JEDDAH (Reuters) - Sebastien Loeb took his fifth stage win in a row to slot into second overall in the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia on Friday as Toyota’s reigning champion Nasser Al-Attiyah continued his cruise towards a fifth title.
Nine times world rally champion Loeb, racing for the Bahrain Raid Xtreme team, finished the marathon 12th stage from Empty Quarter to Shaybah three minutes and 19 seconds clear of Audi’s Mattias Ekstroem.
The Frenchman, who has won six stages in total on this year’s event, is now an hour and 27 minutes behind Qatar’s Al-Attiyah with two stages remaining before the rally ends in Dammam on Sunday.
Al-Attiyah was third on the stage and can afford to lose time while controlling the race.
“It’s good to finish the marathon stage and bring the car back in good condition. If we finish in the top five each day, that’s OK for me, we have a big enough lead,” commented the Qatari.
Loeb became the second driver in Dakar history to win five stages in a row, matching the feat of Finland’s Ari Vatanen in 1989, and is on course to equal his best ever Dakar finish.
“It was a perfect day: no mistakes, no stalling, no about turns. We drove well and the car worked perfectly. Second place is our goal, that’s why we’re pushing,” said the Frenchman, whose chances of winning disappeared in the early stages.