Mathieu Baumel: “Anything can happen, especially with mechanics”

In the game of punctures, the duo Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel (Toyota) did better than the Sébastien crew Loeb and Fabian Lurquin (BRX) with only one puncture compared to two. At the finish, the leaders of the general classification only conceded 7'0" on their pursuers. For Mathieu Baumel, having lost so little time on the Alsatian is good news after this less complicated day than expected before the start.

“We realized during the connection that there was something strange, admits the French co-pilot. Everything was working fine though, so we didn't know what it was. We started the special and 20 kilometers later we had the temperature alarm. We really slowed down knowing there wasn't much we could do. We managed to pass all the dunes like this, which is just miraculous. At neutralization, after 200 kilometers, we were only 9'20" behind Séb (Sébastien Loeb. Editor’s note) and we were relieved. We did well, but you always have to be careful because anything can happen, especially with mechanics. » Despite the circumstances, Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel, leaders of the Cross-Country Rally World Cup, preserved an advantage of 37'58'' with four stages remaining.

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