Dakar 2021: Stephane Peterhansel maintains overall lead; Nasser wins consecutive stages

SThe Stage 3 of Dakar 2021 ran around Wadi Ad-Dawasir loop spanning 629kilometers. Nasser Al-Attiya and co-driver Matthieu Baumel benefited from new dampers and suspension replacement overnight with Toyota Gazoo team bagging their second Stage win. This was the 38th Dakar Stage win for the Qatari. 

Their 301 numbered Hilux led the stage till the halfway mark by close to three minutes. And they maintained the lead to finish 2 minutes and 25 seconds clear of his teammate Henk Lategan with a time of 04:03:14.

Dakar debutant Henk Lategan is just 26 years old but has shown some promising performance with a brilliant second position finish in Stage 3. The South African managed to jump to seventh in the overall standing and only the second Toyota Gazoo car in top 10 standing. He only had three days of experience on the dunes and had never driven to waypoints yet he posted the second-best time on the special stage. Letegan is accompanied in his Hilux by Brett Cummings, a former Original by Motul biker, whose navigational skills are likely to have contributed to the superb result.

Just seconds into the stage Dakar veteran and defending champion Carlos Sainz suffered a huge blow losing 31 minutes in Stage 3. With an engine failure and punctures in Stage 2, Sainz’s overall standing has dropped to fourth after finishing 21 yesterday. Saiz’s 31-minute deficit amounts to twice the deficit conceded by Sebastien Loeb, who now finds himself 45 minutes behind Peterhansel. 

Loeb suffered three punctures in a day and yet finished sixth at the end of Stage 3, three and a half seconds behind the Stage winner. SRT Racing driver and local hero Yasir Seaidan finished fourth.

Stage 3 Standing: