Nasser Al-Attiyah and Édouard Boulanger continued their pursuit of a debut Dakar Rally podium for The Dacia Sandriders when the opening round of the 2025 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship resumed today (Saturday) following Friday’s Rest Day in Ha’il.
Al-Attiyah and Boulanger headed into the 605-kilometre Stage 6 to Al-Duwadimi in fourth position overall following their extensive delay on Stage 4, and the unfortunate 10-minute penalty handed out after they’d set the fastest time through Stage 5.
Despite being hindered by being the first crew to tackle the majority of Stage 6, Al-Attiyah and Boulanger were third quickest in a time of 4h36m50s to close to within eight minutes of the final podium place in the outright ranking, having been 15 minutes adrift at the start of the day.
Once again, Al-Attiyah, a five-time Dakar Rally winner, was able to demonstrate the performance of his sustainably-fuelled #200 Dacia Sandrider. Backed up by Boulanger’s faultless navigation, the defending W2RC champion from Qatar overcame sandy hills, dunes and more besides.
He’s set to start Sunday’s modified 419-kilometre Al-Duwadimi loop stage a reduced margin of 30m25s behind the event leader with 1858 competitive kilometres remaining prior to Friday’s finish in Shubaytah, eastern Saudi Arabia.
After switching focus to performing a supporting role to Al-Attiyah and Boulanger following their non-finish on Stage 2, Cristina Gutiérrez and Pablo Moreno completed Stage 6 with the 18th fastest time, a 4h53m08s, aboard the #212 Dacia Sandrider after they stopped to replace a damaged tyre.
The mechanical assistance they’ve been providing to their team-mates was recognised when members of The Dacia Sandriders presented the Spanish pair with a signed toolbox at the finish of Stage 5 in Ha’il on Thursday.
KEY QUOTES
Nasser Al-Attiyah (Qatar), driver, The Dacia Sandriders : « It was not easy. Stage 6 of the Dakar after the Rest Day and we tried to improve at least a little bit, not crazy, but I am really happy for the pace. We opened the road all the way from the first 25 kilometres. It means we have the speed and we try to keep it like this. Still we have six days of stages left, things will be coming harder and harder but we are well prepared and we try to do our best. »
Cristina Gutierrez (Spain), driver, The Dacia Sandriders : « It was not a very easy today. We had one puncture in the beginning. We tried to take a good rhythm but when I took the dunes, my feeling in the car was not super-nice. I was a little bit uncomfortable so we need to take advantage and work with the engineers and mechanics to see if we can improve something. I’m happy it’s one stage more and tomorrow we will see. »
DAKAR RALLY PROVISIONAL STAGE 6 RESULTS – Ha’il-Al-Duwadimi
Stage distance: 605km / Liaison distance: 224km / Total distance: 829km
3rd: Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Édouard Boulanger (FRA), +2m01s
18th: Cristina Gutiérrez (ESP)/Pablo Moreno (ESP), +18m19s
DAKAR RALLY PROVISIONAL OVERALL RESULTS AFTER STAGE 6
4th: Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Édouard Boulanger (FRA), +30m25s
44th (TBC): Cristina Gutiérrez (ESP)/Pablo Moreno (ESP), +37h46m22s
DAKAR RALLY: THE BIG NUMBER
172: A transfer section of 172 kilometres allowed crews to enjoy a brief respite from the rigours of competition on Dakar Rally’s two-part Stage 6.
THE DAY AHEAD: STAGE 7, AL-DUWADIMI-AL-DUWADIMI, JANUARY 12
Al-Duwadimi-Al-Duwadimi is billed as one of the event’s key stages, with a long loop consisting of a mix of fast and slow sections, featuring a touch of mountain racing and some fiendish navigation.
Stage distance: 419km / Liaison distance: 297km / Total distance: 716km
Linda Hirvonen,