
“It was super crazy. We were going through giant rivers in the middle of the desert.
“So now we head all the best way right down to the Empty Quarter and I assume it is going to be the identical, with an increasing number of challenges down there.”
Kevin Benavides is not out of the mix either as he sits in third spot, 5min 9sec adrift.
However, there were two big losers on Tuesday – Frenchman Adrien van Beveren and fourth stage winner Joan Barreda of Spain.
Van Beveren finds himself over 15 minutes off Howes, having started the day under three minutes shy of the leader, due to getting lost on the first part of the stage.
For Barreda, though, there is no coming back as the Spaniard was airlifted to hospital with back pain following a crash on his Honda.
Howes said it was a “bummer” to see Barreda mendacity inclined within the sand.
