(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Qatar's Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah and his French co-driver Mathieu Baumel registered a 'useful victory in the inaugural Andalucia Rally Saturday as the three-time champion preps for the next edition of Dakar Rally.
Driving a Toyota Hilux for Toyota Gazoo Racing, al-Attiyah was a class apart for much of the four-day off-road event that ran for the first time in the remote rural region between Malaga, Seville and Jerez.
Nasser Al-Attiyah & Matthieu Baumel celebrate the win
A 10-minute penalty for a speeding violation cost Saudi Arabia's Yazeed al-Rajhi a potential victory after the third stage and he reached the finish 7min 17sec behind runner-up Carlos Sainz, with al-Attiyah securing victory over the Spaniard by a margin of 3min 14sec.
Organised in a short period of time to replace the Rally of Morocco — that was cancelled as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic the Andalucia Rally utilised all the necessary safety protocols and became a superb shakedown arena for teams making preparations for the forthcoming Dakar Rally.
Al-Attiyah and Baumel won the super special, and the second and third stages on their way to victory.
'This is a great victory for Mathieu, myself and all the team and a very useful event before the Dakar, said Al-Attiyah. 'It was the first time I came here to Andalucia. The scenery was magnificent. I thank David Castera and the organising team for bringing us all together. It's like a mini-Dakar!
Dutchman Bernhard Ten Brinke and his Belgian navigator Tom Colsoul were in contention for a podium finish until their Toyota sustained a broken drive shaft on the third stage. Ten Brinke clocked the second fastest time on the final day but the damage had been done the previous day.
Fellow countryman Erik Van Loon had been holding seventh overall with French co-driver Sébastien Delaunay until he suffered a broken rear suspension arm on the third stage and slipped out of contention for the top five. The Dutchman was classified seventh on the last stage.
American Mitch Guthrie and Norwegian co-driver Ole Floene claimed victory for the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team in the T3 category.
On Friday, the third selective section should have run for 233km across more open and flatter terrain with few trees and faster straights. But the special was shortened on safety grounds.
Initially the stage win and the outright lead was handed to al-Rajhi, but race officials later handed the Saudi a 10-minute time penalty for a speeding infringement and that gifted the advantage and the stage win to al-Attiyah.
The Qatari, therefore, took a 6min 48sec lead over Sainz into the final stage with al-Rajhi pushed down to third position, 9min 37sec adrift. Both Ten Brinke and Van Loon fell out of contention with driveshaft issues and a broken low rear suspension arm, respectively.
Al-Attiyah said: 'We pushed very hard. We knew it wouldn't be easy being the first car on the road. We only made one mistake. The digital road book is fantastic and Mathieu is happy because it is not moving around.
Al-Attiyah held his nerve to record the third quickest time and confirm the outright win with al-Rajhi coming home in fourth to confirm third overall.
Overall classification
1. Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah (QAT)/Matthieu Baumel (FRA) Toyota Hilux 8hrs 59min 09sec
2. Carlos Sainz (ESP)/Lucas Cruz (ESP) MINI John Cooper Works Buggy 9hrs 02min 23sec
3. Yazeed al-Rajhi (SAU)/Dirk von Zizewitz (DEU) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 9hrs 09min 40sec
4. Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA)/Edouard Boulanger (FRA) MINI John Cooper Works Rally 9hrs 24min 35sec
5. Yasir Saeidan (SAU)/Omar al-Lahim (SAU) MINI All4 Racing 9hrs 41min 12sec
6. Cristina Gutierrez (ESP)/Ignacio Garcia (ESP) MINI All4 Racing 9hrs 41min 17sec
7. Felix Dieguez (ESP)/José Luis Lamela (ESP) Toyota Hilux 9hrs 42min 13sec
8. Isidre Esteve (ESP)/José Maria Valcarcel (ESP) Toyota Hilux 9hrs 51min 22sec
9. Paulo Ferreira (PRT)/Jorge Monteiro (PRT) Toyota Hilux 9hrs 51min 45sec
10. Aron Domzala (POL)/Maciej Marton (POL) Can-Am Maverick X3 (1st - T4) 9hrs 53min 17sec
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