Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah touches down in the Qatar desert after another flying stage performance.
By Sports Reporter/Sealine, Qatar
Qatar’s Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah, Spaniard Joan Barreda and the host nation’s Mohamed Abu Issa stole the limelight by setting the fastest times in the third 411.76km selective section of the Sealine Cross-Country Rally through the Qatar desert yesterday.
Al-Attiyah duly extended his advantage to 39min 38sec in the car category, Honda rider Barreda managed to slip 1min 19sec ahead of KTM’s Marc Coma in the motorcycle section and Qatar’s Abu Issa increased his lead in the quads after Poland’s Rafal Sonik hit trouble.
Al-Attiyah had no fear of opening the stage for the cars and he and French navigator Matthieu Baumel controlled their pace masterfully to record a third successive stage win, despite erring on the side of caution at a tricky navigational point.
Brazilians Reinaldo Varela and Gustavo Gugelmin were second in an Overdrive Toyota Hilux and the third quickest time for Mini driver Vladimir Vasilyev enabled the Russian to snatch second overall after Yazeed al-Rajhi hit trouble.
“It was a good day and good navigation,” said al-Attiyah. “But there was one place where Matthieu and I were not sure and we decided to stop and make sure we had the correct track. Maybe it cost us around nine minutes, because there was a track to the left and it was not easy at all.”
Al-Rajhi was carrying three spare tyres in his Toyota and he punctured for a fourth time before the dunes at the end of the stage and tried to finish on the rim. He tried to block the rear differential to prevent excess wear, but the resultant damage broke the rear axle and the Saudi was stranded at the foot of the dunes near the finish with a hefty amount of time penalties to follow.
Barreda caught overall leader Marc Coma early in the day’s selective section and the leading group of four motorcycle riders reached the finish together, with Barreda clocking the quickest time of 4hr 53min 43sec to take an unofficial lead of 1min 19sec from Coma.
“The strategy at the start looked to be working well for Paolo (Goncalves) and Marc,” said Barreda. “But I won the first stage and gained that important minute. Now I have the lead and Marc will play catch up tomorrow and then I will have to do the same on Friday. It’s looking good for Honda at the moment.
“There was a place today, after the refuelling, where all six of us took the wrong track and (Jordi) Viladoms and Paolo found the right way. Marc and I were behind for about two minutes but we caught up again. It was not easy.”
Sonik caught and passed Abu Issa before the first passage control in the battle for the quad category, but the Qatari managed to stay with the Pole and surged through to take the stage win, despite two punctures, when Sonik suffered his own problems.
“Very happy in the end, but I had a flat tyre before the refuel and Rafal managed to get away when I changed it,” said Abu Issa, who now leads by over 30 minutes heading into the last two days. “Then, I think he must have had a navigational problem because I did not see him. I rode alone, had another flat tyre after 360km, but I managed to complete the stage and now I have a good lead.”
Today, competitors tackle the penultimate 404.18km loop stage around southern Qatar, before the event reaches a conclusion at Sealine tomorrow afternoon.
Stage classification
Cars
1. Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah (QAT)/Matthieu Baumel (FRA) Mini All4 Racing 4hr 12min 56sec
2. Reinaldo Varela (BRA)/Gustavo Gugelmin (BRA) Toyota Hilux 4hr 18min 54sec
3. Vladimir Vasilyev (RUS)/Konstantin Zhiltsov (RUS) Mini All4 Racing 4hr 22min 09sec
4. Adam Malysz (POL)/Rafal Marton (POL) Toyota Hilux 4hr 24min 35sec
5. Marek Dabrowski (POL)/Jacek Czachor (POL) Toyota Hilux 4hr 26min 50sec
6. Martin Kaczmarski (POL)/Filipe Palmeiro (PRT) Mini All4 Racing 4hr 47min 23sec
Bikes
1. Joan Barreda (ESP) Honda CRF 450 4hr 53min 43sec
2. Marc Coma (ESP) KTM 450 4hr 55min 58sec
3. Helder Rodrigues (PRT) Honda CRF 450 4hr 57min 45sec
4. Jordi Viladoms (ESP) KTM 450 4hr 59min 54sec
5. Paolo Goncalves (PRT) Honda CRF 450 5hr 01min 46sec
6. Sam Sunderland (GBR) KTM 450 5hr 03min 52sec
7. Ruben Faria (PRT) KTM 450 5hr 21min 34sec
Quads
8. Mohamed Abu Issa (QAT) Honda TRX 680 5hr 57min 05sec
11. Rafal Sonik (POL) Honda TRX 700 6hr 26min 29sec
Overall classification
Cars
1. Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah (QAT)/Matthieu Baumel (FRA) Mini All4 Racing 9hr 26min 14sec
2. Vladimir Vasilyev (RUS)/Konstantin Zhiltsov (RUS) Mini All4 Racing 10hr 05min 52sec
3. Adam Malysz (POL)/Rafal Marton (POL) Toyota Hilux 10hr 19min 11sec
4. Marek Dabrowski (POL)/Jacek Czachor (POL) Toyota Hilux 10hr 30min 37sec
5. Martin Kaczmarski (POL)/Filipe Palmeiro (PRT) Mini All4 Racing 10hr 42min 42sec
6. Reinaldo Varela (BRA)/Gustavo Gugelmin (BRA) Toyota Hilux 10hr 51min 24sec
7. Miroslav Zapletal (CZE)/Maciej Marton (POL) Hummer H3 11hr 44min 11sec
8. Andrey Cherednikov (KAZ)/Dmitro Tsyro (KAZ) Toyota 11hr 48min 07sec
Bikes
1. Joan Barreda (ESP) Honda CRF 450 11hr 10min 37sec
2. Marc Coma (ESP) KTM 450 11hr 11min 56sec
3. Jordi Viladoms (ESP) KTM 450 11hr 17min 58sec
4. Paolo Goncalves (PRT) Honda CRF 450 11hr 20min 13sec
5. Helder Rodrigues (PRT) Honda CRF 450 11hr 20min 32sec
6. Sam Sunderland (GBR) KTM 450 11hr 25min 48sec
Quads
8. Mohamed Abu Issa (QAT) Honda TRX 680 13hr 36min 03sec
9. Rafal Sonik (POL) Honda TRX 700 14hr 10min 24sec
Spectator Vantage Points
Today:
n 120.73 km (1st bike 08.00hrs/1st car 09.00hrs) approx.
Doha/Salwa Rd
Leave Salwa Rd at exit 42 turning right
Follow the route for 11.5 km
After passing a bridge over the pipeline, competitors turn right on to a track parallel to the main road. After a passage control they cross the tarmac road.
n 242.85 km (1st bike 09.15hrs/1st car 10.15hrs) approx.
Continue on the same road for another 10 km
After a passage control competitors cross the asphalt road and pass a bridge; 200 m further they leave the main track on an interesting crest (good for photos).
