The drivers of the 44th edition of the Rally-Dakar 2022 concluded Stage number 9, characterized by a timed stretch of just under 300 km on a loop circuit around Wadi Ad-Dawasair, crossing the canyons of the Wajid plateau and reaching altitudes between 800 and 1,200 meters.
In the stage that has just ended, the teams took advantage of it for reorganize the ranks and prepare so; to the final sprint . Meanwhile, at the end of the stage, the first to cross the finish line were the pilots of the Toyota team with the Hilux. First of all the driver Giniel De Villiers (the first winner of the Dakar rally in the series of South American editions, with also a record of 18 consecutive participations in which he never prematurely exited the competition) followed then by Henk Lategan, with a very constant pace and a guide free of errors, with the most step; low of the podium occupied by Nasser Al-Attiyah, who maintains the primacy in the general classification.
His contender for the final victory, Sebastien Loeb finished fifth , also preceded by the first of the Audi at the finish line, that of Mattias Ekstrom, winner of the previous challenge. Loeb now has a lead of 34 & # 39; 05 & quot; on Al-Attiyah , also considering the penalty; of five minutes inflicted on the latter after an infringement committed during the eighth stage of Monday.
Apparently, as seen by the commissioners in a video posted on social media, the driver and co-driver of car number 201, Al Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel, weren't wearing their seat belts properly and FHRs (Front Head Restrictor, similar to & # 39; HANS) for & quot; about 1 & # 39; 45 & quot; while the machine was moving.
The video shows Al-Attiyah pausing along the special stage to change a tire. The commissioners have seen that the time needed to leave and return is; “ too short to properly fasten the crew seat belts ''. They asked to review the organizer's onboard cameras to verify what happened .
The commissioners found that “ after getting into the car, the driver engaged the gear and started the vehicle. Also, the video shows that the crew is been engaged for 1 minute and 45 seconds to fasten the seat belts correctly. For a short time, the co-driver even held the wheel to give the driver a chance; to fasten his seat belt & quot ;.
Sixth time for the other Audi of Carlos Sainz at 2 & rsquo; 48 & rdquo; while he closed 8 & deg;, behind Mathieu Serradori's Century, Stephane Peterhansel. Baragwanath and Rome close the Top Ten stage. In the world rally-raid , Al-Attiyah and Loeb have both collected a good number of points: 5 for Nasser and 4 for Loeb, who maintains the top of the table with 32 points against 30 for the Qatari.
[From Nicola Villani's report]
THE RANKINGS
Car Ranking, Stage 9:
1. De Villiers-Murphy (Toyota) in 2h23 & rsquo; 08 & rdquo;
2. Lategan-Cummings (Toyota) at 9 & rdquo;
3. Al Attiyah-Baumel (Toyota) at 1 & rsquo; 04 & rdquo;
4. Ekstrom-Bergkvist (Audi) at 2 & rsquo; 07 & rdquo;
5. Loeb-Lurquin (Hunter) at 2 & rsquo; 11 & rdquo;
6. Sainz-Cruz (Audi) at 2 & rsquo; 48 & rdquo;
7. Serradori-Minaudier (Srt) at 3 & rsquo; 15 & rdquo;
8. Peterhansel-Boulanger (Audi) at 3 & rsquo; 45 & rdquo;
9. Baragwanath-Cremer (Century) at 4 & rsquo; 03 & rdquo;
10. Roma-Bravo (Hunter) at 4 & rsquo; 19 & rdquo;
General classification Dakar 2022:
1. Al Attiyah-Baumel (Toyota) in 30h10 & rsquo; 04 & rdquo;
2. Loeb-Lurquin (Hunter) at 39 & rsquo; 05 & rdquo;
3. Al Rajhi-Orr (Toyota) at 58 & rsquo; 44 & rdquo;
4. Terranova-Carreras (Hunter) at 1h36 & rsquo; 09 & rdquo;
5. De Villiers-Murphy (Toyota) at 1h45 & rsquo; 01 & rdquo;
6. Przygonski-Gottschalk (Mini) at 1h46 & rsquo; 04 & rdquo;
7. Vasilyev-Uperenko (Bmw) at 1h48 & rsquo; 33 & rdquo;
8. Prokop-Chytka (Ford) at 2h04 & rsquo; 28 & rdquo;
9. Halpern-Graue (Mini) at 2h14 & rsquo; 52 & rdquo;
10. Serradori-Minaudier (Srt) at 2h33 & rsquo; 42 & rdquo;
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