Qatar's Nasser Al Attiyah drives his Prodrive Hunter during Stage 1 of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, yesterday.
Doha, Qatar: Qatar’s rally legend Nasser Al Attiyah yesterday extended his lead at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge after winning the opening stage of the event which serves as the second round of the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC).
Al Attiyah and his French navigator Edouard Boulanger, who won the Prologue stage too on Nasser Racing By Prodrive, overcame a struggling start to win the stage by over three minutes, thanks to a late charge clocking 3:34:53secs.
Belgium’s Guillaume de Mevius and his co-driver Frenchman Xavier Panseri were runners-up while Argentina’s Juan Cruz Yacopini and his co-driver Daniel Oliveras Carreras of Spain finished third in the stage.
Qatari driver Nasser Al Attiyah and his French navigator Edouard Boulanger.
The opening stage covered a total distance of 374 kilometres starting from south-west of Al Dhannah City and culminating in the Rub’ Al Khali.
The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, one of the longest-running UAE sporting spectacles, is presented by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and organised by the Emirates Motorsport Organisation (EMSO).