Hamas says leadership survived Israeli attack in Doha, confirms six deaths    Saudi Crown Prince and Jordanian King back Qatar fully to preserve its sovereignty in phone call    Tunisian president meets Saudi foreign minister in Tunis Prince Faisal co-chairs Saudi-Tunisian Political Consultation Committee meeting    Saudi Arabia slams Israel's use of blockade and starvation as tactics to impose forceful displacement    PIF chief says Saudi transformation could outpace China's, outlines 'filtration' investment process The Fund to unveil its next five-year strategy soon    Arcapita acquires C&K Paving, expanding its global business services portfolio    Crown Prince to outline domestic and foreign policy priorities during Shoura Council address Wednesday    Hajj Ministry launches catering challenge to foster innovation in services to pilgrims    Israel carries out attack against Hamas leadership in Qatar    French PM François Bayrou loses crucial confidence vote in parliament    Anastacia: Arnold Schwarzenegger made me sing Whatta Man 12 times    Saudi Real GDP records growth of 3.9% in Q2 2025    PIF signs MoU with Macquarie Asset Management to boost investments in infrastructure and energy transition    Thousands pay their last respects to Giorgio Armani, private funeral on Monday    French doctor goes on trial for poisoning 30 patients, 12 fatally    The key to happiness    Gamers frustrated as Hollow Knight: Silksong crashes stores on launch    Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather Jr. set to meet in exhibition boxing match in 2026    Al Hilal sign Turkish defender Yusuf Akcicek on €22m deal until 2029    Al Qadsiah sign German midfielder Julian Weigl to strengthen defensive midfield    Al Ahli secure Flamengo starlet Matheus Gonçalves in long-term deal through 2027    Sholay: Bollywood epic roars back to big screen after 50 years with new ending    Ministry launches online booking for slaughterhouses on eve of Eid Al-Adha    Shah Rukh Khan makes Met Gala debut in Sabyasachi    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Al-Attiyah, Sunderland extend lead
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 03 - 04 - 2017

QASR AL SARAB, UAE — Qatar's Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and Dubai-based Sam Sunderland extended their lead in the car and motorcycle categories by claiming victories through the opening 276.59km selective section of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge powered by Nissan Sunday.

The stage started east of Arjan, south of Abu Dhabi, and finished north of the remote desert resort of Qasr Al-Sarab. Dakar Rally winner Sunderland started last on the road, claimed the win by just three seconds and holds an overnight advantage of just 5.7 seconds over the Chilean defending FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion Pablo Quintanilla, riding his Husqvarna.

Kuwait's Mohammed Jaffar and Abu Dhabi's Mohammed Al-Balooshi reached the finish in eighth and ninth overall on their respective KTMs.

Al-Attiyah cruised to the stage win in the cars and his Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux now leads the event by 11in 35.1sec from Abu Dhabi Racing's Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi.

Russian Vladimir Vasilyev finished third in his X-raid Mini All4 Racing, Czech Miroslav Zapletal was fourth and fellow countryman Martin Prokop produced an impressive performance in his Ford to claim the fifth fastest time. Italian Eugenio Amos was a surprise sixth in the unofficial standings.

Kuwaiti Fahad Al-Musallam's advantage in the quad section was short-lived and the Kuwaiti slipped out of the top five in the quad category behind Poland's stage winning Kamil Wisniewski and Guatemala's Rodolfo Schippers. Italy's Camelia Liparoti produced a good performance to finish third.

Saudi Arabia's Yasir Saeidan has unfinished business in the T2 category after missing out on last year's title and he made a strong start to his Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge campaign and was the front-running T2 driver at the early passage control checks.

Local driver Mansoor Al-Helai's plan to push hard in the T2 category suffered a severe setback when he ground to a halt before PC1. Meanwhile, Marat Abykayev's challenge for T2 honours suffered a terminal blow when the Kazakh crashed his Toyota Land Cruiser heavily early in the stage and co-driver Andrey Chipenko sustained an injury. The medical helicopter was summoned and his co-driver was airlifted to Madinat Zayed hospital with a head injury. He was conscious and in a stable condition.

Dubai-based Saluki Motorsport is running three different makes of car for founder Mark Powell (Buggy), UAE-based Georgy Gomshiashvili (Predator X185) and rookie Omani Abdullah Al-Zubair (Nissan Patrol). Experienced Welshman Quin Evans, Russian Nikita Abramov and former Dakar enduro rider Annie Seel, from Sweden, have been tasked with navigating duties. The trio began the day in 33rd, 30th and 25th overall.

The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is taking place under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the Ruler's representative in Al-Dafra region, and has invaluable support from Al-Dafrah Region Municipality, Abu Dhabi Municipality, the UAE Army, Abu Dhabi Police, National Ambulance Service, Yas Marina Circuit, ADNOC, Abu Dhabi Aviation, Al-Ain Water, Abu Dhabi Waste Management, Rotana and Centro Hotel – Yas Island, the Qasr Al-Sarab Resort and Al-Forsan Circuit.


Clic here to read the story from its source.