Loeb wins stage but Al-Attiyah remains on course for back-to-back Dakar wins

RIYADH: Qatari driver Nasser Al-Attiyah’s strategy of playing it safe saw him move a step closer to retaining his Dakar Rally title and his fifth in all following Tuesday’s ninth stage.
The 52-year-old Toyota driver finished 11min 8sec adrift of the stage winner, nine-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb.
However, the pressure further eased on Al-Attiyah as his closest pursuer overnight, the South African driver Henk Lategan, suffered a mechanical problem and lost 40 minutes.