Saudi Yazeed Al-Rajhi rebounds from crash to win Dakar Rally 7th stage
RIYADH: Yazeed Al Rajhi rebounded from a costly mishap to win the seventh stage of the Dakar Rally after starting 40th on Saturday.Nasser Al-Attiyah took it easy and finished 19 minutes behind, and retained his overall lead by more than an hour.Al Rajhi crashed on Friday and lost five hours making repairs to his Toyota. He tumbled from third overall to 35th, effectively ending the Saudi’s chances of a podium finish for a second straight year.But he was fast throughout the 333-kilometer special from Riyadh north to Al Duwadimi, that tracked through stony canyons and valleys and finished in dunes.“It wasn’t easy to start from the back and overtake all the little cars, often going left and right in the wadis, but we did a great job,” Al Rajhi said after his fourth career stage win.Vaidotas Zala of Lithuania was second on the stage, nine minutes behind, and Guerlain Chicherit was third.