Dakar 2020 – Peterhansel wins by a breath against Al-Attiyah, the race restarted

The Dakar 2020 enters its money time in the second week. The ninth stage, contested between Wadi al Dawasir and Harad (Saudi Arabia) this Tuesday, January 14, tightened the positions at the top of the general classification.

Gone with a bang, Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota) had to react to the domination of the Minis. The Qatari, defending champion alongside Frenchman Mathieu Baumel, was the fastest at the start of the day. 

Unfortunately, it was without counting on the return of “Monsieur Dakar”, Stéphane Peterhansel (Mini). At the wheel of his buggy, the Tricolore delivered an intense mano a mano with the Toyota 4×4 until the finish. 

In the end, the Frenchman, associated with Paulo Fiuza, keeps a tiny advance of 15 seconds! Both crews dropped everyone, including the leaders Carlos Sainz-Lucas Cruz (Mini).

Free from major mechanical glitches and piloting errors since the start, the Spanish duo suffered a first alert in this step. In fact, the former pilot of rally lost more than six minutes, probably due to a puncture. 

Overall, the suspense increases. Sainz-Cruz now have only 24 seconds ahead of Al-Attiyah-Baumel, you might as well say “peanuts” three days before the final arrival. Left slowly, Peterhansel-Fiuza have been scrounging for minutes for a week and only have 6'38'' of expenses remaining. 

Winners yesterday, Mathieu Serradori and Fabian Lurquin (Century) returned to the ranks with almost half an hour lost. The only non-Mini and non-Toyota competitors in the top 10 nevertheless maintain their eighth position in the general classification. 

Dakar 2020 Ranking Stage 9:

General ranking after Step 9: