(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
ALASHAN, CHINA: Qatar's Dakar Rally star Nasser Al Attiyah (Qatar) and navigator Mathieu Baumel (France) are on the brink of an historic victory, after winning the penultimate stage of the 2019 Silk Way Rally, between Alashan and Jiayuguan in China, yesterday.
The pair posted a time of 3hrs 52min 17sec over the 290km-long special stage, increasing their lead to 1hrs 10min 46sec over China's Wei Han, in a Geely SMG Buggy.
'It was a good stage for us today, despite opening the road, said Al Attiyah after parking his South African-built Toyota Hilux safely in the bivouac after the stage.
'Most of the stage consisted of sand, which suits my driving style and it clearly suits the Hilux too.
With that said, the Toyota Hilux crew spent nearly 140km of Stage 9 in second and third gear, dealing with short, sharp dunes that really punished the crew and the car. As ever, the Toyota Hilux again proved its legendary toughness by coming through unscathed; and the crew reckons a good night's rest should put them right for the final stage.
Should Al Attiyah and Baumel win the 2019 Silk Way Rally, it will be the first time that a crew wins both the Dakar Rally and the Silk Way Rally in the same year.
But the ever-pragmatic Glyn Hall, Team Principal of Toyota Gazoo Racing SA, is quick to caution: 'We don't like taking anything for granted in this sport. And Nasser is a true professional. He'll tackle tomorrow's final stage like any other, and only relax once he's safely through.
Cross-Country racing can indeed be cruel, as we saw with Bernhard ten Brink at the Dakar Rally this year. A great performance, brought to a halt when the end was almost in sight. Then again, Al Attiyah's performance in the 2019 Silk Way Rally has been nothing short of perfect.
'Nasser has really shown his class so far, and we certainly don't doubt that he can win the rally, conceded Hall.
'But let's just wait for the final stage before getting excited. The rally is scheduled to end with a bang the final stage has a race distance of 255km, plus liaisons of 301km. Most of the stage will be run over gravel tracks, with some dunes and rocky river crossings also in the mix. 'We'll be opening the road again tomorrow, said Al Attiyah of the final stage.
The final stage will bring the rally to the Chinese city of Jiayuguan, before the crews transit to the city of Dunhuang for the podium finish completing a mammoth event of 5,000km.
MENAFN1607201900630000ID1098763270
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.