Dakar 2022: Loeb wins stage 7, Al Attiyah still in cruise mode

Bengaluru, January 9: Bahrain Raid Xtreme (BRX) Team driver Sebastien Loeb registered a sensational Stage 7 win in FIA Dakar Rally 2022 to keep his hopes alive even as runaway leader Nasser Al Al Attiyah extended his lead in the most-demanding off-road rally in the Saudi Arabian deserts and dunes.

Loeb, the nine-time World Rally Championship (WRC) winner was landing his second win of Dakar 2022 as the gruelling roadtrip across the Saudi Arabian desert resumed after Saturday's (January 8) rest day.

The Frenchman crossed the finish line at the end of the 402kms drive from Riyadh to Al Dawadimi almost five-and-a-half minutes clear of Al Attiyah.

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The Stage 7 result reduced the ace Qatari's outright lead to 44min, 59sec and while the gap is still considerable, Loeb and his French navigator Fabian Lurquin have served a reminder that the battle for victory could go all the way to Friday's (January 14) finish in Jeddah, which is five stages and 1,567kms away.

The French duo notched up the third BRX win in seven stages, and their second of the rally, on a day when team-mates Orlando Terranova and Dani Oliveras in another Prodrive Hunter set the 11th fastest time to rise again to sixth place in the standings.

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"Only half of the rally is done but we tried to push today even though we were a little unlucky towards the end of the stage with a problem when the car stopped. We were very slow at the end and could've gone even quicker," said Loeb, whose car's spare wheel hatch flew open on the Stage 7.

France's Adrien Van Beveren is the new leader of the bike standings after a stage won by Chile's Jose Cornejo Florimo and which proved costly to Sam Sunderland.

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The Briton lined up at the start leading the two-wheeled hunt for Dakar 2022 title, but ended it down in fourth after losing 20 minutes.

Beveren, who arrived at the finish in 11th, is for once enjoying some luck after failing to finish the last four editions.

And after all the blood, sweat and tears for little or no reward, he was understandably moved at his change of fortune.

"After all that's gone before this is such a pleasurable feeling," said the Yamaha rider, fighting back tears.

But while Beveren rides on, for Australian Daniel Sanders, who was lying third overall, this Dakar is over.

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Loeb, the nine-time WRC winner, completed a rewarding day for BRX, Nani Roma and Alex Haro recorded the ninth best time on the stage as the 44th Dakar Rally is approaching its business end.

"Not a bad day at all, but what was difficult was passing one of the buggies, as then he passed us back and kicked up a load of dust with stones, cutting corners, driving all over the road. So for us the navigation wasn't easy at all," said Roma.

"However it's brilliant that there has been another victory for the team with Sebastien and Fabian to make win number three, so that's great to see in the eyes of everyone at BRX when we arrived at the bivouac," the Spaniard added.

(With BRX Team Media inputs)