Al-Rajhi and Gottschalk win in stunning finish
January 11, 2015
Saudi Arabia's Yazeed Al-Rajhi and German co-pilot Timo Gottschalk claimed their first ever stage win in a spectacular sand dune finish in Iquique on Sunday, breaking Mini's dominance on this year's race. Al-Rajhi finished with a time of three hours, 26 minutes and 49 seconds. Saturday's stage winner Orlando Terranova from Argentina was in second in his Mini, crossing the line over a minute behind.
While the Toyota driver, in his first ever Dakar Rally, celebrated his historical achievement in the world's toughest rally, race leader Nasser Al-Attiyah did enough in his Mini to finish in third, consolidating his position at the top of the driver standings. The man from Qatar even gained a few seconds on his South Africa pursuer Giniel de Villiers (Toyota), who finished fourth. Al-Attiyah now has almost an eight-and-a-half minute lead over de Villiers in the race for top spot.
Before this stage win for Al-Rajhi's Toyota, Mini had secured a win in each of the previous stages.
Sunday's 784 kilometers of timed racing took Al-Rajhi and the rest of the car competitors from Bolivia's salt flats in Uyuni to the dunes of the Chilean Pacific coastal city of Iquique.
Monday is the final and only rest day for the car drivers ahead of Saturday's finish in Buenos Aires.
jh/asz (dpa)