Qatari driver Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah won the 1st stage of Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge yesterday recording the fastest time of 3h 13m 36s. Overall leader and defending world and Desert Challenge champion Al Attiyah was 6mins 5secs ahead of Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al Rajhi. South African Henk Lategan took third place in another Toyota.
Meanwhile, Frenchman Sebastien Loeb’s hopes of a first victory in the event for Bahrain Raid Xtreme ended in frustration. A cooling hose problem on the 242-km stage between Al Dhannah city and Qasr Al Sarab forced Loeb to return directly to the bivouac.
The nine-time World Rally Champion has now set his sights on the next four stages and the chance to win valuable points in the race for the W2RC driver and team titles.
