In the second week, who can worry about the Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah, solid leader in the car classification?

And on a motorcycle, will the KTMs leave a few crumbs?

Al-Attiyah on pole

In the car, coming very close to victory last year (2nd), the Qatari Nasser al-Attiyah and his French co-driver Mathieu Baumel (Toyota) seem untouchable.

In the lead since the first day, they gradually pushed their lead to 48 minutes on the second, the Saudi Yazeed al-Rajhi, and 50 minutes on the French Sébastien Loeb (BRX Prodrive).

The Alsatian now hopes "a mistake" from his opponent to do better than a podium.

Al-Attiyah is in an ideal position and can dream of a fourth coronation on the rally-raid.

Audi, fragile hybrid

The Audis are capable of competing on a special but have had too many reliability problems to compete in the overall standings, when it was not the navigation.

Expected at the turn with their new hybrid engines, a first in rally-raid, the three buggies did not sin by their propulsion, as expected, but by the cycle parts or the transmission.

The Swede Mattias Ekstrom, 14th, surprising first, is far ahead of Carlos Sainz, 25th despite his victory on stage 3, and the record holder for victories in the event (14), Stéphane Peterhansel, 73rd, has lost all hope. entry, because of a broken rear axle.

KTM crushes everything

In motorcycles, KTM crushes everything in its path: the Australian Daniel Sanders has taken three stages and is on the third step of the general, while the Englishman Sam Sunderland, unhappy third last year, is first in the standings for four days.

Between them, the Austrian Matthias Walkner completes the provisional podium monopolized by the Mattighofen firm.

Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren is fourth (Yamaha).

Austrian biker Matthias Walkner on KTM during the 4th stage of the Dakar between al-Qaysumah and Riyadh, January 5, 2022 FRANCK FIFE AFP / Archives

Lower, less cold

The altitude of the first days (more than 1000 meters) gave way to the plain of the "empty quarter" of the peninsula.

Good news for the bikers who complained about the cold and the very high humidity during the departures of the first days.

It is now always cool in the early morning on the bivouac, around 6-8 degrees, but the thermometer quickly climbs above 20 during the day.

The competitors head west towards al Dawadimi on Sunday, for one of the longest stages of the edition, 402 km, and more than 300 km of link.

With 100 km of dunes from the start, you will have to be very careful in this tricky stage after the day off.

Security concern

The aftermath of the explosion in Jeddah still fuel the debates, even if the caravan displays a relative serenity.

Security is reinforced around the camp outside Riyadh with police roadblocks and mobile patrols.

Denying the conviction of several witnesses and the doubts of France, the Saudi authorities refute the criminal nature of this explosion, in which a French competitor, Philippe Boutron, 61, was seriously injured in a leg.

For Saudi Arabia, the stakes are high: the conservative kingdom seeks to establish itself as a stronghold of world sport.

French justice opened an investigation for "attempted assassinations in connection with a terrorist enterprise".

© 2022 AFP