Qatari Nasser al-Attiyah won the first special of the Dakar Rally on Sunday to extend his race lead after victory in the prologue.
The 51-year-old, looking to win the race for the fourth time, finished the stage 12 minutes and seven seconds quicker than nine-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb in second place.
“It feels steady. We’ll do our best, but today was a good stage for us. This is no time to race conservatively,” said Toyota’s al-Attiyah, a former Olympic shooting medallist.
The 333-kilometre loop around northern Saudi Arabia saw several competitors suffer navigational difficulties, resulting in large time gaps.