Dakar 2022: Loeb wins stage 7, Al Attiyah still in cruise mode

Loeb,
the
nine-time
World
Rally
Championship
(WRC)
winner
was
landing
his
second
win
of
Dakar
2022
as
the
gruelling
roadtrip
across
the
Saudi
Arabian
desert
resumed
after
Saturday’s
(January
8)
rest
day.

The
Frenchman
crossed
the
finish
line
at
the
end
of
the
402kms
drive
from
Riyadh
to
Al
Dawadimi
almost
five-and-a-half
minutes
clear
of
Al
Attiyah.

Dakar
2022
review:
Nasser
Al
Attiyah
dominates
first
week

The
Stage
7
result
reduced
the
ace
Qatari’s
outright
lead
to
44min,
59sec
and
while
the
gap
is
still
considerable,
Loeb
and
his
French
navigator
Fabian
Lurquin
have
served
a
reminder
that
the
battle
for
victory
could
go
all
the
way
to
Friday’s
(January
14)
finish
in
Jeddah,
which
is
five
stages
and
1,567kms
away.

The
French
duo
notched
up
the
third
BRX
win
in
seven
stages,
and
their
second
of
the
rally,
on
a
day
when
team-mates
Orlando
Terranova
and
Dani
Oliveras
in
another
Prodrive
Hunter
set
the
11th
fastest
time
to
rise
again
to
sixth
place
in
the
standings.

Dakar
2022:
Henk
Lategan
wins
Stage
5,
Sebastien
Loeb
closes
gap
with
Nasser
Al
Attiyah

“Only
half
of
the
rally
is
done
but
we
tried
to
push
today
even
though
we
were
a
little
unlucky
towards
the
end
of
the
stage
with
a
problem
when
the
car
stopped.
We
were
very
slow
at
the
end
and
could’ve
gone
even
quicker,”
said
Loeb,
whose
car’s
spare
wheel
hatch
flew
open
on
the
Stage
7.

France’s
Adrien
Van
Beveren
is
the
new
leader
of
the
bike
standings
after
a
stage
won
by
Chile’s
Jose
Cornejo
Florimo
and
which
proved
costly
to
Sam
Sunderland.

Dakar
2022:
Harith
Noah
conquers
tricky
stage
to
stay
afloat

The
Briton
lined
up
at
the
start
leading
the
two-wheeled
hunt
for
Dakar
2022
title,
but
ended
it
down
in
fourth
after
losing
20
minutes.

Beveren,
who
arrived
at
the
finish
in
11th,
is
for
once
enjoying
some
luck
after
failing
to
finish
the
last
four
editions.

And
after
all
the
blood,
sweat
and
tears
for
little
or
no
reward,
he
was
understandably
moved
at
his
change
of
fortune.

“After
all
that’s
gone
before
this
is
such
a
pleasurable
feeling,”
said
the
Yamaha
rider,
fighting
back
tears.

But
while
Beveren
rides
on,
for
Australian
Daniel
Sanders,
who
was
lying
third
overall,
this
Dakar
is
over.

Dakar
2022:
Orlando
Terranova
wins
Stage
6,
Nasser
Al
Attiyah
in
the
driver’s
seat
at
half-way
mark

Loeb,
the
nine-time
WRC
winner,
completed
a
rewarding
day
for
BRX,
Nani
Roma
and
Alex
Haro
recorded
the
ninth
best
time
on
the
stage
as
the
44th
Dakar
Rally
is
approaching
its
business
end.

“Not
a
bad
day
at
all,
but
what
was
difficult
was
passing
one
of
the
buggies,
as
then
he
passed
us
back
and
kicked
up
a
load
of
dust
with
stones,
cutting
corners,
driving
all
over
the
road.
So
for
us
the
navigation
wasn’t
easy
at
all,”
said
Roma.

“However
it’s
brilliant
that
there
has
been
another
victory
for
the
team
with
Sebastien
and
Fabian
to
make
win
number
three,
so
that’s
great
to
see
in
the
eyes
of
everyone
at
BRX
when
we
arrived
at
the
bivouac,”
the
Spaniard
added.

(With
BRX
Team
Media
inputs)