Al-Attiyah wins first stage of Dakar rally

Double former champion Qatar's Nasser al-Attiyah won the opening stage of the Dakar Rally between Lima and Pisco yesterday to lead the race in Peru. Al-Attiyah, the winner in 2011 and 2015 is a minute and 59 seconds ahead of Spain's Carlos Sainz in second place, with Poland's Jakub Przygonski a second further behind in third spot after a day of racing on desert tracks. "It's always nice to win and I'm very happy with the car," he said of his high-wheeled, beefed up Toyota. "It' better than last year's model."