After a special stage in which Nasser Al-Attiyah said goodbye to any chance of winning the Touareg trophy due to the engine failure of his Hunter, the five-time winner of the toughest race in the world returned to the start in stage 9 of the Dakar 2024. However, in the early stages of the timed route, his vehicle suffered a new failure, forcing him to abandon for the second consecutive day.
The two-time W2RC champion stopped in the first few meters and had to get back on the road at the Al-Ula bivouac with the Prodrive car, which was not yet ready the evening before when Motorsport.com visited him at the Ha' bivouac after the engine broke down. Some sources indicated that he did not have a spare engine, while others claimed that the British manufacturer had another one, and indeed he was able to start the special at 10:15 local time (08:15 Italian time). .
“Shortly after the start, Nasser Al-Attiyah reversed and returned to the road due to a mechanical problem. By abandoning the stage, he was left with only a 'wild card' to restart tomorrow in search of points for the W2RC”, they explained the organizers in a small statement during the ninth stage.
The Qatari's intention was to go and score points for the World Rally-Raid Championship, which consists of only five events, but in each of which there are a series of stages offering small prizes for the best drivers of every day. He therefore hoped to finish in the lead for the rest of the event on Saudi soil, but he also wanted to help a Sebastien Loeb who is fighting for the overall victory against Carlos Sainz.
The gap between the two was less than half an hour at the start of the ninth special stage, so any support from either side could be essential to the outcome of the race, especially as the Spaniard still has two very competitive Audis at the top of the starting list.
#Dakar #AlAttiyah #unlucky #knocked #day #row
