Dacia Sandriders team wins ninth stage of Dakar Rally
The Dacia Sandriders crew consisting of driver Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Édouard Boulanger, representing Romanian car manufacturer Dacia at the famous Dakar Rally, secured the win in the ninth stage of the race.
Nasser, 54, participated in six Olympic Games and won bronze in 2012 in Men's Skeet. This is his 21st Dakar Rally. Boulanger, a trained engineer and specialized navigator, makes up the other half of the team.
Thanks to the victory, obtained with a comfortable margin of 2 minutes and 47 seconds, the two drivers maintained their fourth place in the provisional overall standings.
"It was a very good day; I'm happy we won the stage, and now, with three days left, we really need to stay focused - everything is possible. It was very clear, a stage without any mistakes; Dacia Sandrider truly flew," said Nasser Al-Attiyah, cited by Profit.ro.
The second Dacia crew, made up of driver Cristina Gutiérrez and co-driver Pablo Moreno, finished the stage in 8th place and holds 94th place in the overall standings.
A third Dacia crew, consisting of famous driver Sébastien Loeb and Fabian Lurquin, was eliminated from the competition following an accident in the third stage.
"It seems like everyone had the same problem as us, as we were quite lost in some sections of the course. But we handled it with the best attitude, didn't lose too much time, and here we are. I'm happy to be in the top 10 because it's always nice to be competitive, and I'm also happy for the team because Nasser won Dacia's first stage, so congratulations to the entire team," added Cristina Gutiérrez.
The Spaniard is the second woman ever to win the Dakar Rally after victory in the Challenger class in 2024.
The ninth stage of the Dakar Rally took place over 357 km, with a connecting distance of another 232 km. The Dacia Sandriders team won after crossing it in 2 hours and 52 minutes. The next stage covers a very short distance of 119 km, with a total course length of 638 km.
The Dakar rally takes place over a period of 10-15 days and consists of one stage per day.
(Photo source: Dakar Rally on X)
