January 11, 2016 – As the Nasser Al-Attiyah’s Red Bull-backed Mini was serviced at the rest day in Salta yesterday, during which the mechanics essentially strip and re-build the cars, Nasser himself was in attendance to oversee the whole process. It’s typical of the attention to detail that has made him an Olympic medallist as well as a Dakar champion.
Currently fourth overall, Nasser and his French co-driver Mathieu Baumel are aiming to move up the order despite the pace of this year’s all-conquering Peugeot team: which has won every proper stage of the Dakar Rally so far.
Some people would be discouraged by such dominance, but is Nasser giving up? Not for one minute…
Nasser, Peugeot seems to have a big pace advantage at the front. Is that a surprise for you?
“They’ve done a very good job and we expected them to be quick. It’s not so much a surprise for me. I thought they would be fast and this has proved to be the case. Congratulations to them: they have worked hard to achieve this.”
What can you do to fight against them?
“We are sticking to our plan. At the moment we are 17 minutes behind the leader and on the Dakar this is really nothing. We have been pushing hard and absolutely anything can happen. I have complete confidence in the performance and reliability of my car, and in my team, so I believe we still have the opportunity to win.”
What happens during the rest day?
“The car gets rebuilt basically: they change everything, so it’s like we start with a brand new car. The mechanics are working so hard all the time, so I like to be here as well with them. Then we have a small test drive before we set off tomorrow and I like to do this myself, to see how everything is working.”
What do you enjoy most about the rest day?
“It’s nice actually to be able to spend a bit of time with people and hear how the Dakar has gone for them so far and listen to their stories. When you are racing there’s less of a chance to do that. The rest day is actually quite sociable: I have been invited to have dinner with so many people. Maybe I will have my starter in one place, my main course somewhere else, and then dessert in another place!”
It looks like you’re pushing harder than you’ve ever done. Is that the case?
“Yes of course. We had the lead at the rest day last year and now we’re here with fourth overall. So you have to push everywhere; we want to make up as much time as we can. We still have the capability to win, but we have to push if we want to achieve it. We don’t give up: we need to keep the Peugeot drivers under pressure. I am sure we can still do something good here.”
Next we go to some desert stages: are those particularly good for you? Which days are you looking forward to most?
“I’m looking forward to every stage and every kilometre. We need them all if we are going to do well. Our plan is to show everything we can do.”