The Saudi Yazeed Al-Rajhi conquers a stage without motorcycles and Carlos Sainz returns without options

Al-Attiyah saves the day, lousy again for Audi

MADRID, 7 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Saudi pilot Yazeed Al-Rajhi (Toyota) has won the seventh stage of the Dakar Rally this Saturday, played between Riyadh and Al Duwadimi and without the participation of the motorcycles, in which the Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota) has saved the day opening the track and in which the Spanish Carlos Sainz (Audi) has re-engaged in the test with a harsh penalty after abandoning the stage on Friday.

The man from Madrid, three-time winner of the Dakar (2010, 2018 and 2020), had to retire on Friday's stage due to a technical problem with his Audi RS Q e-tron E2, a mishap that cost him a 28-hour and 45-hour penalty. minutes and that left him with no options to qualify for his fourth title in the toughest 'raid' in the world.

This Saturday, after a long night of repairs, he started in 68th place in the special and passed fourth, two seconds behind his teammate Mattias Ekström, by kilometer 38. He moved up to second place at the second timed point, 90km, just 14 seconds behind Yazeed Al Rajhi.

Ekström, who had managed to take the lead halfway through the stage, was slowed down by a technical problem in his Audi and it was Guerlain Chicherit who climbed to the provisional lead while Sainz and his co-driver Lucas Cruz stopped to help him; With this new mishap after those of the 'Matador' and Stéphane Peterhansel, Audi is left with no real options to win the general.

Finally, the Saudi Yazeed Al-Rajhi (Toyota) managed to prevail in the shortened stage of 333 kilometers of special with a time of 2:45:56, 3:14 ahead of Chicherit and with a 6:48 advantage over the Lithuanian Vaidotas. Zala.

Meanwhile, Al Attiyah finished twelfth, 13:46 behind the stage winner and gave up 5:46 to the South African Henk Lategan, second overall, more than an hour (1:01:04) behind the Qatari driver. Brazilian Lucas Moraes (Toyota) is third at 1:11:24.

For their part, the organizers canceled the special in the motorcycle category due to "today's weather difficulties and the high level of fatigue observed among all the riders in the category."

This Sunday, the participants will play the eighth stage, as it has been rescheduled, that is, with the special stage 7 of the initial route, reduced to 345 kilometers. The American Skyler Howes is the leader of the general of two wheels.