Dacia driver Nasser Al-Attiyah has lost his victory in Stage 5 of Dakar Rally due to a time penalty, with Toyota rival Seth Quintero promoted to top spot.
Five-time Dakar winner Al-Attiyah had dominated the fifth test between Al’Ula and Ha’il on Thursday to win by 9m59s, but a 10-minute time drop for losing a spare wheel has left him a second behind Quintero.
Dacia has a novel system where the spare wheel is encased within the car and has a quick release mechanism which makes life easier for its crew, but also makes it riskier.
Al-Attiyah remains fourth in the overall standings after the sanction, but now faces a 35-minute deficit to overall leader Henk Lategan of Toyota.
More to follow
In this article
Mario Galán
Dakar
Nasser Al-Attiyah
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