Eurol in Dakar 2021 stage 2: Al-Attiyah hits back with dominant stage win

Toyota Gazoo Racing

Al-Attiyah’s strength in the sand became apparent in the second part of Monday’s stage, after he closed the gap to his main rivals and even took some time out of them in the last part of the stage. It helped Al-Attiyah and his co-driver Mathieu Baumel to close in on the lead in the overall classification, where he sits in third place now.

The other members of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Team faced an uphill battle during the second stage. Henk Lategan controlled the damage and came home in P14, Giniel de Villiers lost over an hour and reached the finish in P38. Shameer Variawa hit trouble early on, but saved the day by finishing the stage. He lost over two hours on leader Al-Attiyah.

Toyota Hilux, Bernhard ten Brinke

After adjusting the spring settings of the Toyota Hilux, Bernhard ten Brinke found himself very comfortable in the Toyota Hilux on Monday. The Dutchman minimized risk and took it easy on the tricky parts of the stage. The result was a tenth place for Ten Brinke, who now sits in P9 on the overall classification.

Coronel brothers going strong

Tim and Tom Coronel felt at home in the first dunes of this years Dakar. They finished in P39 and brought The Beast home in one piece. So far, so good for the famous twin brothers.

Mammoet Rallysport Team

Martin van den Brink showed his potential once again during the second stage of the Dakar. He claimed a second top ten finish in a row and sits in ninth place on the overall classification in the Truck category. His son Mitchel lost a bit of time in the early stages of the second leg, but battled until the end.

Pascal de Baar, Riwald Dakar Team

The experienced Pascal de Baar is getting into the groove quite good at this stage of the race. During the second stage of the Dakar, De Baar had a look at the top ten and eventually finished in P13. Unfortunately, Gert Huzink and his teammates Rob Buursen and Martin Roesink hit trouble on Monday. The Renault truck had an engine failure and are out of the race