Dakar 2022: Orlando Terranova wins Stage 6, Nasser Al Attiyah in the driver's seat at half-way mark

Bengaluru, January 8: Team Bahrain Raid Xtreme's (BRX) Orlando Terranova won Stage 6 of FIA 2022 Dakar Rally even as Qatari ace Nasser Al Attiyah extended his overall lead as the Dakar convoy headed to a well deserved rest in Saudi Arabia.

Sweden's Mattias Ekstrom became the third of the Audi Sport team to climb onto the stage podium this year when he finished second, 1min, 6sec off Terranova while Saudi driver Yazeed Al Rajhi came in third, at 1:49, a result that saw him take second place in the overall standings at the expense of nine-time World Rally Championship winner Sebastien Loeb.

Three-time Dakar champion Al Attiyah dominates the general classification, now sitting 50 minutes ahead of his two closest rivals.

The 51-year-old, a 2012 Olympic shooting medallist, who won the most demanding off-road rally in 2011, 2015 and 2019 has finished second in four of the last six years.

Terranova's seventh stage win in 16 Dakars was the second of the rally for the Prodrive Hunter, and for the sustainable Prodrive EcoPower fuel making its debut on this event, reducing CO2 emissions by 80 per cent.

"It was a very nice stage, difficult in places but easier in others as the tracks of the bike from yesterday made it easier, but we kept our concentration and the speed," said Terranova.

With Dakar 2022 at its halfway mark, Al Attiyah holds a healthy lead with the Toyota Gazoo Racing driver and his French co-driver Matthieu Baumel barely putting a foot wrong during the opening six stages.

"We're finishing the first week of Dakar with a good lead," said a beaming Al Attiyah.

Frenchman Loeb has done everything he can to exert maximum pressure on Al Attiyah in the first week of the Dakar. Unfortunately for the WRC legend, he still trails the Qatari by over 50min following Stage 6.

"We got lost after about 100kms and that cost us quite a lot of time. After that we did everything we could to close the gap in front," rued Loeb.

Breathing down Loeb's neck and looking to take his place on the overall podium is Poland's Kuba Przygonski. The biker turned car driver has been inching up the general classification after a tricky start to the rally and now has momentum going into the second half.

"The last part of today's stage was really nice. We were five cars together in the dunes, jumping and having fun," said Przygonski.

The win on the shortened stage for bikes was claimed by Australia's Daniel Sanders of GasGas Factory Racing, although it was not a perfect day for the biker placed third overall.

Sanders is 5min, 35sec back from his team-mate and England's race leader Sam Sunderland in the general classification. Sandwiched between the GasGas riders is Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's lead man Matthias Walkner of Australia in second overall.

It was another 1-2-3 stage result for Team Kamaz Master to wrap up an imperious week for the Russian truckers. Race leader Dmitry Sotnikov extended his lead over team-mate Eduard Nikolaev by 9sec to ensure his overall advantage remains over 10 minutes.

There will be no racing on Saturday (January 8) as the convoy enjoy a well deserved rest day, then there's another 2,000kms against the clock to be navigated in the second week of motorsports' toughest test of endurance.

(With Red Bull/BRX Team Media inputs)