Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Qatari driver Nasser Al Attiyah, a five-time champion, secured his first victory in the 48th edition of the Dakar Rally, held in Saudi Arabia, after winning Stage 6 and taking the lead in the provisional overall standings.
Al Attiyah, driving for the Dacia team, along with his Belgian co-driver Fabien Lorquen, completed the long 915-kilometer sixth stage, which traversed the sand dunes between Hail and Riyadh, including a 326-kilometer special stage, in a time of 3 hours, 38 minutes, and 28 seconds.
The Qatari driver finished first, 2 minutes and 58 seconds ahead of his closest rival and teammate, nine-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb of France, with his co-driver and compatriot Edouard Boulanger in second place, with a time of 3:41:26. American driver Seth Quintero of Toyota, with his co-driver and compatriot Andrew Short, finished third with a time of 3:41:47, 3 minutes and 19 seconds behind the leader.
Thanks to his victory in the sixth stage and Loeb's second-place finish, Al Attiyah leads the provisional overall standings with a total time of 24:18:29, 6 minutes and 10 seconds ahead of South African Henk Lategan of Toyota Racing, and 9 minutes and 13 seconds ahead of Spaniard Nani Roma of Ford Racing.
Loeb moved up from eighth to sixth place, 17 minutes and 36 seconds behind the leader, Al Attiyah.
In his comments, Al Attiyah expressed his delight at winning the sixth stage, noting that he gave his all to finish first, employing a high-pressure driving style that greatly aided his progress.
He explained that it was fantastic to be leading the overall standings halfway through the rally, adding that he intends to maintain this strategy next week as well.
Al Attiyah said things weren't easy at the start of today's stage, but he always tries to drive without encountering problems, especially after suffering several punctures in the last three days of the competition.
It's worth noting that Al Attiyah first won the Dakar Rally in 2011 with Volkswagen, and repeated the feat in 2015 behind the wheel of a Mini, before securing first place with Toyota in 2019, 2022, and 2023.
