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Al Shaybah (Saudi Arabia) (AFP) – Frenchman Sebastien Loeb won the twelfth stage of the Dakar Rally between the Empty Quarter and Shaybah in Saudi Arabia, which is the fifth successive victory for the Bahraini Red Extreme driver and the sixth in this edition.
Loeb, the world rally champion nine times, advanced to second place in the overall standings, behind the Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah, the leader of the standings and the defending champion.
Loeb, whose fifth successive stage win equaled the record set by Finland’s Ari Vatanen in 1989, finished 3 minutes and 19 seconds ahead of Swede Matthias Ekstrom, in the last of the three remaining Audi hybrid cars in the race.
“It was a perfect day: no mistakes, no stops,” said Loeb, adding that his goals changed after the exit of a number of prominent drivers such as Spain’s Carlos Sainz, France’s Stéphane Peterhansel and Saudi Arabia’s Yazid Al-Rajhi.
“We drove really well and the car ran perfectly. Second place is our target, and that’s why we’re fighting.”
The French veteran’s title hopes were dented after a disastrous first week, which saw a string of punctures and rolling mishaps.
The Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah maintained the top of the overall standings, as he finished the stage in third place, 3:31 minutes behind Loeb, but he stayed in the lead by a wide margin from the Frenchman, an hour and 27 minutes.
“It is good to finish the marathon stage and return the car in good condition,” said Al-Attiyah, who previously won the Dakar title in 2011, 2015 and 2019.
“If we finish in the top five every day, that’s good for me, we have a big enough lead. I’m happy with this day and I hope we can continue like this.”
In motorcycles, Chilean Jose Ignacio Cornejo (Honda) won the stage, 49 seconds ahead of Australian Daniel Sanders (Gas Gas), while his fellow countryman Toby Price (KTM) finished third (1:58).
The result was enough for Price to overtake American Skyler Hawes (Husqvarna) in first place in the overall standings, with a slight difference of 0.28 seconds, while Argentine Kevin Benavides occupies third place, 2:40 seconds behind.
Only two stages remain until the end of the Dakar in its 45th edition, which started on December 31 and ends in Dammam on Sunday.
Overall ranking of the top five in the car category:
1- Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota Gazoo Racing) 41:16:25 hours
2- French Sebastien Loeb (Bahrain Red Extreme), 1:27:10m
3- Brazilian Lucas Morais (overdrive), 1:29:11m
4- South African Giniel de Villiers (Toyota Gazoo Racing), a difference of 2:22:21h
5- South African Henk Lategan (Toyota Gazoo Racing), 2:34:21m
Overall ranking of the top five in the motorcycle category:
1- Australian Toby Price (Red Bull KTM) 40:47:36 hours
2- American Skyler Hawes (Husqvarna), 28 seconds behind
3- Argentine Kevin Benavides (Red Bull KTM), a difference of 2:40 minutes
4- Chilean Pablo Quintanya (Monster Energy Honda), 14:54 d
5- Frenchman Adrian van Beveren (Monster Energy Honda), 16:14 d
© 2023 AFP
