ASO Press release
Nasser Al Attiyah (Hummer) takes stage 7 victory, while Stéphane Peterhansel (MINI) stays in first position in overall classification.
Nasser Al-Attiyah is gradually upping his game and is now on a quest to climb up the general classification which could see him crack the top 5, especially if he is able to keep up today's infernal pace.
The eleventh driver to start this morning and his Hummer already held the sixth best time at the end of the first part of the special (km 143). He then morphed into the Usain Bolt of the desert and overtook five cars in the last 200 kilometres. And not just any cars: De Villiers' Toyota, Sousa's Great Wall and Leal dos Santos and Novitskiy's Minis. This earned him his 14th stage win at the Dakar and reduced by 7min53sec the gap with Stéphane Peterhansel, who defended his overall lead.
Having a fighting spirit is obviously a shared value at Team Gordon. Just like his star draftee, team boss Robby produced a stunning performance. He lost some time at the beginning of the stage and only held the 42nd best time at km 31. But the Californian crossed the finish line after a spectacular drive, placing another Hummer behind Al-Attiyah's in the special classification, with the symbolic satisfaction of having beaten the Minis, including Peterhansel.
In the general classification, as of the rest day the Frenchman still seems on track to take his 10th win at the rally. The gaps behind him are very small, with Krzysztof Hołowczyc 1min22sec back and Robby Gordon 13min09sec back in third. The Hummers have not had their final say yet.
Emiliano Spataro may not figure in the top five finishers, but he had a good excuse. He took 19 hours to complete the stage because transmission problems forced him to spend the night in the desert. Bright and early Saturday morning, he was able to hit the road and make it back to service, where the competition takes a day off.
Results Day 7 – Dakar rally (Copiapo-Copiapo)
1. Nasser Al Attiyah (Hummer) en 3h26’57’’
2. Robby Gordon (Hummer) +7’30’’
3. Stéphane Peterhansel (MINI) +7’53’’
4. Krzysztof Holowczyc (MINI) +14’57’’
5. Juan Roma (MINI) +15’19’’
Etc.
Overall standings
1. Stéphane Peterhansel (MINI) en 15h32’53’’
2. Krzysztof Holowczyc (MINI) +11’22’’
3. Robby Gordon (Hummer) +13’09’’
4. Juan Roma (MINI) +18’05’’
5. Giniel de Villiers (Toyota) +34’07’’
Etc.
Nasser Al Attiyah (Hummer) takes stage 7 victory, while Stéphane Peterhansel (MINI) stays in first position in overall classification.
Nasser Al-Attiyah is gradually upping his game and is now on a quest to climb up the general classification which could see him crack the top 5, especially if he is able to keep up today's infernal pace.
The eleventh driver to start this morning and his Hummer already held the sixth best time at the end of the first part of the special (km 143). He then morphed into the Usain Bolt of the desert and overtook five cars in the last 200 kilometres. And not just any cars: De Villiers' Toyota, Sousa's Great Wall and Leal dos Santos and Novitskiy's Minis. This earned him his 14th stage win at the Dakar and reduced by 7min53sec the gap with Stéphane Peterhansel, who defended his overall lead.
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| Nasse Al-Attiyah's Hummer (Photo: Sport Ripple's web) |
Having a fighting spirit is obviously a shared value at Team Gordon. Just like his star draftee, team boss Robby produced a stunning performance. He lost some time at the beginning of the stage and only held the 42nd best time at km 31. But the Californian crossed the finish line after a spectacular drive, placing another Hummer behind Al-Attiyah's in the special classification, with the symbolic satisfaction of having beaten the Minis, including Peterhansel.
In the general classification, as of the rest day the Frenchman still seems on track to take his 10th win at the rally. The gaps behind him are very small, with Krzysztof Hołowczyc 1min22sec back and Robby Gordon 13min09sec back in third. The Hummers have not had their final say yet.
Emiliano Spataro may not figure in the top five finishers, but he had a good excuse. He took 19 hours to complete the stage because transmission problems forced him to spend the night in the desert. Bright and early Saturday morning, he was able to hit the road and make it back to service, where the competition takes a day off.
Results Day 7 – Dakar rally (Copiapo-Copiapo)
1. Nasser Al Attiyah (Hummer) en 3h26’57’’
2. Robby Gordon (Hummer) +7’30’’
3. Stéphane Peterhansel (MINI) +7’53’’
4. Krzysztof Holowczyc (MINI) +14’57’’
5. Juan Roma (MINI) +15’19’’
Etc.
Overall standings
1. Stéphane Peterhansel (MINI) en 15h32’53’’
2. Krzysztof Holowczyc (MINI) +11’22’’
3. Robby Gordon (Hummer) +13’09’’
4. Juan Roma (MINI) +18’05’’
5. Giniel de Villiers (Toyota) +34’07’’
Etc.