The Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah, already winner the day before the 2nd stage, won the 3rd stage of the Dakar 2021 on Tuesday at the wheel of his Toyota, a loop of 629 kilometers, including 403 of special at the start and finish of Wadi ad-Dawasir in southern Saudi Arabia.
Winner of the prologue and the second stage, Al-Attiyah concluded the third special with a lead of 2 min 27 seconds over another Toyota, that of South African rookie Henk Lategan.
Stéphane Peterhansel (Mini) finished 3rd, at 4:05, and retained his first place in the general classification.
The French, holder of the record for victories (13) in the famous rally-raid, is only five minutes ahead of Al-Attiyah, now 2nd overall.
Another Frenchman, Mathieu Serradori, who rides in a Century buggy, is 3rd in the provisional general classification, but is already 26 min 21 sec behind Peterhansel.
The Spaniard Carlos Sainz, winner of the event in 2020, fell to 4th place overall, 33 min 34 sec from Peterhansel, after giving up precious minutes during this 3rd stage, losing track for more than two kilometers.
In motorcycles, the Australian Toby Price (KTM) won with a time of 3 h 33 min 23 sec after a spectacular ascent through the dunes and technical passages to catch up with the Argentinian Kevin Benavides ( Honda) on the wire.
On arrival, Price, winner of the event in 2016 and 2019, edged Benavides by just 1 min 16 sec.
The Austrian Matthias Walkner (KTM) took 3rd place, 2 min 36 sec behind the winner of the day.
The longest day Wednesday
The general classification has a new leader with the American Skyler Howes (KTM) who finished 4th in the stage 6 min 16 sec behind Price.
He is ahead of Kevin Benavides by 33 sec and Frenchman Xavier de Soultrait by 1 min 28 sec, while Spaniard Joan Barreda Bort, leader at the start of this 3rd stage, has demoted to 8th place overall, at 9:02 Howes sec.
On Wednesday, the competitors will take the start of the longest stage of this 43rd edition, 813 kilometers taking into account the connections, from Wadi Ad Dawasir.
AUTOS
Classification of the 3rd stage:
1. Nasser Al-Attiyah / Matthieu Baumel (QAT / FRA / Toyota) 3 h 17:39.
2. Henk Lategaan / Henk Lategan / Brett Cummings (RSA / RSA / RSA / Toyota) at 2:27.
3. Stéphane Peterhansel / Edouard Boulanger (FRA / FRA / Mini) 4:05.
4. Yasir Seaidan / Alexey Kuzmich (KSA / RUS / Century) 7:09.
5. Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi / Xavier Panseri (UAE / FRA / Peugeot) 12:31.
6. Sébastien Loeb / Daniel Elena (FRA / MON / Brx) 13:14.
7. Martin Prokop / Viktor Chytka (CZE / CZE / Ford) 13:42.
8. Mathieu Serradori / Fabian Lurquin (FRA / BEL / Century) 16:05.
9. Wei Han / Min Liao (CHN / CHN / Smg) 17:49.
10. Cyril Despres / Michael Horn (FRA / SUI / Peugeot) 19:05.
General classification after the 3rd stage:
1. Stéphane Peterhansel / Edouard Boulanger (FRA / FRA / Mini) 10 h 39:02.
2. Nasser Al-Attiyah / Matthieu Baumel1 (QAT / FRA / Toyota) at 5:09.
3. Mathieu Serradori / Fabian Lurquin (FRA / BEL / Century) 26:21.
4. Carlos Sainz / Lucas Cruz (ESP / ESP / Mini) 33:34.
5. Jakub Przygonski / Timo Göttschalk (POL / GER / Toyota) 44:22.
(penalty: 2:00.)
6. Sébastien Loeb / Daniel Elena (FRA / MON / Brx) 45:49.
7. Henk Lategaan / Henk Lategan / Brett Cummings (RSA / RSA / RSA / Toyota) 47:25.
(penalty: 4:00.)
8. Yasir Seaidan / Alexey Kuzmich (KSA / RUS / Century) 51:50.
(penalty: 2:00.)
9. Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi / Xavier Panseri (UAE / FRA / Peugeot) 52:08.
10. Martin Prokop / Viktor Chytka (CZE / CZE / Ford) 56:30.
(penalty: 1:00.)
MOTORCYCLES
Classification of the 3rd stage:
1.Toby Price (AUS / Ktm) 3:33:23.
2.Kevin Benavides (ARG / Honda) at 3:16.
(penalty: 2:00.)
3.Matthias Walkner (AUT / Ktm) 4:36.
(penalty: 2:00.)
4.Skyler Howes (USA / Ktm) 7:16.
(penalty: 1:00.)
5.Sam Sunderland (GBR / Ktm) 8:24.
6 Xavier De Soultrait (FRA / Husqvarna) 8:50.
7.Franco Caimi (ARG / Yamaha) 10:04.
8.Daniel Sanders (AUS / Ktm) 11:22.
9.Rui Goncalves / Rui Jorge Goncalves Dias (POR / POR / Sherco Factory) 12:19.
10.Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo (CHI / Honda) 13:09.
General classification after the 3rd stage:
1.Skyler Howes (USA / Ktm) 12h 05:48.
(penalty: 1:00.)
2.Xavier De Soultrait (FRA / Husqvarna) at 28.
3.Toby Price (AUS / Ktm) 52.
4.Kevin Benavides (ARG / Honda) 1:33.
(penalty: 2:00.)
5.Sam Sunderland (GBR / Ktm) 4:27.
6.Ross Branch (BOT / Yamaha) 6:14.
7.Luciano Benavides (ARG / Husqvarna) 6:56.
(penalty: 1:00.)
8.Joan Barreda Bort (ESP / Honda) 8:02.
9.Adrien Van Beveren (FRA / Yamaha) 8:09.
10.Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo (CHI / Honda) 8:24.
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