Fine start for Qatar’s Al-Attiyah
JEDDAH: Qatar’s Nasser al-Attiyah led the cars in the prologue to the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia on Saturday while American defending champion Ricky Brabec got in the groove with the fastest time on two wheels.
Al-Attiyah, a three-times Dakar winner, completed the 11km timed section in five minutes 48 seconds and was to open the road for Toyota in yesterday’s first stage from the port city of Jeddah to Bisha.
“I’m glad we got the show on the road. The prologue is just an appetiser but it gives us a glimpse of where everyone stands,” he said. “Things get serious tomorrow with a long opening stage.”
South African Brian Baragwanath set the same time as Al-Attiyah in his Century Racing buggy and will start in second place with local hope Yazeed Al-Rajhi third.
Defending champion Carlos Sainz, also a triple Dakar winner, lost time with a puncture in the first kilometre and was 36 seconds off the pace in his X-Raid Mini JCW buggy but happy to get going after days in quarantine.
Frenchman Romain Dumas, a 24
Hours of Le Mans winner, took more than twice as long as Al-Attiyah to complete the prologue and was lagging in 63rd place.
Among the motorcycle riders, Brabec was six seconds faster than Spanish Honda team mate Joan Barreda with Australian rookie Daniel Sanders a further 13 seconds behind on a KTM.
Yesterday’s stage was to feature 277km of timed action, with 286 vehicles entered — 101 motorbikes, 64 cars, 16 quadbikes, 61 lightweight vehicles and 44 trucks.
A further 23 vehicles are taking part in the Dakar Classic for cars and trucks from the 1980s and 1990s.
The 43rd Dakar Rally is the first major motorsport event of 2021, held with strict health measures.
The competitors arrived on approved charter flights after Saudi Arabia closed its borders, with all of them having to quarantine and test negative before joining a ‘bubble’ in which they will spend the next two weeks.