RALLY DAKAR 2024

Al-Attiyah, luxury backpacker for Loeb against Sainz: "Now it's time to support him, we are a team"

Without wanting to talk to anyone and upset about saying goodbye to the Dakar in his terrain, the desert, and before reaching the central point of the race. Nasser Al-Attiyah will not revalidate his crown, barring disaster, after missing two hours and 40 minutes today due to a breakdown.

An arm of the Hunter's front suspension (curiously it had been the rear one that had given both Al-Attiyah and Loeb the most headaches until now) has been the cause of the terminal breakdown that has left the Qatari composed and without his sixth Dakar (it is not known whether due to a breakage or as a result of some overly optimistic maneuver by the pilot).

The fact is that now, with Al-Attiyah two hours and forty minutes away, the race completely changes its approach for the five-time champion. And, curiously, he is going to have to face a hypothesis that was posed to him, in a humorous tone, at the official press conference presenting the race: working for Loeb.

His new car, the Prodrive Hunter, has not responded to Al-Attiyah(image above)

Then he said that he would have no problem doing it and now he is really going to have to act as Loeb's bodyguard... although we will have to see how he combines that bodyguard mission with his ambition to score points for the W2RC World Championship (for which he needs to win stages).

"This is what it is. The first week of the Dakar has been very hard and now what we have to do is support Loeb. We are a team," was the only thing he managed to say at the finish line in Shubaytah.

But... not even in that does Prodrive have an advantage over Audi, which will also have a luxury backpacker, Stéphane Peterhansel, but with two bullets to play its tactical cards: the leader, Carlos Sainz, and the second placed, Mattias Ekström. Whoever plays his cards best will win the game... but that won't be Al-Attiyah.

Enrique Naranjo