Khaled Al Qassimi's car suffers a gearbox break in the Dakar Rally

Sebastien Loeb ignored a double-hole with his car to give Bahrain Red Extreme team second place, as the 2022 Dakar Rally started in earnest on Sunday.

The heated competition took place around Hail in the north of Saudi Arabia, and the 333-kilometre stage was the real start of the 44th Dakar Rally, with Loeb and co-driver Fabian Lorkin putting on an impressive display with a Prodrive Hunter.

Three-time winner of the Dakar Rally, Nasser Al-Attiyah took the overall lead by 12 minutes and 44 seconds in his Toyota Hilux, while Sebastian moved from fifth place in the previous day's stage to second place in the general classification today.

The Emirati misfortune befell Sheikh Khaled Al Qasimi early today, as his Abu Dhabi Racing Peugeot 3008 DKR stopped due to a broken gearbox at the first control point.

The stage featured a wide range of terrain, featuring high-speed sections, complex navigation and rocks, and nine-time World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb suffered two punctures before recovering very quickly at the end of the stage.

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