F1: Loeb increases Dakar pressure – Gulf Digital News

F1: Loeb increases Dakar pressure – Gulf Digital News

Sebastien Loeb increased the pressure for Bahrain Raid Xtreme in the Dakar Rally as he slashed another seven minutes off the lead held by Nasser Al Attiyah in Saudi Arabia.

Partnered by Fabian Lurquin in their BRX Prodrive Hunter, the nine-times World Rally

Champion followed up his second stage win 24 hours earlier with a third place finish yesterday behind Sweden’s Mattias Ekstrom and Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel.

With Al Attiyah managing only the 11th best time on the 395 km stage from Al Dawadimi to Wadi Ad Dawasir, Loeb reduced the Qatari’s overall advantage to 37 mins 58 secs with four more stages amounting to 1,172-km left before Friday’s finish in Jeddah.

After closing the gap by 12 mins 27 secs in two days. Loeb and Lurquin are counting on the strength, versatility and unquestionable speed of the Prodrive Hunter to keep them in the hunt for a first Dakar victory.

It was also another rewarding day for team-mates Orlando Terranova and Dani Oliveras who set the sixth fastest stage time in their Prodrive Hunter to continue their impressive climb to fifth in the overall rankings.

Two-dimes Dakar winner Nani Roma and Alex Haro in the third Prodrive Hunter ran out of luck when a