Nasser Al Attiyah strengthened his grip on the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge with another measured drive while world champion Marc Coma made a big move in his search for an eighth bikes triumph.
– Mohammed Balooshi: I hope to make the UAE proud
– ADDC 2015: Tough dunes no bother for Al Attiyah
– #Quiz360: Win a gruop paintballing session at ZSC
Partnered by French co-driver Mathieu Baumel, Al Attiyah took the 272km Qasr Al Sarab Special Stage Three, by more than 11 minutes ahead of Russia’s Vladimir Vasilyev to open up an overall lead of 15min 54secs.
Despite the tough conditions, Qatar’s Al Attiyah was satisfied with victory.
“It was a hard day with big dunes and soft sand, but luckily we didn’t get stuck,” said the 44-year-old. “It was also very hot but all is okay, we did a good job.”
With Dutchman Erik Van Loon another 14min 46secs adrift, the UAE’s Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi finished the day in fifth, and fourth overall after another impressive drive on his debut. It wasn’t easy for the Emirati, who suffered a number of problems including a fault with the tracking system but was delighted with his drive.
“It was a good stage for me and it’s fantastic to have moved up to fourth place overall, more than I could have hoped for in my first Desert Challenge,” said Al Qassimi.
Covering Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in #UAE‘s western region this week. Stunning place, but unforgiving. #ADDC2015 pic.twitter.com/7JpglTAUMf
— Gary Meenaghan (@GMeenaghan) March 31, 2015
Harry Hunt in a Mini and Marek Dabrowski in a Toyota Hilux, completed the top six at the end of the demanding leg which was particularly unkind to another Emirati driver, Yahya Al Helei.
The first stage winner, who was still fourth at the start of the day, was halted by a broken clutch as he took his Nissan Pick up through the mighty dunes close to the legendary Moreeb Hill, eventually slipping to ninth place overall.
Victory in the bikes by 29 secs went to defending champion Paulo Goncalves. However, a second place finish was enough to give Coma a 5min 4secs overall advantage from the Portuguese rider, with overnight leader Sam Sunderland slipping to third.
Chile’s Pablo Quintanilla, Portugal’s Ruben Faria and American rider Ricky Brabec complete the top six heading into today’s 258km Nissan Patrol SS4, with the UAE’s Mohammad Balooshi still going strong in seventh.
