Qatari Toyota Gazoo driver Nasser Al-Attiyah, who started from fourth place, made his way to victory in the fifth stage of the Saudi Dakar 2023 rally. ” Driver Sébastien Loeb and Audi driver Carlos Sainz of Spain took the second victory of the year. With a difference of almost two minutes, Al-Attiyah finished the stage ahead of Carlos Sainz in second place and Peterhansel in third. Sebastien Loeb encountered a mechanical problem 100 km to finish and lost nearly 15 minutes after being in competitive position throughout the stage, finishing 20 minutes behind Al-Attiyah.
The Qatari Dakar legend continued to dominate the overall automotive category, 22 minutes behind Peterhansel, who moved up to second place, while Saudi driver Yazid Al-Raji fell to third place, 27 minutes behind the leader.
In the motorcycle category, the day after his birthday celebration, French rider Adrien Van Beveren rebuilt his winning streak after missing him from round 11 last year and the Frenchman set the fastest time on today’s round, 13 ahead of his teammate. seconds. Cornejo and American Pass World KTM rider Mason Klein finished the stage in third place, 5 minutes and 13 seconds back.
As a result of today’s results, Australian team Red Bull Gasgas rider Daniel Sanders has dropped from the top of the overall standings to eighth after his disappointing performance today, while US Husqvarna rider Skylar Hawes has climbed to the top of the overall standings in the bike category by just 44 seconds ahead of Argentinian Red Bull KTM rider Kevin Benavidez, who moved up to second, and American Mason Kline moved up to third overall, just 1 minute 40 seconds behind him. leader.
