Victim of a very serious accident at the end of January while assisting an accident-stricken car on the roadside, the French co-driver who has won the Dakar four times had his leg amputated, but he has only one wish: to return to competition as soon as possible.
Nasser Al-Attiyah expressed his dissatisfaction with several issues encountered during this edition of the Dakar Rally by sending a letter to the FIA president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
A contrasting day for the X-Raid Mini team with a stage victory for Guillaume de Mevius but also an accident and retirement for his teammate Guerlain Chicherit.
The second part of the marathon stage allowed the last Dacia driver still in contention for the final victory to show that he will do everything to go for a sixth Dakar.
The Overdrive team driver won the first part of the marathon stage between Al Henakiyah and Alula, while Nasser Al-Attiyah encountered mechanical problems, losing him more than half an hour.
At 19, the Toyota driver became the youngest stage winner in Dakar history while Sébastien Loeb rolled his car in the first kilometers of the special stage.
The second part of the 48-hour race confirmed the trend seen yesterday with the Toyotas in great shape. Noteworthy is Sébastien Loeb's impressive comeback as he recovers after his technical issues.
The first part of the 48-hour race contested over two days smiled upon the desert foxes Yazeed Al Rajhi and Nasser Al-Attiyah, while presenting numerous difficulties for other favorites.
The young American driver set the fastest time on a stage where the favourites for victory favoured strategy over performance on the eve of the 48-hour stage.