January 8, 2015 – As the epic Dakar Rally climbed to a breathtaking 4,800 metres across the Andes, Qatar Rally Team’s Nasser Al-Attiyah delivered an equally breathtaking performance: another stage win, his third of the rally so far, means that Nasser’s lead is back up to more than eight minutes.
Today’s stage, held in the arid Atacama Desert in Chile, introduced competitors to the first of the serious sand dunes they will encounter: huge shifting mountains of sand that can only be conquered with the right amount of experience to read the road precisely.
In these demanding conditions, Nasser and his co-driver Matthieu Baumel excelled, winning the 315-kilometre stage by three minutes and extending their overall lead of the rally.
It was a disastrous stage for the X-raid MINI of Orlando Terranova and the 2008 DKR of Carlos Sainz, who both faced mechanical problems and stopped for repairs.
Honda’s Joan Barreda produced a great performance to take today’s special and solidify his grip on the general classification in the bikes class, . The Spaniard put a further two minutes into Marc Coma and opened a chasm between himself and the other contenders.
Results of SS4:
1. Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Matthieu Baumel (F) Qatar Rally Team 3hr 09min 18sec
2. Nani Roma (E)/Michel Perin (F) Mini 3hr 11min 58sec
3. Giniel de Villiers (RSA)/Dirk von Zitzewitz (D) Toyota 3hr 12min 15sec
4. Yazeed Al-Rahji (SAU)/Timo Gottschalk (D) Toyota 3hr 12min 43sec
5. Stéphane Peterhansel (F)/J-P Cottret (F) Peugeot 2008 DKR 3hr 15min 06sec
Overall results after SS4:
1 Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Matthieu Baumel (F) Qatar Rally Team 12hr 30min 44sec
2 Giniel de Villiers (RSA)/Dirk von Zitzewitz (D) Toyota 12hr 38min 59sec
3 Yazeed Al-Rahji (SAU)/Timo Gottschalk (D) Toyota 12hr 54min 17sec
4 Bernhard Ten Brinke (NL)/Tom Colsoul (B) Toyota 13hr 13min 16sec
5 Krzysztof Holowczyc (PL)/Xavier Panseri (F) Mini 13hr 14min 14sec