Irish Motor Sports News – Dakar 2016: Al-Attiyah back among the front runners

Dakar 2016: Al-Attiyah back among the front runners

Jan 08, 2016

– Mikko Hirvonen confirms his performance
– Hirvonen and Al-Attiyah fourth and fifth in the overall standings

Today, the MINI ALL4 Racing crew Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT) / Mathieu Baumel (FRA) delivered in great style. They hadn’t to cope with any mud holes and so, the defending Dakar champions finished third behind Sebastien Loeb and Carlos Sainz. Meanwhile, Finland’s Mikko Hirvonen confirmed yesterday’s remarkable performance by finishing fifth once again. In the overall standings, Hirvonen holds fourth position, right ahead of Al-Attiyah.

Orlando Terranova and Nani Roma, however, encountered another difficult day: following their enormous loss of time in the second special stage they could start further up in the order but on the tight roads across the mountains, overtaking is virtually impossible.

Tomorrow, the MINI ALL4 racing crews and the rest of the field will have to contest the first part of the marathon stage. In the evening, the crews will have to do without their team that already is on its way to Bolivia. Damages must be repaired by the drivers and their navigators alone and so, going easy on the material is crucial. In addition, the 201-kilometre special stage will take the field to an altitude of 3,500 metres above sea level and across sandy and rocky terrain.

Result stage 3
1st S. Loeb (FRA) / D. Elena (MCO) Peugeot – 2h 09m 39s
2nd C. Sainz (ESP) L. Cruz (ESP) Peugeot – 2h 11m 02s
3rd N. Al-Attiyah (QAT) / M. Baumel (FRA) MINI ALL4 Racing – 2h 11m 04s
4th G. de Villiers (ZAF) / D. von Zitzewitz (GER) Toyota – 2h 11m 41s
5th M. Hirvonen (FIN) / M. Périn (FRA) MINI ALL4 Racing – 2h 12m 28s
…
12th O. Terranova (ARG) / B. Graue (ARG) MINI ALL4 Racing – 4h 15m 22s
13th J. Roma (ESP) / A. Haro (ESP) MINI ALL4 Racing – 4h 32m 34s

Overall standings with three stages contested(20:20 CET)
1st S. Loeb (FRA) / D. Elena (MCO) Peugeot – 6h 01m 42s
2nd G. de Villiers (ZAF) / D. von Zitzewitz (GER)Toyota – 6h 06m 45s
3rd S. Peterhansel (FRA) / J.-P. Cottret (FRA) Peugeot – 6h 06m 57s
4th M. Hirvonen (FIN) / M. Périn (FRA) MINI ALL4 Racing – 6h 07m 34s
5th N. Al-Attiyah (QAT) / M. Baumel (FRA) MINI ALL4 Racing – 6h 08m 21s
…
23rd O. Terranova (ARG) / B. Graue (ARG) MINI ALL4 Racing – 6h 37m 42s
30th J. Roma (ESP) / A. Haro (ESP) MINI ALL4 Racing – 6h 56m 05s

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