Spaniard Nani Roma moved into the lead of the Dakar Rally car standings after a demanding ninth stage across the Saudi Arabian desert, guiding Ford to a one-two finish ahead of fellow Spaniard Carlos Sainz.
Former overall leader and five-time Dakar champion Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar, driving for Dacia, slipped to third after a difficult day but remains firmly in contention, sitting just one minute and 10 seconds behind Roma. South African (SA) driver Henk Lategan, racing for Toyota, is fourth overall, although he now has an additional five minutes to make up.
Sainz said navigation proved particularly challenging during the stage, as cars were forced to take a different route from the motorcycles, leaving drivers without tracks to follow. “At one point it was very difficult to find the way,” he said.
For SA’s Lategan, the stage turned into a frustrating outing. He described it as “a bit of a disaster” after losing his way, suffering a puncture, damaging his windscreen and experiencing power-steering problems.
The Dakar Rally, which concludes on Saturday on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast, marks the opening round of the World Rally-Raid Championship season.
–ChannelAfrica–
