The third stage of the 2022 Dakar Rally served up all the intrigue and nail-biting action expected from the world’s greatest rally raid, despite being shortened by 100 km due to heavy rain. The loop around Al Qaisumah started with an initial 214 km, followed by a timed 255 km special. Thereafter, drivers returned to the bivouac via another 166 km open section.

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Starting the day with controversy

Overall leader Nasser Al-Attiyah managed 8th place today. This follows an announcement early this morning that he was imposed with a fine after his Toyota Gazoo Racing Hilux arrived at the bivouac on Monday with its data logger not connected. The €5 000 fine must be paid within 48 hours. There’s also a suspended disqualification pending if the Hilux is found to be in contravention of the rules over the next 10 days.

Al-Attiyah’s nearest rival in the overall standings, Sébastien Loeb, had a dismal day. Loeb suffered not one but two punctures on the way to 26th place. His BRX Hunter T1+ race machine also suffered mechanical issues with the transmission. As a result, the Frenchman drove 250 km of the stage with just two-wheel-drive, ultimately costing him a lot of time in the sandy dunes.

Learn more about the main contenders in the 2022 race by clicking here.

The first Dakar stage win for an electric-assisted car

Former WRC champion and three-time Dakar winner Carlos Sainz piloted his Audi RS Q E-tron hybrid racer to its maiden stage win after spending most of the morning chasing the Toyota Gazoo Hilux of South African Henk Lategan, who set the pace early on. Lategan completed stage three just 38 seconds behind Sainz, denying Audi Sport a 1-2 finish. The stage win was Sainz’s 40th in the Dakar.

Mr Dakar Stephane Peterhansel brought his Audi home in third, ahead of Bahrain Raid Xtreme’s Nani Roma and teammate Mattias Ekstrom. Toyota Gazoo’s Giniel De Villiers managed seventh, ahead of Al-Attiyah, to maintain fourth in the overall standings, while compatriot Brian Baragwanath finished 19th on the stage. De Villiers has a 5 minute time penalty for an incident with a biker on yesterday’s stage and there is another incident involving the South African under investigation by the FIA.

General classification after 2022 Dakar Stage 3

  1. Nasser Al-Attiyah Toyota 9 hr 31 min 22 sec
  2. Sébastien Loeb BRX + 37 min 40 sec
  3. Lucio Alvarez Toyota + 42 min 06 sec
  4. Giniel De Villiers Toyota + 45 min 22 sec
  5. Yazeed Al Rajhi Toyota + 47 min 29 sec
  6. Vladimir Vasilyev VRT +49 min 33 sec
  7. Martin Prokop Orlen + 54 min 46 sec
  8. Sebastian Halpern Mini +1 hr 01 min 32 sec
  9. Jakub Przygonski Mini +1 hr 06 min 47 sec
  10. Orlando Terranova BRX + 1hr 08 min 04 sec