Calama, Chile: Defending champion Nani Roma gained a consolation victory in the Dakar Rally ninth stage as Qatari Nasser Al Attiyah increased his overall lead after “a terrible mistake” by main rival Giniel de Villiers.
Spain’s Roma – whose hopes of a second straight overall win evaporated on the first stage because of electrical failure – completed the 538 kilometre (450km timed) drive from the Chilean Pacific coastal city of Iquique to Calama in the Andes six-and-a-half minutes clear of Al Attiyah.
The 2011 Dakar winner’s bold showing bolstered his bid for a second title.
Mini thought they had sealed a 1-2-3 in the stage but their hopes were dashed late on in the day as Frenchman Guerlain Chicherit, who started the stage in a lowly 70th spot, recorded a superb time to snatch third in a Buggy.
Al Attiyah has a near 24-minute cushion over Toyota’s South African driver de Villiers, who was kicking himself after losing his way, eventually taking fourth.
De Villiers blamed “a terrible, terrible navigation mistake” on his unscheduled and unwanted driveabout in the Chilean countryside.
“That’s cost us the race,” he lamented. “You know, sometimes it goes like this in the Dakar and there’s nothing you can do about it.
“It’s not impossible for Nasser to make a mistake, but with the lead he has now he can take it really easy.”
With four days to come before finish in Buenos Aires Al Attiyah can now start to realistically contemplate his second title.
“It was not easy, but, ok, I think we made a good job of it and I hope it will be enough to win the Dakar,” said the driver who has represented Qatar in shooting at the Olympics.
In third in the drivers standings comes Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al Rajhi in another Toyota, 40 minutes behind Al Attiyah.
Mini’s domination of podium was completed by Russian Vladimir Vasilyev.
In the bikes section, Portugal’s Helder Rodrigues claimed his second stage win of 2015 as Marc Coma had his overall lead cut by three minutes.
Rodrigues crossed the finish line in the Andes almost four minutes clear of his team-mate and fellow countryman Paul Goncalves.
In third came Coma, whose advantage over Goncalves in the riders’ title race is now only five-and-a half minutes.
In third in the overall standings is Chile’s Pablo Quintanilla – who won Monday’s marathon stage on home turf – almost half an hour adrift of the front pair.
Joan Barreda, who saw his Dakar rally dream go up in smoke with engine trouble in the eighth stage, lost a further 20 minutes overall.
Today’s 10th stage is a 358km timed run from Calam across the Argentine border to Salta. Rally ends on Saturday.AFP
