It’s anecdotal as his lead over runner-up Sébastien Loeb is comfortable, but the leader was caught at fault for wanting to go too fast. Dakar organizers said Tuesday evening that Nasser al-Attiyah had been penalized by five minutes for an offense committed on Monday. After having a puncture and changing a tire, the driver, accompanied by Mathieu Baumel, quickly got back on the road. Perhaps too much for the race marshals, who asked to see footage from the surveillance camera installed inside the vehicle to ensure that the crew had been in order.
It is a “video posted on social networks” and showing a change of wheel carried out on the Toyota Hilux on Monday, between Al Dawadimi and Wadi Ad Dawasir, which put the chip in the ear of the FIA. The scene unfolded when the crew currently leading the general classification suffered a puncture. After intervening, Nasser Al-Attiyah and Matthieu Baumel very quickly left and it turns out that they did not immediately put on their seat belts, which constitutes an offense.
“For a short time, the co-pilot even held the steering wheel to give the driver the opportunity to fasten his seat belt,” it said in a statement. The violation found is contrary to article 48.1 of the sporting regulations of the World Rally-Raid Championship, which states that “whenever a vehicle is in motion, on any type of selective section and up to when it stops, the crew must wear approved helmets, all clothing and safety equipment in accordance with Annex L, Chapter III of the pilot equipment, as provided by the manufacturer, and must have the seat belts properly fastened. “
The marshals estimated that the crew had violated the regulations and gained 1′45 ′ ‘by doing so. In the general classification, al-Attiyah is now ahead of Sébastien Loeb by 34′5 ′ ‘.
