For coverage of the previous five stages, follow this link.
Stage 5 of the 2020 Dakar Rally saw the four TOYOTA GAZOO Racing crews maintain their overall positions. Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel were again the fastest of the foursome, setting the second-fastest time on the stage, and losing 2min 56sec to the stage winner, Carlos Sainz (MINI).
They remain in second place, however, and are now 5mins 59sec behind Sainz in the overall standings. This comes after a tough stage, where Al-Attiyah/Baumel started as the second car into the stage. They inherited the lead, however, when Stage 4 winner Stephane Peterhansel pulled over to replace a punctured tyre. The result was that the Toyota Hilux crew effectively opened the road for the bulk of the stage. They also had to nurse a slow puncture over the closing 50km of the stage, accounting for some of the time they lost.
Giniel de Villiers and Alex Haro finished Stage 5 as the 6th-fastest crew, losing 11min 46sec to the stage winners on the day. They remain in 7th place as a result, and are now 46min 26sec behind in the overall standings.
Stage 6
Carlos Sainz is the first to get to grips with the special in the car category. After a fine performance yesterday, the general standings leader will be driving under pressure from Nasser Al-Attiyah and Stéphane Peterhansel, who will be on the hunt for him… Three experienced drivers battling for just one title.
Update: 9:10
A few frontrunners have already gone through the first waypoint. Peterhansel is currently in the lead, with Nasser Al-Attiyah 20 seconds behind. Rajhi is currently in third place. Carlos Sainz has dropped down to fourth, a mere 44 seconds behind Peterhansel. Alonso is doing well so far in fifth place, while Giniel de Villers is 20 seconds behind him in seventh place.
Update: 9:45
At waypoint KM107 Peterhansel remains in the lead, with Nasser Al-Attiyah in second. Rajhi has moved up to third, with Sainz in fourth place.
Update: 10:25
At waypoint KM165, Peterhansel remains in the lead. All-Attiyah is in second place, followed by Sainz. Alonso has moved up to six and Giniel de Villiers has moved up to seventh.
Update: 11:00
Carlos Sainz has claimed back the lead, with Peterhansel dropping down to second. Al-Attiyah is currently in third place. Alonso has gained another spot and is up to fifth. Giniel de Villiers is just behind him in sixth place.
Update: 11:50
Peterhansel claimed back the lead following KM265. Sainz was a close second with All-Attiyah in third. At waypoint KM318, the positioning between the top two remains the same.
Update: 13:00
Peterhansel is putting in a strong performance today. At waypoint KM425, he’s still in the lead. Carlos Sainz is a minute behind, with Nasser Al-Attiyah around another two minutes behind Sainz.
Rajhi is in fourth, followed by Alonso in fifth.
