Qatar’s Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah maintained his overall lead at the Rally Argentina (Desafio Ruta 40) despite finishing third in the second stage on Tuesday. The event is penultimate round of the World Rally Raid Championship (W2RC)
Al-Attiyah and his co-driver Mathieu Baumel currently lead the W2RC standings after winning the Sonora Rally in Mexico earlier this season. They are currently 30 points ahead of their nearest competitor in the standings. A good result in Argentina could possibly see them seal a second consecutive W2RC title, following their victory in 2022’s inaugural season.
However on Tuesday, al-Attiyah and Baumel, who had won the prologue and first stage in Argentina, were troubled by a section of extra-soft dunes between 250 and 270km on Tuesday. It included a fiendish 10km stretch in which the Toyota trio of al-Attiyah, Saudi driver Yazeed al-Rajhi and young Argentinian Juan Cruz Yacopini got stuck. But in the end Yacopini came out on top, finishing 10:42 seconds ahead of al-Attiyah. The reigning World champion al-Attiyah, who has announced that this will be his last race for Toyota, held on to the overall lead by the skin of his teeth. Yacopini is now just 17 seconds behind al-Attiyah, with al-Rajhi third 16:31 seconds behind. Three more stages remain in Argentina Rally.
Qatar’s Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah in action during the third stage at the Rally Argentina (Desafio Ruta 40) on Tuesday.
Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah
