Attiyah stays on the mark

Abu Dhabi - Vasilyev finds disaster; Quintanilla in the reckoning at Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge

Qatar's Nasser Al Attiyah continued along his relentless path towards a second cars triumph in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge on Wednesday as Chile's Pablo Quintanilla snatched a significant bikes advantage to carry into the final leg.
While Finland's Mikko Hirvonen won the 258km ADNOC stage alongside French co-driver Michel Perin in a Mini All4Racing, Al Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel were second fastest in a Toyota Hilux as they increased their overall lead to 28 mins 08 secs.
Meanwhile, Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development and Chairman of the General Authority for Youth and Sports Welfare, paid a visit to the rally headquarters and the media centre, where he was greeted by Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE, organisers of the rally. Shaikh Nahyan said: "I'm very pleased that we have been able to again welcome so many participants and members of the media to the UAE for the Desert Challenge. This is an event that I have a great deal of affection and respect for, particularly as it promotes Abu Dhabi and the UAE around the world, and also because Mohammed and his team always make competitor safety the top priority."
Lying second overnight and chasing a third successive Desert Challenge victory, Russia's Vladimir Vasilyev and Konstantin Zhiltsov saw their hopes buried among the dunes of the Western Region of Al Gharbia when their Mini was halted by mechanical problems.
Their misfortune promoted Saudi Arabia's Yazeed Al Rajhi and German co-driver Timo Gotschalk to second place in another Mini, 7 mins 32 secs ahead of four-times WRC runner-up Hirvonen in third.
Making his Desert Challenge debut, American Bryce Menzies is clearly benefitting from the experience of German co-driver Andreas Schulz, climbing to fourth place in a Mini. With Poland's Jakub Przygonski and Belgian Tom Colsoul in fifth, the UAE's Shaikh Khalid Al Qasimi, partnered by Emirati co-driver Khalid Al Kendi, continued to climb in his Abu Dhabi Racing Mini All4Racing to complete the top six. Another Emirati driver, Ahmad Al Maqoodi, moved into the top ten alongside Obaid Al Kitbe in their Polaris RZR to lead the buggies category. Among the day's casualties were the all lady crew of Germany's Jutta Kleinschmidt and Swede Tina Thorner whose buggy broke its gearbox.
Reaching the end of the ADNOC stage, Al Attiyah, who captured the Desert Challenge title in 2008, said: "It wasn't easy at all. We did some of this stage yesterday but most was completely new. We didn't take risks - we don't want to make mistakes now. I'm really happy to finish and looking forward to tomorrow."
In the battle of the bikes, French rider Pierre Alexandre Renet was the stage winner from Chilean Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo as he rose to fifth overall.
But fourth best time on the day was enough to make Quintanilla the clear favourite for victory on his Husqvarna as he took a 2 mins 45 secs lead over this year's Dakar Rally winner Toby Price, with the Aussie's KTM team-mate, Dubai-based Sam Sunderland, just two seconds further away.
It was a splendid day for top Emirati rider Mohammed Al Balooshi who outpaced Quintanilla, Price and Sam Sunderland, three of the world's biggest cross country rallying talents, to maintain his fourth place overall.
"This stage once again lived up to its reputation as the toughest in the Desert Challenge," said Mohammed ben Sulayem, president of the Automobile and Touring Club, the rally organisers. "But there is still another 234km of competitive dessert rallying ahead and concentration is still very important on the final leg."