Two Hail Baja stage wins on the trot for Al Attiyah and Hilux
Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel continued their Dakar 2021 preparations by winning the opening two days of Hail Baja 1 aboard their Gazoo Toyota Hilux. The Qatari fended off Dakar rivals Carlos Sainz and Stéphane Peterhansel’s Mini buggies. Yazen Al-Rajhi and Dirk van Zitzewitz were fourth in another Hilux
NASSER ON HAIL BAJA: “THE ONLY WAY WAS TO PUSH”
“We opened the road, so only had one way and that was to push,” Atiyah reflected. “We made an incredible stage without mistakes, no problems and no punctures. I am happy to win Baja 1.”
“We still want to make a few changes to be best prepared forDakar” Sainz explained. 13-time Dakar winner Peterhansel added: “This Baja is more of a shakedown. Yesterday was the first time this season that I have driven the Buggy, and I am really happy with it. “I didn’t push to the max, or take any big risks with the car I’ll be racing at the Dakar.”
It could have been two Toyotas on the podium. Kuba Przygonski and Timo Gottschalk ’s podium challenging Hilux suffered fuel-related issues before a positive second day’s showing. Attention now turns to the 479 km Hail Baja 3 on 14-15 December. That’s the last competitive action before Dakar 2021 starts with a short January 2 prologue.
