Nasser Al-Attiyah avoids Nani Roma’s miracle in Dakar and makes history: wins stage and equals Peterhansel and Vatanen’s record

Nani Roma he warned. “I don’t believe in miracles,” he said the day before. “I just believe in work and just keep doing things the way I’ve always done them and competing the same way.” Throughout his life, the Catalan taught that the path to success is a combination of talent and constant hard work. And never stop believing. However, in sports, you will be competing against rivals of the following sizes: nacelle Al Attiyahit’s not necessarily synonymous with victory.

one of dacia He made it very difficult to claim the title in the 11th stage, losing only a few minutes and heading into today’s 12th stage, the penultimate of the Dakar 2026, with an advantage of 8.40 minutes. Nani Romaeverything is done in person. And this Friday he finished the job. He increased the distance from Nani (2nd place) to 15 minutes and 2 seconds. The Catalan’s insurmountable margin in the final stage should not have been surprising or difficult, just that. 105 kilometers along the coast of the Red Sealeaving a wonderful image.

Nani hit the steering wheel and risked second place

Nasser’s mechanical problems could cost the Catalan winger his third Dakar appearance (second place in the vehicle category). However, in the end, it was Nani who had to experience great fear. 500 meters before reaching the special, I hit a rock and bent my front right wheel. He eventually reached the finish line with one tire still in contact with the ground.

But it didn’t end there. Regulations set a maximum time for each stage to reach the end of bivouac time control. In this case, the time limit was 4:47 p.m. (2:47 p.m. local time, Spanish Peninsula time). Dumas eventually helped repair damage to the road connector. And the Catalans had to travel 170 kilometers to reach the camp on time. However, there should be no problem arriving before that limit to avoid penalties that complicate second place..

Nasser finished the job

Nasser Al-AttiyahHe doesn’t remember any major troubles on this rally, and as he knows best, he knows how to perfectly control his advantage in the final stages of this test, exploiting his further back starting position to attack and at the same time preserve his mechanics as he aims for his sixth Dakar.

He also won a stage and performed like a champion. He won by 1 minute 04 seconds. Mitch Guthrie beat Toby Price by 1 minute 25 seconds, Ekstrom by 1 minute 49 seconds, and Nani Roma by another 6 minutes 22 seconds.For his part, teammate Ekström came in third place, eight minutes behind Forgerold, almost sealing second place in the Dakar.

Here it is, Nasser Al-Attiyah can celebrate Dakar 2026 After matching past records: 50 stage wins for Vatanen and Peterhansel. He will make history and win the Dakar.

nacelle When he reached the finish line, he was adamant that he did not attack with all his might, but held himself back a bit to avoid any problems. Nevertheless, he won. “I had a good starting position, so I decided to push a little bit, but I didn’t do anything crazy and avoided any punctures or navigation errors. I’m very happy to win the stage. It was a good day.” Said.

Roma takes runner-up spot

surely, dakarNothing is taken for granted until you cross the finish line. Anything can happen up to the last meter. But unless some unexpected, crazy, out-of-the-ordinary drama happens at the last minute. nacelle Nani Roma should lift the crown for the sixth time and will be able to celebrate his already great success with second place on the Dakar podium.

Four years ago, he underwent chemotherapy, but now, if he reaches the final goal without any problems, he will be awarded the Dakar runner-up Touareg after his performance. He won his best car in every aspect in the very tough Dakar.

His success in overcoming, recovering, persevering, and pursuing his dreams despite the challenges life threw at him is arguably greater than any sporting achievement. That number two is synonymous with life, resilience, and work, and a lot of work. There were no miracles. Yes, there was an important example for everyone to see. That was Nani Roma, who took second place despite having to recover from an unexpected wheel problem at the end.

Loeb and Ekström are playing for the podium. Sainz 5th overall

Carlos Sainz He finished stage 12 7 minutes and 45 seconds behind the winner. Al AttiyahAs a result, he remained in fifth place overall, 36 minutes and 33 seconds behind the leader, but missed out on the podium as he lost time on stage 11 due to navigation issues, which kept him from winning the title.

Teammate Ekström follows in third place overall, tied with the other players. ford of Nani On the podium. Perhaps the big emotion of the final stage lies in the battle for the last place in the box. given that Ekström He leads Loeb by just 29 seconds. Both will do it in the final stages. Matthias He is 23’21” behind the leader in the overall standings, robe23 minutes 50 seconds. There will be a battle for third place. Carlos Sainz As a luxury spectator ranked 5th overall, he was already far away from both sides, and there were only 13 minutes left until the match.