Al-Attiyah keeps it steady in daunting Empty Quarter to maintain Dakar lead after Stage 10

Stage 10 of this year's Dakar Rally moved to one of the most feared locations in the Saudi Arabian desert: the Empty Quarter. The stage was a massive 510km long, but stage winners Sebastien Loeb and co-driver Fabian Lurquin needed only 1hr 48min and 32sec to complete it.

Over at the South African Toyota Gazoo Racing team, lead driver Nasser Al-Attiyah from Qatar and French co-driver Mathieu Baumel pulled their GR DKR Hilux T1+ in the fourth-quickest time - just under six minutes after the stage winners.

"It was a short stage, but it was a tough one! It took us a long time to complete the stage, but I'm happy to be into the proper dunes now," Al-Attiyah said after the day's racing.

"I also think today was a good test day for the next two days, and we know exactly what we need to do for the Marathon Stage. But the most important step today was to finish the stage without any problems, which is exactly what we did."

Al-Attiyah/Baumel maintain their lead atop the general standings with a 1hr 21min 34sec advantage. Four stages remain before the race concludes on Sunday, 15 January, in the coastal city of Dammam.

A steady day

For the two remaining TGR crews, it was a day to limit the damage.

Giniel de Villiers and Dennis Murphy started Stage 10 ahead of Al-Attiyah/Baumel, given their higher finishing position in Stage 9. However, they supported the race leaders and allowed the leading Hilux T1+ to pass them early in the stage.

They went 22nd-fastest on the day, losing 12min 24sec to Loeb/Lurquin.

Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings recorded the ninth-fastest time in Stage 10, following the extreme difficulties they endured in the previous stage. They crossed the finish line just over two minutes after Al-Attiyah/Baumel.

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