Nasser Al Attiyah does not abdicate

Varied, interesting, and difficult to navigate, such was the opinion of the pilots on this 600 km special linking Iquique and Antofagasta. An 80 km neutralization in the middle of the course, on a national road, allowed the crews to breathe a little? and therefore attack until the end. In general opinion, the most interesting part was the beginning, in the dunes of Iquique clinging to the side of the mountains.

By following the stage through the passage controls, we quickly realized that no one was widening the gap. Peterhansel and Al Attiyah successively occupied the lead, but it was ultimately the VW driver who won, "Peter" being the victim of a slow puncture towards the end and a slight hesitation in navigation.

At the arrival, Carlos Sainz was a little "grumpy", following a small error from his co-driver, while Al Attiyah, despite his victory, got angry live in front of the cameras, reproaching his teammate Miller for having "corked" him a little in its dust. Order and discipline don't always reign at Volkswagen?

In the general classification, the leading trio is unchanged, still with Sainz, Al Attiyah and Miller, but their closest pursuers are now Chicherit and Peterhansel. The two X-Raid drivers, almost tied, are nevertheless two hours behind the VWs?

The big loser of the day was Carlos Sousa, who remained “planted” for a long time in a dune, and fell to seventh place, just in front of his teammate Spinelli. Finally, let us note the very good performance of Christian Lavieille, who is now in the “top ten”.