Peterhansel and Al-Attiyah cut deficit to Sainz ahead of last stage

posted:

17/01/2020

Dakar Rally car battle down to wire as defending bike champion Price now third

Here is all you need to know:

- Two-time winner Sainz had carved out a healthy 18m 10s lead over Qatari Al-Attiyah and 18m 26s over Frenchman Peterhansel, but his two main rivals have 10 Dakar titles between them and they made sure the inaugural Saudi Arabian edition goes down to the wire.

- Thirteen-time Dakar bike and car champion Peterhansel edged out Toyota driver Al-Attiyah by 10 seconds over the 744km stage 11 from Shubaytah to Haradh with Sainz 8m 3s behind Peterhansel in his MINI Buggy to set up a grandstand finish on Friday.

Nasser Al-Attiyah

- Peterhansel, 54, admitted: "We pushed all day long and we gained some time, but not enough. Now, if Carlos can bring it home, it'll be great for the team."

- Sainz, 57, declared: "It's good to have put the marathon stage behind us. Just one day to go. I'll keep an eye on the gaps and stay focused for tomorrow."

Stephane Peterhansel

- Poland's Kuba Przygonski finished fifth on the day with 2009 winner Giniel de Villiers behind him in sixth as the South African lies fifth overall ahead of the final stage.

- In the bikes, 2018 champion Matthias Walkner finished nine seconds behind stage winner Pablo Quintanilla of Chile to move up to fourth in the standings.

- Argentine Luciano Benavides was third on Thursday with Australian Price's fifth-placed finish elevating him to third overall as Spaniard Joan Barreda slipped back.

- Price, 32, explained: "Honda just needs to protect their lead. The guys are riding fast and riding smart. We're doing our best, we're trying to keep in the fight."

Carlos Sainz

- Defending SxS champion Chaleco Lopez was back in the groove as he put his foot down to win the stage by 10m 53s with American Blade Hildebrand back in 18th as compatriot Mitch Guthrie Jr. suffered a mechanical, but American Casey Currie still holds a big overall lead.

- Russian Andrey Karginov extended his overall truck lead to 39m 33s over Team Kamaz Master colleague Anton Shibalov with a second Dakar title in his sights.